Missouri Military Academy golf had two state qualifiers in the past two seasons but had two this year.

The Colonels sent Patricio Sanchez and Fernando Puebla to the Class 2 state tournament on May 19-20 at Sedalia Country Club after sending Gabriel Ontiveros to state each of the previous two years. Sanchez tied for 68th with a 184, or 40-over par, and Puebla tied for 83rd with a 199.

Head coach Anthony Yannielli said this was a great year for the program as he had the two state qualifiers but also had Cooper Johnston and Logan Lockhart Guditis each miss state by one stroke with an 83. MMA finished third in a district at two strokes behind top two state teams Palmyra and South Shelby and in a district field that produced nine out of the 15 state medalists.

“Our goal was to make the golf program better,” Yannielli said. “Each year, we have been playing better. We’re starting to get to that stage of getting better, being better and hopefully staying better.”

The junior Puebla, who has the nickname “Boy,” and senior Sanchez had a taste of state competition this season when the Colonels made a run to the Class 1 state championship game in the fall. Yannielli said their golfing skills are pretty good, too, even considering they have different amounts of experience.

“I had known Patricio his freshman year because he played golf,” Yannielli said. “ Puebla is one of those natural athletes where you put a ball in front of him and he’s going to be good at it. He’s only been golfing for a year.”

Yannielli said Sanchez had prior years of experience golfing at MMA and in his home country of Mexico. He was in place for a while at districts before becoming fatigued and finishing with an 82 to tie Puebla and others for 13th. 

Sanchez shot a 92 on each day of state. Yannielli said he did this on a course with “some of the hardest rough I’ve seen as a coach” and after two weather delays on the first day.

“The most he has ever gone without golf is maybe two months,” Yannielli said. “He’s very much a golfer in the sense of he will do whatever he can to get out to the golf course and play.”

Puebla plays tennis, which also happens in the spring, so Yannielli said he just couldn’t make it to as many practices. Consistency was difficult as Puebla alternated between sports, but Yannielli said he was one of the top golfers at any golf match he was able to play.

The start of the state didn’t go well for Puebla, similar to his slow start at districts. Puebla shot a 103 on the first day and had a 96 on the second day. In his first two holes at districts, he ended them with a triple bogey but still finished strong in a tough field.

“He has the mentality that he is just golfing,” Yannielli said. “There was no real pressure. He’s that natural athlete. I wish I could explain everything. When he was at practice, he was locked in and he was focused. He was very coachable so he was able to improve.”

Yannielli said each cadet mostly didn’t use his driver on the second day and tried to avoid the rough.

“Balls that you would typically hit out of the rough that would go 200 yards, you were lucky for them to go 50 yards,” Yannielli said. “When they hit another rough, there was no roll to it. It just stopped.”

On top of the already special season with two state qualifiers, Yannielli said something happened that hadn’t happened with him at MMA before. Sanchez’s father, Pablo, and Puebla’s brother, Rickey, were at the state course to support the cadets. Prior to that, family members haven’t been able to make it to state while Yannielli has been coach.

“It’s hard to get there,” Yannielli said. “It was amazing to have family members of the boys there.”

Yannielli will only have “Boy” Puebla back out of the two for next year but likes the junior varsity boys coming up in the program. He said he feels confident how they play after some summer instruction. Hopefully, he can have the good problem again of staying with multiple golfers on the course.

“There’s always another boy that comes in, whether it is ‘Boy’ Puebla or Ontiveros the years before,” Yannielli said. “There’s one person that’s coming in that’s going to be that good golfer that we can build on.”