EAVES COMMITS TO PLAY GOLF AT NORTH ARKANSAS

Byrce Eaves signed a letter of intent to play golf at North Arkansas Community College in Harrison this morning in the high school auditorium.

Eaves, who says he has been playing golf pretty much “since I could walk” will be helping the school typically shortened to Northark move forward in its infancy – the program has existed just one year.

Eaves has been on coach Jake Fennell’s team for two year since returning to the school district – he had been an elementary school student before moving to Texas.

Eaves, who was joined on stage by several family members for the signing, said he learned of the interest from the Pioneers through a text.

“We went and did a meet and greet and got a tour of the campus and now we signed,” said Eaves.

“We recruited across the state and we knew Bryce is someone we wanted and we met him and we thought he was a real fit for us,” said Pioneer coach Morgan Jenkins.

Eaves also has a friend on the team at Northark who competed as a freshman and helped convince him.

Coach Jenkins was on hand for the signing and said the program competes in both the fall and spring.

“It’s kind of a practice in the fall and in the spring is when you go to your district, your regional and if you advance on to the nationals,” said Jenkins.

During those spring events golfers will practice on Sunday, play 36 holes on Monday, and play 18 more on Tuesday, all without the aid of a cart.

Athletic director Josh Walker noted Eaves is in a minority by competing collegiately.

“Everybody has the opportunity to be in high school athletics, but very few get the opportunity to go to college and continue to do what they love to do,” said Walker.

“It is one of those things where very few get the opportunity to go on and play at the next level,” Jenkins would add. “In golf its really difficult to get to do that because there’s very few positions open. We’ll only carry maybe eight to 10 guys."

Fennell said it is an exciting day for Eaves, and for the school as a whole to be able to see someone’s hard work pay off in the end.

“You can talk to anybody in coaching, if you want to be really good you’ve got to put in time outside of just when we make you,” said Fennell. “If you’re just going to come to practice just when we tell you to you’re going to get better but you’re not going to be as good as you could be, you’ve got to work on your own.

“That is something that Bryce has definitely done. If he wasn’t at work you could probably find him on a golf course.”

Fennell also noted that Eaves birdied his final hole as a Bearcat in their final match.

“My last five holes actually,” Eaves clarified.