GREENE COUNTY
It’s already impressive enough for high school student-athletes to make it to the next level, but it’s even more impressive when a group of student-athletes at the same school get recruited for the same sport.
Well, that’s what the Lake Oconee Academy men’s golf team has done after four of its senior golfers signed to play at the collegiate level next season.
After winning the Class A state championship last year, the Titans bring back these four players with hopes to continue their historic run.
Maddox Cantrell
Maddox Cantrell is a multi-sport athlete at Lake Oconee Academy, competing on the tennis team when he’s not golfing.
The Titan senior verbally committed to Covenant College about a month ago, and was finally able to officially sign a few weeks ago.
After a few conversations with the Scots’ head coach Eddie Jackson, Cantrell earned himself an opportunity for an official campus visit and immediately fell in love. It was on that visit that Cantrell acknowledged that Covenant was the type of place where he could see himself furthering his golf career.
“The courses up there that they play are super nice, and the views up in the mountains are just different. It’s only about three hours from here, so not too far,” Cantrell said. “The overall setting is great and the people I met were super nice. The boys on the team were super welcoming and I was glad I got to meet them.”
On top of the academic rigor and competitive golf play, Cantrell chose Covenant College to stay connected with his faith. He believes coach Jackson wants to help kids develop that as well, which made him feel more comfortable overall.
“I really do like the faith aspects of the college, seeing as how it’s a Protestant school, and I think it’s just a great way to start your life, building it around faith,” Cantrell said. “Coach Jackson is a great guy too. He wants to not only change our golf game for the better but to help our faith, too, and it just felt comfortable for me up there.”
Halsey Bosart
Halsey Bosart is another Titan senior who recently signed his letter of intent but will be headed to Berry College next year.
Bosart, who is also on the boys’ basketball team at Lake Oconee Academy, reached out to the Eagles his sophomore year and was able to visit the campus in Rome with his dad the following year.
After playing in a couple of tournaments, Bosart received an offer from head coach Brian Farrer and verbally committed later that spring. He acknowledged that Farrer was one of the main influencers in his decision to commit to Berry.
“One of the main things is that [coach Farrer] has been there for about 20 years. He went there, played on their golf team, the next year became an assistant coach, and then was the head coach,” Bosart said. “He’s been involved with the program for such a long time and seen what it takes to compete at that level, so that was a big thing for me in my recruitment.”
Berry’s proximity to Lake Country also played a role in Bosarts decision-making.
He admitted it will be nice to be able to take weekend trips back home to see friends and family sometimes during the year.
“I golf with my dad on a regular basis and he might know my game better than I do, so I definitely wanted to stay close to my family,” Bosart said. “I get lessons from The Kingdom, which is right here, and obviously I have friends in town, so the fact that I can make a weekend trip whenever I might need to is huge.”
Rhett Smith
Rhett Smith is another of the Titans’ golfers who signed a couple of weeks ago and is also a member of the Lake Oconee Academy basketball team with Bosart.
Smith sports almost an even handicap on the golf course, and he is taking his talents to the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega.
One of the main factors in Smith’s decision to become a Nighthawk was the fact that fellow Titans’ teammate Colby Bennett will also be on the team. Smith acknowledged that at least he won’t have to sweat over finding a roommate once he gets to college.
“Getting to go with Colby is going to be a lot of fun because he’s the one on the team that I probably know the most,” Smith said. “He’s someone that I know super well, which is important when you might have to spend four years together with one person.”
Smith also attributed his decision to the Nighthawks’ head coach Bryson Worley and the togetherness of the team.
He told the Lake Oconee News that it seemed like the team had a great relationship with one another when he went up there for his visit.
“They made it seem like they were one big family when I went up there which was super cool,” Smith said. “(Worley) talked to everyone great, and everyone talked to him like he was one of their buddies. It made me feel like it was a relationship I’d want to have, and it was really cool.”
Colby Bennett
The fourth-and-final golfer from Lake Oconee Academy to sign was Bennett, and he will also be playing for the University of North Georgia Nighthawks next season.
Bennett will join teammate Rhett Smith on campus in Dahlonega and admitted that having a friend attending the same school helped him make his decision. He acknowledged that at least he won’t have to sweat over finding a roommate once he gets to college.
“I know it’s going to be a huge help roommate-wise because, when you’re going by yourself to a different school, it might be tough to get a good roommate,” Bennett said. “But it’ll be fun having him as my roommate since we’re so close. It’ll be a real help to both of our games playing with each other over these next four years.”
Bennett’s recruitment started off a bit slower than he may have liked, but by the end of last year, Worley reached out and invited him up on a visit.
Bennett admitted that his goal at the next level is to develop his game to the best of his ability, and he believes North Georgia will give him the best opportunity to do so.
“It’s a beautiful place that I truly think I can get better at,” Bennett said. “For my college experience, I just want to go to a place where I can develop and get better, and UNG looked like that place.”
The Class of 2023
Overall, earning any offer to play a sport at the collegiate level is impressive, and these Titan golfers know that as well as anyone.
All four student-athletes believe they are in a great position to compete for another state championship, but more importantly, believe that the time they’ve had at Lake Oconee Academy is special.
“It’s really neat because we’ve all worked really hard and you can just see all the effort we’ve put into everything to get to the next level,” Bennett said. “You don’t usually see four kids from the same school committing to golf, especially at a school this small. I’m just proud of everyone.”
“We all made each other better,” Bosart added. “I’ve got a good relationship with all three of those guys, and whenever I had a question or just wanted to go practice, one of them was there, and I could count on them. That’s what made this group special.”
“For the program, it helps move it in a big direction,” Smith concluded. “All of these younger guys are getting to see us get an opportunity to play golf at the next level, so hopefully that will motivate them to want to do the same and get better in the future.”