Keenan James will be playing for another successful golf team next year.

The Montgomery County senior will continue his golf career at Mineral Area College for the 2022-23 season. He signed a letter of intent to play golf with the Park Hills junior college on May 6 at the MCHS gymnasium.

“I’m planning on him coming right in and competing for a spot in the top five when he gets there,” Mineral Area coach Mike Mapes said. “I’m also super glad that he’s such a good kid and a good student. When I’m out recruiting, I don’t care what kind of golfers they are. I want good kids. He checks all of the marks there as being a good kid and a good student. He’s a pretty decent golfer on top of it.”

James will join a Mineral Area program that had a successful 2022 season, winning Region 16 and South Central District championships and placing 18th in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II tournament on May 20 in Joplin. The Cardinals will have four incoming freshmen – including James – and six returning players next year.

“The program is successful because I’ve got kids who can play golf,” Mapes said. “That’s the bottom line. It has nothing to do with coaching. It’s the old line, ‘It’s not the X’s and O’s, it’s the Jimmys and Joes.’ I’ve got good players. Good players make a guy like me look pretty good.”

James decided that he was going to play golf at Mineral Area before the MCHS golf season began in March.

“I looked up some schools,” James said. “I sent them an email and I asked them if they wanted me. They said, ‘Yeah.’”

James got a chance to visit the school, which is located two hours south of MCHS.

“We kind of got our wires crossed,” Mapes said. “My wife was in a bad car wreck. I was gone from campus and they came down. We had to reschedule and meet later on. He and I hit it off pretty well during the visit. We had several phone conversations. Throughout this year, I checked on him after his golf matches to see what his scores were.”

James turned in a strong senior season this spring, earning medals in five tournaments, including his first all-state medal of his high school golf career. He placed 11th at the Class 2 golf tournament on May 17 at the Columbia Country Club. He also helped the Wildcats finish undefeated in all of their matches and win three tournament championships.

“I’m excited about having an all-state kid,” said Mapes, who saw James compete at the Warrenton Invitational in April. “He’ll fit in nicely in our program.”

James competed with the MCHS golf program all four years. He’s a two-time all-Eastern Missouri Conference selection and competed at the state tournament twice.