Golf is a unique sport at the high school level. One individual can’t directly affect how a teammate performs, but when all the players do their best, the team as a whole will benefit. At Herriman High School, the boys golf team takes teamwork seriously.

“The strengths of this team are the hard work they have been willing to put in and push each other to get better,” head coach Jeffrey Price said. “The togetherness of these guys—they like hanging out with each other. Their attitude is terrific. The kids are very coachable and love working hard together.”

Herriman has no seniors on the team, so Price relies on a youthful squad. Juniors Elliot Bond and JJ Tomsick, along with sophomore Ian Miyasaki, are the top golfers. All three have shot below par on average so far in the early going this season. 

The Mustangs are in a challenging region along with Bingham, Corner Canyon, Riverton, Mountain Ridge and Copper Hills. Last season, Herriman placed third in state, shooting -7 at the Class 6A state championship. The Mustangs were nine strokes behind runner-up Corner Canyon and a distant 36 strokes behind state power Lone Peak. Bond, Tomsick and Miyasaki all shot well at state a year ago and have picked up where they left off. 

Price said this season’s goals are similar to last season’s.

“Our immediate goal is to get better each tournament,” he said. “We have a lot of potential, but in order to realize it, we have to continue to improve. Our long-term goals are to win the Region 2 title and compete for a 6A state championship. We need to continually improve throughout the year.”

Though Herriman returns key team members from last season’s team, Price knows nothing will be easy. No one is going to hand the Mustangs anything. He said staying focused and hungry are critical.

“For us to be successful, we need to never be satisfied,” he said. “We’ve had some success early on this year, but we need to keep grinding to win our ultimate goal of a state championship.”

The Mustangs competed in tournaments throughout August and will continue to do so in September. The state championships are Oct. 9 and 10 at the Old Mill Golf Course. 

Price said he enjoys coaching this group. The players keep things light and like to have fun. But when a match is on, they have the right mindset. 

“The thing I love about these kids is they’re goofy when not playing golf and make me laugh all the time,” Price said. “But when it’s time to get serious, they are all business. Amazingly, they actually listen when I have something to say.” λ