Getting to state is hard enough. Getting there, coming close and then spending an entire offseason thinking about what might have been can make the desire to return even stronger.
Four local golfers know that feeling.
Argyle’s Blake Ladner and Marcus standouts Cooper Carlyle, Evan Evola and Liam Peterson all competed at the state tournament last season. Each returns in 2026-27 with experience, confidence and some unfinished business.
For Ladner, the remarkable part is how quickly it all happened.
As a freshman, Ladner tied for fourth at state, shooting rounds of 74 and 68 for a 142 total. He also helped Argyle win district and regional team championships and shot 15-under at Squaw Valley to set a school record.
“It was really cool to be one of the younger guys there,” Ladner said. “But still knowing that I can compete with anybody, especially at the state level, was a huge confidence booster.”
Just a few years earlier, Ladner wasn’t even a golfer.
He grew up playing baseball, soccer and football before spotting his brother’s old golf clubs in the garage and telling his father he wanted to give the game a try.
“I grew up in a sports family and picked up the game because of my brother,” Ladner said. “He played and I told my dad I wanted to start playing golf. And here we are.”
Where he is now is among the state’s best.
Ladner recently finished second at the TJGT Tour Championship and opened the fall season with an All-America victory. But after his fourth-place state finish, his goals extend beyond individual success.
“My objectives for the season are to build chemistry with the team and get everyone on the same page so we can be ready to compete in the spring,” he said. “It would be huge to reach the state tournament again.”
A few miles away, Marcus has an opportunity to make history.
Carlyle, Peterson and Evola helped the Marauders reach state for the second consecutive year last season. Now they hope to become the first Marcus golf team to make three straight state tournament appearances.
For Carlyle, a senior, golf became his sport after his family moved from New York to Texas about seven years ago. He transitioned from baseball and gradually devoted more time to golf.
Last season, Carlyle shot 84-82 at state, but Marcus coach Matthew Davis said scores don’t tell the entire story of what he brings to the team.
“He has a personality of quiet confidence in his golf game and seems to always have the same smile on his face no matter how he has played,” Davis said. “I don’t think his heart rate changes much at all whether he bogeys or eagles a hole.”
Peterson, also a senior, was introduced to golf by his father while growing up in Kansas. After moving to Texas five years ago, he began taking the sport more seriously and entered competitive tournaments by eighth grade.
Along the way, golf became about more than scores. The sport introduced Peterson to people who became some of his closest friends and taught him lessons beyond the course.
At state last season, Peterson shot 80-88, but what he remembers most is proving Marcus belonged there.
“Some teams and coaches talked all year about who was going to make it to state, and we were not in that conversation,” Peterson said. “It was almost like we made it the year before because we were lucky, but we knew that was not the case. To make it two years in a row showed that we deserved to be there.”
Evola, a junior, had Marcus’ best state finish among its returning players, shooting 73-75. He started playing golf at 6 and began taking the sport seriously at 8 after being introduced to it by his father.
Now, he wants another shot at the biggest stage.
“My goal is to be the first team in Marcus’ history to go to state three years in a row,” Evola said. “It’s very important to me because I believe this will be my best shot at a push to win the state title.”
Like Carlyle, Evola isn’t particularly vocal.
“Evan is easily one of the quietest high school athletes I’ve ever worked with,” Davis said. “However, his golf game, like the other two, speaks of state-caliber volume.”
For all four golfers, state remains months away. There will be countless practice rounds, tournaments and pressure-filled shots before anyone can begin making plans for a return.
Davis said that’s exactly why Marcus isn’t looking too far ahead.
“Our focus is only on starting our season, the immediate tournament in front of us, and the hunger and discipline in our daily routine that will allow us to take these important steps,” he said.
They’ve already learned how difficult it is to reach state.
Now they’re trying to find their way back — and perhaps finish the job.
