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It’s been 13 years since the Austin boys had an individual state qualifier at the state golf meet, but last year was as close as they’ve been in awhile.

Senior Cale Tupy, who was co-leader after the first day of the section meet last season, and senior Carter Hovelsrud, who has been a varsity golfer since he was a freshman, are both locked in on making their senior year count.

Hovelsrud said the mental challenges will be the biggest ones to overcome when the big meets arrive towards the end of the season.

“Most of my game is there, I’ve just got to keep my calm. Mental composure has been a big issue of mine. I’ve got to stay calm and move on to the next shot,” he said. “We have a good chance to make the second day of the section meet. We’d like to go to state (as a team). Our chances aren’t super high, but they are there if things go right.”

It’s been a frustrating spring for the Packer golfers as they still haven’t had a meet, and they’ve yet to play Austin Country Club, which is where home meets are held. The team has been scrambling between playing at Meadow Greens Golf Course and teeing off at the Packer Dome.

For Tupy, all of the time he has left as a Packer is precious. He’s coming off a shoulder injury that put an end to his football and hockey seasons and it took him four months to recover. Since he’s been on the varsity golf team since he was an eighth grader, Tupy knows what it will take to get back to the second day of the section meet this fall.

“Over the past five years, I’ve learned to stay mentally prepared for moments that I might not have known how to deal with when I was an eighth grader or a freshman,” he said. “Now that I’m a senior I know how to deal with those and I have to stay mentally composed.”

While being limited early in the season, Tupy is confident that the team can come together and put up some solid scores when the meets begin.

“We want to have a great team score  and finish top three in the Big nine,” Tupy said. “Hopefully, we’ll be going to Bunker Hills (Individually), I just need to stay mentally composed.”

Hovelsrud said some of the Packers haven’t played golf since last season, but they’re trying to get outside and play as much as possible. He said the biggest advantage he has as a competitor is knowing what to expect.

“I’m more experienced and that helps me deal with situations a lot better,” he said. “I now know what works and doesn’t work.”