Dennis Mobley wants another state golf title Saturday, May 14, but he’ll be just as happy with the runner-up trophy.

“The [Arizona Interscholastic Association] does give two nice trophies at the end of the year,” he said. “We have been excitedly competing all year for the second one.”

The founder and co-coach of the Sedona Red Rock High School program thinks he just might have the team to take that hardware home from next week’s Division III state tournament after the second-ranked Scorpions ended their regular season with a 35-stroke win Tuesday, May 3, in Williams.

“We are temporarily the lead horse in a 63-school race for second at State,” he said. “This season has already gone far beyond any expectations we had as a coaching staff.”

Senior Keagan Webster — the third-ranked golfer in Division III with an average of just over 76 — went one-under-par Tuesday, May 3, on the back nine holes of Elephant Rocks Golf Course.

“Keagan is our rock,” Mobley said. “He has been our confident leader all season.”

Sophomore Seth Farmer, Mobley’s best putter, was second with a 77, followed by a 78 from junior Neil Smith.

“The only returning golfers this year with any golf experience at State were Keagan — who played both days — and Neil, who just played one round [but] has come on strong during the last half of the spring,” Mobley said. “Yet we are currently 58-0 against the rest of Division III with one exception.”

The High Desert Invitational revealed that exception Saturday, April 30, as top-ranked Valley Christian High School topped the Scorpions.

“Starting three years ago with a new coaching staff, Valley Christian suddenly brought in a super group of freshmen and sophomore golfers that won the Wickenburg Invitational by 50 strokes — and they haven’t been threatened since,” Mobley explained. “Every year, they win State by large margins, and this will continue far into the future.”

So despite Webster and Smith each firing a 73 in cold, rainy first and second rounds, respectively, the Scorpions beat 19 other teams but finished second to the Trojans by 23 strokes.

“I refer to them as the Valley Christian All-Stars, and they truly are,” Mobley said. “Guess what school just got the two top freshman golfers in Division III this year?

“They have at least six golfers that can break 80. We are the best of the rest because we currently have three.

“How are public schools that are restricted to athletes from their boundaries supposed to compete with a school that can accept talent from all over Phoenix?”

Junior Stesiree Ho’s rounds of 85 and 94 won her a third-place medal in the girls division. Smith had the top round of any golfer April 30 on Antelope Hills Golf Course, where he and his teammates will return to take their final shot at the Trojans beginning Friday, May 13.

Before the loss, SRRHS had won back-to-back invitationals, including April 11 at River Valley High School.

“To be honest, that may be the last tournament we will ever win in golf,” Mobley said. “Keagan graduates this year, and the expected enrollment at the high school is projected to drop by almost 200 students in the next four years.”