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Trojan journey leads to repeat RPAC title
CAMBRIDGE, Neb. — Yowza! The trek up Cross Creek’s one gigantic hill only signaled a certain Cambridge family’s stroke chances were going down-down-down.
Senior Preston Carbaugh kept every Trojan feeling healthy even if his opening after-breakfast RPAC shots Thursday had a certain bean burrito quality to them.
“I started with a double bogey then a bogey,” the Trojan senior revealed.
Those would turn into Carbaugh’s two highest holes of the entire tourney.
The ensuing sweet 16 holes featured little stress as Preston’s best follower aimed at walking eight miles around Cross Creek Golf Course.
She enjoyed every step to a repeat RPAC title for the returning top five medalist.
Preston Carbaugh’s 75 featured a strong finish which more than offset the slumbering start.
He steadily built a five-stroke lead through the opening nine — only to fire three straight fives while Paxton’s Jeremy McMillian-Peters closed within just two shots of first place.
“I kind of started the back five like I started the front,” he admitted.
However, Carbaugh repeated the right attitude and approached.
He handled that one mountain-valley test despite teeing off into some good ol’ Nebraska wind gusts.
Carbaugh later “birdied” the five-stroke monster at No. 17. It was clear nobody was keeping pace through the final three holes en route to a seven-stroke victory.
Carbaugh repeated his RPAC title, though last year’s winning score was 81 at Arrowhead Golf Course Course in Curtis.
“That (Arrowhead) is a different course. To win it here at home is pretty special,” Preston proclaimed.
More special than any fingertip football catch or basketball putback, because Preston will be playing his favorite sport — golf — at Midland University in Fremont starting this fall.
Yet great Trojan goals will keep Preston’s focus certainly for another month.
The district tournament will again be at Cross Creek where he won as a sophomore two years ago.
Hopefully, the home course will directly lead to Kearney’s Meadowlark Hills and one more Class C state tourney.
“I finished fifth at state last year, and all those guys in front graduated,” Preston concluded. “So I have some pretty big goals.”
Other RPAC golfers will certainly be targeting those final huge tournaments.
Hitchcock County took second on Thursday at RPAC with Darian Hutto (seventh), Chris O’Byrne (10th) and Remington Hodges (13th) all earning medals.
Not even team champion Alma featured more Top 15 placers than the Falcons.
Southern Valley’s Carter Brown led the RPAC tourney through four holes until rolling into a difficult fifth.
Brown (12rh) and teammate David Trujillo (ninth) will be leading those Eagles’ district/state tourney quests.
Senior Dylan Hofman powered the Southwest Roughriders to a top four RPAC team finish to go with his No. 5 placing.
Plus don’t forget Arapahoe leader Cord Frink, whose 87 on Thursday was third overall.
Nolan Burrell also medaled (14th) while leading the young Dundy County-Stratton squad.