September 14, 2021
The 2021-22 season will feature a return to golf for East Central Community College as head coach Chris Clark looks to lead the Warriors for the first time since 2018. The program was suspended in November of 2017, but play continued through the spring of 2018 as the Warriors traveled to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Golf Championships at Glen Lakes Golf Club in Foley, Ala. where the team finished in 12th place.
The Warriors look to pick up where they left off three years ago in the always-challenging MACCC.
"We are a very young team that doesn't have a lot of experience in this league," said Clark. "However, we expect to compete in every tournament and I look forward to seeing what these guys bring to the course."
The roster is filled with mostly freshmen in Bryce Denley from Mandeville, La., River Maskew from Lucedale, Gage Miller from Anniston, Ala., Daulton Nelsonfrom Meridian, and Ethan Wade from Laurel. Davis Pool, a Caledonia native, is the lone sophomore and joins the Warriors by way of Meridian Community College after spending a year with Eagles.
All of these players bring unique skillsets to the team with some 'bombers' who have length off the tee, and others that have finesse around the greens and with their wedge play.
"We aren't going to get too technical in our approach," said Clark. "I want each of these student-athletes to improve in their course management, decision making, and in their mental game. Making strides in that area of the game can really elevate you in this league and put our team in a great position in each of the tournaments."
The Warriors start the season with a trip to Cullman, Ala. at the Dan York Memorial Tournament hosted by Wallace State Community College on Sept. 13 and 14. Just three days later, on Sept. 17, the team travels to Wesson for a one-round scrimmage hosted by Co-Lin, before kicking off MACCC play at Eagle Ridge in Raymond on Sept. 25 and 26. From there the team will continue conference play through the fall and spring semesters culminating in a conference championship in late spring. That tournament will qualify teams for an NJCAA Region 23 event, with the top teams earning a bid to the NJCAA National Tournament.
"I'm hoping to see continued growth from these players week after week, and hopefully put ourselves in contention for some postseason play," said Clark. "Those are things that we can control as a team, and I look forward to these guys being ambassadors of the sport in our area and pushing to grow this program that we have coming back to ECCC."
