For the second year in a row, Justin Holets is headed to the state 3A golf tournament.
Only this year, the Incline High School junior is confident he can generate some headlines.

“I don’t want to say I can and jinx myself, but I know deep down that I have an “A” game,” Holets said. “If I play my “A” game, I have a great chance.”

That chance is to become the 2008 Nevada boys high school golf champion, a title that Incline High School, nor any individual male Highlander golfer, has enjoyed since 1993.

Holets is the lone male Highlander this season to qualify for the state tournament, which takes place Tuesday and Wednesday, at The Palms Golf Club and CasaBlanca Golf Club, respectively, in Mesquite, Nev.

Last year, as a sophomore, Holets shot an 84 and a 93 in the state tournament, good for a 23rd-place finish.

This year, Holets said the ultimate goal would be a state title, but he would settle for a top 10 finish.

“Basically, all I want to do is go out there and record a better score than last year,” Holets said. “That’s my goal every time I golf, to get the lowest score.”

Holets’ state run comes after a third place finish Thursday at Grizzly Ranch Golf Club in Portola, Calif., in the final regular season meet of the season for the Northern 3A. He recorded a 74 on Thursday. It marked the seventh meet in which Holets recorded a score, making him eligible to qualify for state.

His seven-meet average of 80 this season is the second-lowest among the five state individual qualifiers. Only Fernley’s Branden Dalton (73) had a better seven-meet average.

Joe Humasti, IHS golf coach, said Holets has earned the right to play next week in Mesquite.

“He’s responded well to pressure all season long,” Humasti said. “He’s become a leader for this young team, and he should do well if he continues to work hard.”
On Tuesday, Holets tees off at 10:50 a.m., in the day’s second foursome. He will golf with Shane Lindeman (Pahrump Valley), Joey Dendary (Lowry) and Daniel Gelso (Truckee). Wednesday’s foursomes rely on low score finishes from the first round.
While Humasti is excited about Holets’ chances this week, he also has glowing praise for the entire team, which finished in second place at Thursday’s meet, the highest the team has finished this season.

“I’m very pleased. We worked hard the past couple weeks at the driving range, and it was very beneficial for them,” Humasti said. “We’ve had lots of practice, and they’ve been learning. We beat two of the teams that qualified for state.”

Incline didn’t compete enough as a team this season to qualify for state this season.
However, it has shown improvement since the beginning of the year, Humasti said, something that bodes well for next season, because barring unforeseen circumstances, Holets will return, along with sophomore Sam Witt and freshmen Patrick Howe, Travis Causey and Tommy Anesse.

“This is the best finish we’ve had as a boys team since ‘97 or ‘98,” said Humasti, who is in his 21st year as boys golf coach. “These kids improved a lot this season. As a coach, it really makes the season worthwhile, to see how they’ve learned and improved from day one to now.”

Anesse and Witt came close to joining Holets at this week’s state tournament, Humasti said, as they finished just two strokes short of the final individual spot.