After a big win in the Gary Wells Cup last week, the Forrest Rockets have remained red-hot as they swept a pair of home matches on back-to-back days over Moore County and Hickman County to remain undefeated on the season at 8-0.

“Coming off a solid performance in the Gary Wells Cup, I was worried we might come out a bit flat, especially on a Monday-Tuesday match series, but our guys and girls alike came out swinging and had some great scores to show because of it,” Forrest coach Andy Burkett said.

The Rockets beat Moore County 187-202 on Monday at the Buford Ellington Golf Course inside Henry Horton State Park with four players shooting in 40’s over the nine-hole match.

Sophomore Noah Brown and senior Carter Jones both shot 45, junior Bryson Smith was one stroke behind with a 46, and sophomore Trey Williamson carded a 49.

Senior Justin Gillespie had a 51, junior Sebastian Thompson came home in 54 strokes, senior Isaiah Moretti had a 54, and junior Hayden Milligan needed 58 strokes.

“Bryson is the type of guy who is just a pure competitor, plain and simple,” Burkett said. “He wants to win, he wants to beat you, and he wants to do it his way.”

“There's few kids who can hit the recovery shots as Bryson makes, and he also doesn't get enough credit for his putting which is definitely above average.”

In the girls’ match versus the Raiderettes on Monday, freshman Maggie Brown continued her solid play on the season as she carded a 46 and was buoyed by the return of senior Carissa Curtis, who shot 55 as the Lady Rockets won 101-122.

“It is so great to have her (Curtis) back,” Burkett said. “When she told me she was coming back out for the golf team again, I was pumped, because we really missed her last year.”

“She was a region qualifier her sophomore year in 2018, so I definitely look for big things moving forward with her. I give her and Maggie a lot of credit as well too; they've been really beneficial in the development of our newcomers, Abby Ferguson and Christa Warren. All four of our girls are definitely beginning to play some of their better golf.”

Forrest freshmen Abby Ferguson and Christa Warren shot 61 and 63 respectively.

Tuesday’s matchup was an early measuring stick for postseason play as district opponents Hickman County travelled to Buford Ellington.

The Rockets, who beat out the Bulldogs for the final qualifying spot in the Region 6 Tournament last season, went low as they recorded their best team score in three years under Burkett.

“When I took over three years ago, I knew we had talent, it was just going to be a matter of time before the boys began to realize it as well.” Burkett said. “They have been making significant strides in the right direction and now it is all beginning to come to fruition for them.”

“I will also say that their experience has played a pivotal role in their progression as well. They were district runner-ups in 2018 and 2019, and got the opportunity to play in the region tournament both years because of it. These guys are veterans and having that experience of postseason pressure is paying dividends for them right now.”

Forrest shot a 174 four-man combined team score as Brown led the way once again with a five-over par score of 41 over the 3,138-yard front nine at Buford Ellington.

“The kid (Brown) is just a golfer, plain and simple,” Burkett said. “He loves the game, he watches videos continuously on his own time, and he's all-around just a golf junkie.”

“He is a critic of his own swing, and knows the limitations of his game and how to overcome his weaknesses. He is now five matches in and he's really starting to take form as one of the better golfers in our district. I look for him to continue trending in the right direction and that is all a result of his hard work and practice efforts.”

Jones also had another good day on the links, shooting a 43.

“If we are talking about pure golf talent, I think Carter Jones has one of the best natural golf swings on the team,” Burkett said “For a kid of his stature, he can absolutely wallop a golf ball off the tee.”

“The thing that has really catapulted his game to the next level is his determination to start working on the other aspects of his game. Recovery shots, chipping/pitching, putting....he put it all on display in the match against Hickman County and his good score was a result of that. If he keeps working at his craft, his going to be a huge asset for us moving forward.”

Williamson recorded his best ever score, coming home in 44 strokes.

“We are really pumped for Trey, that is his best round ever and it’s again, a testament to our young guys taking a more active approach in the betterment of their game,” Burkett said. “Trey has come a long way since last year, but he got a few matches under his belt as freshman, and now as a sophomore, he's playing some of his best golf so far of his young career.”

Thompson made a big leap from Monday, improving eight strokes for a 46.

“Got to say, I'm very proud of Sebastian for bouncing back the way he did Tuesday,” Burkett said. “He knew he didn't have his best round Monday, and he changed his mind set and changed his approach in the match on Tuesday, and it really shows.”

“He's another kid that is just a pure swinger, and can absolutely strike the ball with the best of them. When Sebastian truly realizes how good he can be, he's going to be very tough to stop.”

Smith shot a 50, Gillespie had a 55, Moretti carded a 60, and Milligan needed 64 strokes.

“I was really pleased with our performance on both days and especially Tuesday against a pretty competitive Hickman County squad,” Burkett said. “We were 3-1 against them last year, but they always seemed to be a tough test for us.”

“Our guys were pretty determined and had a great mental approach to what they were trying to accomplish.”

It’s tough for opponents who have to come over to Horton and take on the slick, smooth, extremely sloped greens and it shows in the amount of strokes that Forrest picks up over other teams because they are accustomed to the challenge.

“It’s fast out there right now, blazing fast,” Burkett said. “I think it’s quite the advantage for our teams because we know how to play them.”

“I watched Moore County and Hickman County both blow several putts by the hole because of it. Gotta give a lot of credit to Kevin Snell (Henry Horton superintendent) and his staff, the course is in absolutely immaculate condition, as it always is, and I’m just blessed and fortunate that we get to call it home.”

On the girls side, the Lady Rockets and the Lady Bulldogs finished tied at 95, but an incorrectly signed score card cost them a stroke and the match.

“The girls ended up losing by one stroke to a good Hickman County team (who would have probably went to the state tournament last year, had we not been in the same region as the back-to-back state champion Summertown); so I was happy to see them playing much better and competitive golf,” Burkett said.

“With scores like what we had yesterday, we can absolutely compete for a district title this year from the girls side.”

Browning led the squad with a 45, Curtis improved five shots from Monday, shooting a 50, while Warren shot 62, and Ferguson finished with a 64.

“Mad-dog (Browning) is really playing some great golf right now,” Burkett said. “Her work ethic is continuing to get better and better, and she's beginning to develop some power as well too.”

“She knows how to play her game out there and maximize her score. She's not playing like a freshman, she certainly knows what it takes to shoot a good score out there and she's continuing to accomplish that.”

The squad has a big break as they don’t play again until Tuesday when they travel to Champions Run Golf Course in Rockvale to take on longtime foe Eagleville.

“We're going to be fine-tuning some skills for the rest of the week,” Burkett said. “In addition to utilizing the driving range and working on our chipping/putting like normal, we are going to work on some shot-shaping out of woods, learning to hit better punch/recovery shots, and also developing a better approach from the sand.” “We really struggled from the sand the last two matches, so that is something we are going to try to improve upon.”

Forrest vs. Hickman County

Tuesday, August 4

Henry Horton

Boys

Forrest (174): Noah Brown 41, Carter Jones 43, Trey Williamson 44, Sebastian Thompson 46, Bryson Smith 50, Justin Gillespie 55, Isaiah Moretti 60, Hayden Milligan 64.

Hickman County (190): Kanyon Pruitt 44, Sloan Rochelle 44, Andrew Conley 49, Case Martin 52, John Jacobs 53, Weston Elkins 53, Lake Bates 58.

Girls

Hickman County (94): Addie Dorton 46, Harper Shelton 48, Meredith Kelley 52.

Forrest (95): Maggie Browning 45, Carissa Curtis 50, Christa Warren 62, Abby Ferguson 64.

Forrest vs. Moore County Golf

Monday, August 3

Henry Horton

Boys

Forrest (187): Noah Brown 45, Carter Jones 45, Bryson Smith 46, Trey Williamson 49, Justin Gillespie 51, Sebastian Thompson 54, Isaiah Moretti 54, Hayden Milligan 58.

Moore County (202): Gage Burt 46, Andrew Copeland 50, Will Penn 51, Jay Sparkman 55.

Girls

Forrest (101): Maggie Browning 46, Carissa Curtis 55, Abby Ferguson 61, Christa Warren 63.

Moore County (122): Leah Hoselton 57, Natalie Hoselton 65.