For 20 years, volunteer Coach Clay Carpenter has overseen a middle school golf program as a teacher at Bob Miller Middle School. But without the support of the Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association, the team wouldn’t have made the two-decade mark.

The team this year was called the SNJGA Rebels.

“I wasn’t going to let anything happen to my 20-year program, and with the help of the SNJGA, we figured out a solution and kept the ball rolling,” Carpenter said. “Without the SNJGA, and also Marshall Injury Law, we wouldn’t have been successful.”

The SNJGA board of directors stepped in and paid for insurance that allowed the club to continue and operate at golf courses.

The program has been a building block and has produced many high school golfers and other athletes throughout the years. It is a mission that Carpenter is committed to and believes will continue and grow with support of the SNJGA and leaders Ann Sunstrum and Joe Sawaia, and the board of directors.

There is a need to help get more schools involved, something that would be very meaningful to Carpenter and others. But at the recent season-ending event, several schools/clubs played with Alexander Dawson winning the team title.

In the boys 7/8, Benny Nelson from Dawson was first with 33. Hudson Warner won the boys 5/6 at 39.

In the girls 7/8, Matty Denunzio from Pinecrest won with 36, while the Rebels Chloe Vigil won the girls 5/6 with 34.

“The first thing that comes to mind about the middle school program is that it is probably the funnest part of my job and the most rewarding because the golf community is so tight,” Carpenter said. “There are such good families involved and the kids are very disciplined and very high-achieving academically and have high character due to playing the disciplined sport.”

Look for more information on how the middle school programs may expand in the future or contact the SNJGA if you would like to assist.