First-year head golf coach Sam Garza and his senior team captain Mason Hicks put together a ragtag team of NMMI cadets that completed - at least in part - the Cinderella storybook ending with a third-place team finish at the 2025 NMAA 1A-3A State Golf Championships at Riverside Golf Course in Kirtland, NM.

Besides Hicks – last year’s State Individual Champion – only two other members of the five-man Colt team had any real prior experience on the golf course.

But the Colts progressed throughout the regular season and won the District Team Championship at The Links at Sierra Blanca in Ruidoso, NM on May 4; besting second-place Dexter by a total of 22 strokes.

NMMI’s band of brothers stayed hot at State, and after the first 18-hole round, the Colts were sitting in second place, just three strokes behind three-time defending state champion Mesilla Valley Christian.

Hicks was especially impressive on Day 1, leading the field with a four-under-par 68, six shots better than his closest competitor, Gateway Christian’s Troy Oswalt with a 74.

The second day was a bit rough for almost every team at State. The Colts’ glass slipper got a little tarnished traipsing through the desert to try and find tee shots that went awry as the winds picked up in the afternoon, but team NMMI pulled through to take home the green trophy despite shooting 20 strokes worse on Day 2.

The Colts finished with a team total of 668: 324 strokes on Day 1, 344 strokes on Day 2.

Mesilla Valley Christian got the four-peat with a 634 (321,313).

Socorro High School took second at 655 (328,327).

“We had a lot of kids with not a lot of experience in golf tournaments,” said NMMI head coach Sam Garza. “The pressure was on at State, especially on the second day when the wind started to pick up. But they held on and battled. These kids were just athletes, kids we picked up from other sports to try and put together a golf team. They listened, paid attention, worked their tails off and did what I asked them to do – and it paid off with a third place finish at State. I’m just so proud of them.”

Hicks also struggled a bit on Day 2. Saddled with the last scheduled tee time of the event due to his top performance the day before, Mason had to contend with the worst of the wind that just continued to increase in the afternoon. He finished the second 18 with a four-over-par 76 (144 total), two strokes ahead of Socorro’s Isaiah Silva’s 146 (72, 74).  

“Throughout the whole day, I knew I had a decent-sized cushion” said Hicks about what he what thinking and feeling while playing Tuesday’s second round. “I was trying to stay within my game – not do anything too stupid – but also not completely change my game and play it too safe. The wind was messing with us the last few holes and the pin placements were tougher today, but I managed to keep it together.”

Hicks also had high praise and respect for his teammates and their top-three team performance.

“I’m proud of my team. We didn’t have much last year, but we recruited some athletes – some from basketball, some from football, a little something from everywhere. We scraped together a team that turned into a family – it was great, just a great season.”

Individual scores and places for the Colts:

• 1^st Place – Mason Hicks (Senior): 144 (E) / 68, 76
• Tied for 15^th – Chase Dyer (Soph): 169 (+25) / 79, 90
• Tied for 23^rd – Alex Sanchez (Senior): 176 (+32) / 87, 89
• 27^th – Jose Lerma (Senior): 180 (+36) / 91, 89
• 30^th – Cole Seidenberger: 184 (+40) / 90, 94