Logan Hutcheson and Keenan James have enjoyed an outstanding year in athletics.

Last fall, the Montgomery County seniors earned all-Eastern Missouri Conference honors in football. Two months ago, they helped the boys basketball team win its second straight district championship.

On May 9, Hutcheson and James qualified for the Class 2 state tournament for the second year in a row after finishing in the top 12 at the Class 2, District 2 tournament at Norwoods Golf Course in Hannibal.

James finished in a three-way tie for fourth with an 11-over-83 and Hutcheson finished in a three-way tie for seventh with a 13-over-85 in the par-72 course. Both players earned medals.

Last year, Hutcheson and James qualified for state for the first time by finishing eighth and 12th, respectively, at the district tournament at Norwoods Golf Club.

James said he was thrilled that he and Hutcheson qualified for state in back-to-back years. The last MCHS player to accomplish that feat was Aubrey Nelson (2016-18).

“It definitely put Montgomery on the map for golf,” James said.

James earned his fourth medal of the season. He also earned medals at the Warrenton, Elsberry and Eastern Missouri Conference tournaments.

“It wasn’t my best, but it was pretty good for the conditions,” James said. “There was a lot of wind, so it was kind of hard to figure out what club to hit on each shot.”

Hutcheson picked up his third medal of the season.

“I hit my driver good,” Hutcheson said. “I started picking it up in the second half. Then, I definitely left a few strokes out there in the last hole. I’m glad I could come out there with a decent score.”

The Wildcats came up one place short of qualifying for state as a team. They finished third with a 363. South Shelby won the district title with a 344 and Lutheran St. Charles placed second with a 353.

“There were a lot of good teams here,” James said.

Sophomore Robby Rodgers shot a 97, junior Keaton Reagan fired a 98 and junior Alex Hartman finished with a 110 for the Wildcats, who won the Warrenton, Elsberry and EMO tournaments.

Reagan competed at districts for the second year in a row. Last year, he shot a 101.

James and Hutcheson wrapped up their high school careers with all-state medals as they finished 11th and 15th, respectively, at the Class 2 state tournament on May 16-17 at Columbia Country Club. It was the last high school athletic event for the seniors, who will be going their separate ways next year.

James will attend Mineral Area College, while Hutcheson will head to State Technical College in Linn.

“It’s gonna suck not having golf around,” Hutcheson said “It’s a sport you can play your whole life, so that’s good. I can play outside of school, unlike basketball and football. It’s definitely going to suck not playing organized sports any more.”

James signed a letter of intent to play golf at Mineral Area College on May 6. He said he’s looking forward to playing golf at the next level.

“I love golf,” James said. “I decided I wanted to play. I didn’t want to be done with it yet. I’m going to keep playing.”

A year ago, James came up one place short of earning a medal at state, finishing in a three-way tie for 16th with a 175 at the Class 2 state tournament in Bolivar. Hutcheson finished 30th with a 183.