A year ago, Karter Reagan came up three strokes short of a state-qualifying bid.

When the Montgomery County junior played at the Class 2, District 2 tournament on May 12 at Norwoods Golf Club in Hannibal, he made sure he wasn’t going to come up short again.

Reagan became the Wildcats’ representative of the Class 2 state tournament in Sedalia after finishing in an eight-way tie for 13th with a 10-over-82 at the district tournament, making it the fifth year in a row a MCHS golfer qualified for state.

Reagan shot a 39 in the front nine and 43 in the back. He finished with seven pars and one birdie.

“I hit like a 20-25 foot putt for a birdie,” Reagan said.

Reagan shot his birdie in the par-4, No. 9 hole. He said the birdie gave him a boost of confidence for the rest of the tournament.

“It felt like today was going to be the day,” Reagan said.

Reagan gave his family another reason to celebrate. He became the second person in his family in three years to clinch a state berth. His older brother, Keaton, competed in the Class 2 state tournament in Springfield in 2023.

“It was pretty exciting having my mom and dad there,” Reagan said.

Reagan was a freshman when he saw his brother compete at the state tournament and finish 25th.

“It was fun,” Reagan said. “It was cool to watch him succeed and do good in his path.”

Reagan joined his brother, Maddox James and Robby Rodgers in 2024 and Logan Hutcheson and Keenan James in 2021 and 2022 in a group of MCHS players that qualified for state since 2021.

Reagan credits MCHS head coach Cody Hasekamp for his accomplishment.

“I like Hasekamp,” Reagan said. “He has helped me through my golf journey.”

Reagan finished 25th with a two-day score of 186 at the state tournament, which was held May 19-20 at Sedalia Country Club.

The junior said he wished he had some of his teammates join him in Pettis County.

“I’m kind of upset that I’m the only one, but maybe next year, we’ll get some more,” Reagan said. “Hopefully, I won’t be the only one next year.”

Reagan’s four other teammates – junior Wyatt March and seniors Clayton Parker, Andrew Moore and Tatum Wessel – also played at districts, but came up short of state-qualifying bids. March, who competed in his second district tournament, shot an 86 with six pars and one birdie. Parker finished with an 88 with three pars and two birdies, Moore fired an 89 with five pars and one birdie and Wessel shot an 111 with two pars.

MCHS finished seventh with a 345. South Shelby and Palmyra finished as the top two.

Last year, Reagan competed in districts for the first time. He finished with a 90 at the tournament, which was held at Norwoods.

“I was kind of mad about that because I could have gone with my two friends, Maddox and Robby,” Reagan said. “But it’s alright.”

This season, Reagan shot in the 40s in eight dual matches this season. He also finished with an 83 at the Hannibal Tournament, an 86 at the Eastern Missouri Conference Tournament and a 90 at the Elsberry Invitational.

“It’s really my chipping game that’s been clicking,” Reagan said. “I’ve been pretty consistent with my scores. I’m trying to be.”

Reagan helped the Wildcats turn in a strong season that included 25 wins in dual-match play and their eighth conference championship.

“We always have a good time in the van going to tournaments,” Reagan said. “I couldn’t believe we won the EMO Conference. That was honestly amazing. Overall, it was a good time playing golf with my friends.”