Jennifer Thompson, Health and Fitness Editor

After an exciting first place finish at the 7A State Golf Tournament, senior golfer Matt Johnson finished in the middle of the pack at the 7A Overall Tournament for high school males on Nov. 4 at Pleasant Valley Country Club.

“I was playing good until the 14^th hole and then couldn’t finish,” Matt said.

However, with the personal victory of finishing first at State, Matt can look back fondly on the season.

“As a team we didn’t do all that bad,” Matt said.  “We played pretty well at Conference although we could have done better at State as a team.”

Golf has been a part of Matt’s life for years.

“My dad got me into golf when I was about 3 or 4 years old,” he said. “I started playing tournaments when I was around 11 and then started national tournaments when I was about 14.”

Matt doesn’t plan on giving golf up any time soon, though.

“Golf will definitely be a part of my future in college and probably for the rest of my life,” Matt said. “Golf has always been good to me, and it’s a sport you can play for the rest of your life.”

However, Matt is far from finished with high school sports.  He plays varsity basketball as well.

“I think [the basketball team] has a great chance this year if we can come together as a team,” Matt said. “It would be nice to win a conference championship and put ourselves in a position to win state.”

With conference play starting in January, it won’t be long until Matt knows if his goals will be accomplished.

With basketball season just getting underway, Matt can at least reminisce on all his years of golf.

“Winning state this year was just a big way to finish and close out high school,” he said. “It will be something I remember for a long time. [Looking back,] I just had a great time and a lot of fun with all the guys.”