SPRINGFIELD - After clinching the Class 3A state golf championship, Dexter head coach Eric Sitze said, "It'll be two weeks before you can wipe the smile off my face or the kids' faces."
Well it's been two weeks and Sitze is still smiling over winning Dexter High School's first state title in any sport.
"You feel like you really accomplished something when you win at that level," said Sitze. "We've always thought we've been talented enough to do it, but we've never had the scores on the same day. We've never had everybody on the same page on the same day. When everybody does shoot well on the same day your chances are pretty good."
The Bearcats shot a 336 on the first day in poor weather conditions, sitting in fifth place. But on the second day, Dexter shot a blistering 317 as all five golfers lowered their scores by an average of five strokes.
Kyle Christian had high medal honors for the Bearcats, finishing fourth in the state with a 154.
Christian took second in the state as a sophomore.
Chad Gill tied for 29th at 163, Ryan Jackson shot 168 to tie for 46th, and Matt Christian and Michael Williams each tied for 51st at 169.
"After the first day we thought our chances of getting into the top four were pretty good, and that was our goal heading over there," said Sitze. "When the scores started coming in and we could tell we were moving up and could possibly have a chance at first or second we were excited. Then when the tournament director came over to me and told me that he thought we had won unofficially -- it's hard to describe it. Goose bumps just pop up all over your body and then you realize you just won a state championship. It's an awesome feeling."