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Friendly rivalry

Jasmina Meyer, Highlands Today

From left: Sebring senior Blake Liles averaged 38 for nine holes and helped the Blue Streaks qualify for the regional tournament, while Avon Park junior Greg Gentry averaged 37 for nine holes, was medalist at the district tournament and qualifed individually for the Class 1A state tournament.

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By MARK PINSON

Highlands Today

Published: January 2, 2010

SEBRING - Playing golf together builds a bond between people that's hard to explain.

For Sebring senior Blake Liles and Avon Park junior Greg Gentry, playing with and competing against each other is something they've done since they were youngsters on the Sertoma Junior Golf Tour.

The talented left-handers have mutual admiration and respect for each other, and each led their respective high school teams to success on the links this past season.

"Greg and I have known each other since we were 4 years old," said Liles. "We met when we were playing on the Sertoma Junior Tour and I always root for him to play well.

"We're rivals and go to different schools, but we're both left-handed and he's a great player."

Liles, a four-year varsity starter who averaged 38.6 for nine holes, led Sebring to a second-place finish at the Class 2A-District 9 tournament and carded a 79 to help the Blue Streaks finish fifth at the Region 3 tournament in Orlando.

"We had a good season and did better than we expected," said Liles. "We had a young team, but everybody worked hard to improve and we played our best golf down the stretch."

Gentry, who averaged 37.5 for nine holes, earned medalist honors as Avon Park won the Class 1A District 13 tournament. He shot a 72 to finish third at the Region 5 tournament and capped his remarkable season by finishing 39th at the state tournament in Dunnellon.

"It was a great experience for our team to make it to regionals and it meant a lot to me to make it to the state tournament," said Gentry. "Our season record wasn't that good, but all of our practice paid off with good scores at the district tournament.

"I learned a lot by playing against all the great players at state and I want to get back to state next year and finish in the top 10."

For their ability and leadership, Gentry and Liles have been selected as the 2009 Highlands Today All-Heartland Boys Co-Golfers of the Year.

"It means everything to be selected Co-Player of the Year and it's perfect sharing the honor with Greg," said Liles. "I enjoyed my high school career and look forward to playing college golf."

Gentry also teamed with Liles to go undefeated and help the amateurs defeat the professionals in the 2009 Highlands County Ryder Cup.

"I enjoy golf because it's never boring," said Gentry. "Every day is different and you never have the same shot. It's good to share the Player of the Year award with Blake because he's a solid player and a good guy."

THE TEAM

Clay Davis, senior, Avon Park

Davis, a team captain and four-year varsity starter, averaged 38.5 for nine holes and lost to Gentry in a playoff for medalist honors at the District 13 tournament.

"Clay is an excellent driver of the ball," said Avon Park coach Bobby Barben. "He is a solid player and to play four years of varsity golf for us is quite an accomplishment."

Tyler Sanders, junior,

Sebring

Sanders, who averaged 39.5 for nine holes, came on strong as the season progressed for the Blue Streaks. Sanders shot a team-best 78 at the Class 2A-Region 5 tournament in Orlando.

"Tyler is a hard worker and improved as the season went on," said Sebring coach Vince Liles. "He started out slow, but came on strong and played his best golf at the end of the season."

Sean Garner, junior, Sebring

Garner averaged 42.2 for nine holes and helped the Blue Streaks advance to the regional tournament.

"Sean is a good player with solid iron play," said the Blue Streaks coach. "He has a good short game and was pretty consistent for us."

Evan Danzey, senior,

Avon Park

Danzey, a senior captain, averaged 40.1 for nine holes and finished fourth at the District 13 tournament to help the Red Devils win the team title.

"Pound for pound, Evan is one of the strongest golfers I've ever seen," said Barben. "He was a consistent player for us and sometimes his length would get him in trouble. He played varsity golf for three years and was a pleasure to coach."

Kyle Thompson, senior,

Lake Placid

Thompson, who played varsity golf for four years, averaged 39.1 for nine holes for the Green Dragons.

"Kyle is an athlete and has a good demeanor for the game of golf," said Lake Placid coach Dan Coomes. "He kept his emotions in check and was a quiet leader for us."

HONORABLE MENTION

Colin Walkup, freshman,

Sebring

Walkup, who averaged 42.7 for nine holes, showed steady improvement during the season and became a key contributor for the Blue Streaks.

"Colin has been playing golf for a long time and was a consistent performer for us," Liles said. "He's a hard worker and has a great deal of potential."

Chad Marley, senior,

Avon Park

Marley, who averaged 44.7 for nine holes, worked hard to become a key contributor to the Red Devils success this year.

"Chad played a big part in our success because he came through with some good scores," Barben said. "He had a good year and played hard for us."

Korey Cooke, senior,

Lake Placid

Cooke, who played varsity golf for four years, averaged 42.3 for nine holes for the Green Dragons

"Korey was a key player for us," said Coomes. "He played tough and always gave a solid effort."

COACH OF THE YEAR

For guiding Avon Park to the Class 1A-District 13 team championship and helping Greg Gentry focus on the state tournament, Red Devils coach Bobby Barben is the 2009 Highlands Today All-Heartland Boys Golf Coach of the Year.

Mark Pinson can be reached at 863-386-5837 or mpinson@highlandstoday.com

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