Staff photo / Dan Hiner Badger senior golfer Austin Mariani lines up a putt on the practice green at Squaw Creek Golf Course in Vienna on Tuesday evening.

VIENNA — The Badger boys golf were practicing on the green as the sun was beginning to set. The five Braves were getting in a little more work at Squaw Creek Golf Course.

Badger is one of a handful of teams still alive this fall, and it’s been a byproduct of the work the golfers have put in over the last 10 months.

“They’ve been putting in work since last December,” Badger head coach Mark Mariani said. “Between Austin (Mariani) and Ian (Tricker), they probably have 35 tournaments under their belt from the summer, and a couple others got into Greatest Golfer events.”

Badger’s first taste of state golf led to a motivated offseason. That summer experience resulted in some strong postseason play for the Braves.

Badger finished as the runner-up at the Division III sectional at Riverview. The Braves 314 as they ended the day behind Warren JFK’s 290.

Austin Mariani was on a hot streak that day. He took the top spot with a 70 thanks to a 34 on the back-nine. Ian Tricker gave his team another top-10 finish by scoring a 76 for eighth place. And Tyler McWilliams added to the Braves’ success with a 79 to tie for 12th. Jacob Metz was the final official score, carding an 89 and tying for 35th.

Then last Wednesday, the Braves finished with two top-six finishers as Austin Mariani and Tricker both had strong outings at the district outing. Austin Mariani was tied for fourth at Tannenhauf Golf Club with a 76, and Tricker was right behind with a 77.

Tyler McWilliams (88) and Brody Shay (94) polished off the Braves’ day with top-50 finishes. The Braves combined to shoot 335 and claimed the last team state qualifier with a third-place finish, ending the day behind defending state champion Warren JFK’s 312 and Cardinal Mooney’s 321.

“We (got to state) last year, and it was great. This year, it felt just as great, maybe even better,” Austin Mariani said. “I didn’t know if we were going to be able to do it again this year, but our team pulled through.”

Just like last season, it’s the same three local teams in the Division III state tournament. The Braves took sixth last season at the final outing of the year, carding a 336. Tricker led the way with a 78, Austin Mariani had an 81, senior Hudson Rice capped his high school career with an 88 and McWilliams ended his day with an 89.

“It’s the second time in school history that we’ve (reached state),” Austin Mariani said. “The same team last year did it for the first time, so it’s just so special to have a couple great golfers from such a small school, a small public school. Just really special to have a team like that.”

So the Braves have the talent and experience to compete. Mark Mariani knows his team has what it takes to put up a good showing on Friday. It’s just a matter of starting strong and making some puts.

“JFK won state last year, and they have a better team this year,” Mark Mariani said. “They have a legitimate chance to repeat as a team, but I feel we have a chance with a couple of our individuals to put up a good number and have a chance to win it as an individual.”