Priory's Mason Meiners thought somebody was playing a cruel phone prank on him last week.
The voice on the other end was Priory golf coach Rick Suarez, who was calling to tell Meiners that there had been a scoring error in the Class 3 Section 2 tournament the day before. Instead of Meiners' high school career ending, Suarez told Meiners that through the correction, he had qualified for state.
But Meiners didn't believe it was Suarez.
"He called me on one of my best friend's cell phones," Meiners said. "I thought it was a joke because that friend is a great impersonator. I thought he was acting like coach."
It actually took a face-to-face meeting with Suarez to finally convince Meiners that it was no joke.
"I thought, ‘Man, Mason, do you really think I'm that mean?'" Suarez said.
The state tournament began Monday and will conclude with the second round Tuesday at four courses in the Springfield area.
The error occurred in tabulating the team scores in the sectional at Aberdeen, which was hosted by John Burroughs. Originally, Westminster was declared the winner with a team score of 316 and Lutheran South the second-place team at 347. But the tournament manager failed to count Priory among the team scores. Missouri State High School Activities Association rules state that if a team advances at least four individual golfers from districts and sectionals, then that team should be counted among team scores.
Priory's four golfers posted a 332, so the Rebels became the second team out of the sectional instead of South.
Jason West, MSHSAA communications director, said his office found the mistake the next day.
"While it is not a common error, there is a precedent that has occurred in various sports and activities," West said.
The change was especially surprising to Suarez and athletics director Joe Genoni, who asked the tournament manager before the tournament if Priory would be included in the team scores. Genoni was told no and left it at that.
"We just assumed the person running the tournament knew the rule, and we didn't check it," Suarez said. "That's on us."
The error affected more than Priory and South; it lowered the individual cut to go to state from 85 to 84. That meant that six other individual golfers and two South golfers were told that they were not going to state after all.
Meiners' teammate Andrew Fogarty also got new life with the correction. Priory's Colin Kopsky, who shot a 77 at Aberdeen, and Matthew Finneran had already qualified as individuals.
Meiners, a senior who qualified for state as a sophomore and a junior, said being there with his teammates for the first time makes it extra special.
"I think it's going to be a lot more fun," Meiners said. "I'm playing for myself and my teammates as well as my school."
