Valley High golf program on the rise

Published 10:37 pm Thursday, March 15, 2018

VALLEY — The Valley High School golf program has come a long way in four years.

When head coach Mike Power sought to revive it from dormancy in 2015, his primary objective was to scratch together a team.

Fast forward to 2018.

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Now, Power has to make cuts in order to keep his roster at a manageable size.

His aspirations have swelled, too.

“I would love for my team to qualify for sub-state,” Power said of the spring season. “That would be the goal.”

The Alabama High School Athletic Association follows a three-tournament playoff format. The sectional tournament comes first and is followed by the sub-state and state tournaments.

Last spring, the Rams advanced their first individual, Trevor Harry, to the sub-state tournament. The next step is to advance a full team.

Power said it is an achievable feat considering the personnel.

Valley returns a pair of low scorers in Harry and fellow senior Jackson Blanks, who are capable of shooting in the high 70s to low 80s over 18 holes.

“It comes down to consistency,” Harry said.

Nicholas Fulcher, a junior, also has the tools to post a strong round. Together, the trio leads the way for the Valley boys.

Dallas Duncan and Sage Jackson, meanwhile, carry the mantle for the Valley girls golf team.

The Lady Rams are small in size — they only have four team members — but possess the talent to compete.

Duncan and Jackson can both shoot in the high 90s to low 100s over 18 holes.

Power said his goal is for at least one of them to advance past the sectional tournament.

No Valley female golfer has ever done it before.

“It is going in the right direction,” Power said of the program as a whole. “We’ve seen a lot of improvement. Each year we’ve gotten better and better.”