The Permian boys golf team realized that the District 2-6A Tournament provided plenty for it to work on.

The Panthers’ effort was good enough for them to lift a district title however and take one step closer to the team’s next goal — making the Class 6A state tournament.

Now the task in front of the Panthers is the Region I-6A Tournament which starts today at the Texas Star Golf Course in Euless.

“It’s been fun because we’ve all grown up with each other,” Permian’s Will Adams said. “I remember playing with all of them when I was in fourth grade. So to come up through junior high and be high schoolers now and to go out and be the underdogs and win a district championship is real neat.”

Permian hasn’t played on that course all season, but the team’s coach — Doak Huddleston — said that the Metroplex course reminds him a lot of Diamondback Golf Club in Abilene. That’s the course where the Panthers won the district title.

Huddleston cited the course’s narrow fairways, creeks and other hazards that his team did well to navigate through in Abilene and will have to continue to combat in Euless.

“The course we are going to play is a little hilly; it’s not flat like this,” Huddleston said at Odessa Country Club in the week leading up to the tournament. “You have to try to save shots when you’re in trouble. We’re not Phil Mickelson. If you’re in trouble, limit the damage and move on.”

The regional tournament is where last year’s Panthers’ squad had their season ended after a district victory. This year’s team also only won one preseason tournament.

Now it has to raise its game to not suffer the team fate two years in a row.

“We all have our own little strong points in our game,”
 Permian’s Jaden Chavez said. “Some of us hit it further, some of chip and putt better. Everyone is a little different.”
The team’s lone senior — Matt Trotter — said this year’s district tournament win was more special than the one in 2016.

“It took a lot more effort and time put in and that made the victory a lot sweeter,” Trotter said.

Along with Trotter, Chavez and Adams, Breyden Weatherford and Matt’s younger brother, Tyler Trotter, will round out the quintet of Panthers competing in Euless.

“We’re going to have to shoot in the 290s with the Metroplex teams,” Huddleston said. “We can do it. (My team) knows what to do.

“They can play and each one of them has game. Every one of them can shoot in the 70s, but we want it in the lower 70s.”

In preparation for the regional tournament, the Panthers have practiced more of their short game with different lies with the inconsistent putting greens in Euless.

Practices as a whole have been different since the district championship with Huddleston making sure his team is working on refining its small skills to try and gain strokes on Permian’s regional competition.

“You have to approach it with a positive attitude and a little excitement. We’re going for regionals,” Huddleston said. “We’re going to go against some great teams.”

The Panthers will enter the Region I-6A tournament knowing that they’re coming off playing its best two rounds of the year. It’ll need two more starting today.

“It’s going to be some tough competition,” Adams said. “We’re going to have to play our butts off to try to qualify for state. But don’t count us out.”
