The fairways at Columbia Country Club can be a little tight.
The competition at the Class 3 state golf championships, to be played today and Tuesday at the club, figures to be as well.
"I think there are seven teams that you could throw up in the air and any one of them could finish first and any one of them could finish seventh," Helias coach Jay Higgins said. "It has the potential to be that close."
The Crusaders, who finished second in the state tournament last year at Old Kinderhook in Camdenton, figure to be one of those seven. But that wasn't a given at the start of the season as the team was going to rely on some underclassmen after losing two seniors.
"I wasn't sure we'd have a legitimate shot at finishing in the top three at state," Higgins said.
Helias returns three golfers from that team - junior Alex Gentry and seniors Ethan Johnson and Lane Plunkett.
Gentry, Helias' No. 1 golfer, finished third at state last season with a two-day total of 144.
"Alex has the attitude he's going to win this thing," Higgins said. "He's worked hard to fine-tune things and I think he'll play very well at state."
Drew Higgins, a sophomore, holds down the No. 2 spot for Helias.
"We leave him alone, he just goes out and shoots what he's going to shoot," Jay Higgins said. "He has really stepped up into that No. 2 role."
This will be the third time at the state tournament for Johnson. He finished tied for 42nd last year with a 163 and tied for 65th with a 170 as a sophomore.
"He's so steady, you can figure it will be somewhere in a five-shot range where he's going to come in with a score," Higgins said.
Of all the Crusaders, Johnson will be most acclimated with everything that goes on at a state tournament. During the season, there may be just a handful of people following a group.
"Now you're at state and there's a couple of hundred people around the first tee," Higgins said. "And then there's 30-40 people following each group. It's a lot different and sometimes it can affect some kids."
Plunkett finished in a tie for 23rd at state last year with a total of 158.
"Lane just missed all-state last year and he's a player with a great attitude and a great mentor for the team," Higgins said.
Owen Johnson, a junior who is Ethan's younger brother, claimed his spot on the varsity late in the regular season.
"He started peaking at the right time," Higgins said. "He doesn't have a lot of experience, but he had a great district tournament and a great sectional tournament. I think we're going to see the same thing at state."
Helias' alternates for the state championships are juniors Cole Sappenfield, Luke Distler and Austin Kempker.
"I feel terrible for the kids because they'd probably be in the varsity for anyone else in the area," Higgins said. "But they will be able to step in if we need them because somebody gets sick or injured."
The Crusaders are somewhat familiar with Columbia Country Club, finishing fourth in the Columbia Classic with a 332 in early April.
Helias learned a few things that day.
"Our players hit the ball a long way, we average anywhere from 270-300 yards off the tee," Higgins said. "But this course is a target course where we may hit driver only on three holes. It's going to be hitting to spots the rest of the way.
"It's going to be crucial to hit the ball in the fairway off the tee and then to hit greens. We know we're not going to hit every green, so getting up and down could be the key to having a good round."
Priory, the defending state champion, could be the team favorite as it returns individual champ Gulshan Kodwani and runner-up Peter Weaver. Both are seniors.
But it takes a team to win a state title.
"It's going to come down to the 3-4-5 spots," Higgins said. "They are critical to winning a state title. Your 1 and 2 figure to have at least one good round, it's getting good scores out of the other three spots that will decide it."
Higgins believes a two-day total of 610 could be good enough to win the title.
"305 both days will be two very good days of golf," he said.
Golfers will tee off starting at 8 a.m. today.
"This could be a fun Monday and Tuesday," Higgins said.