By Ken Hansard
The Maize South Mavericks’ golf team finished fourth at state last year at Newton’s Sand Creek Station. Colten Hoover, a junior at the time, helped lead the charge for the Mavericks, finishing 18th in the state.
Now a senior, Hoover is ready to take one final run at a high school state title, “Getting to State is definitely our team’s top priority.” Colten is not taking his role in that lightly, “As a senior, I believe it’s important to be a solid role model for my teammates and to help elevate their game as well as my own.”
Hoover put in a lot of time in the off-season and at practices to improve his game, “Golfers are always in constant pursuit of shooting lower scores. I’m trying to make my swing more repeatable. I’m focusing primarily on the short game and shots into the greens to help eliminate strokes around the greens.”
With the championship portion of the season drawing near, Hoover likes his team and their prospects, “One of the great things about our team is how close we are and the team dynamic we share. We have been turning in some really good scores, and we have the best record out of my four years. Everything seems to be coming together. We are feeling good and just need to carry that confidence into these next few tournaments.”
Colten has many interests that he pursues when he is not on the links. He is the vice president of a mentoring group at Maize South. He was recently presented with the KSHSAA Citizenship Award. He boasts a 4.0 GPA and plans to continue his education and golf career at Friends University this fall.
