NATCHEZ &045; Akeem West is being asked to do plenty things.

He’s the top player for Natchez High’s golf team, so he’s got to come through with a solid day on the links. But now he’s the eldest member on a young team that’s competing at the Class 5A state tournament today in Madison, so now he’s got to make sure everyone keeps their cool today.

&uot;With these guys, this is their first time,&uot; said West, a junior who shot a 72 at the region tournament at Duncan Park to finish second. &uot;They’re going to be kind of nervous. There’s going to be a lot of things they haven’t seen before, but I’m used to it. There’s going to be a lot of people there &045; about 30 teams and about 90-something or 100 players.&uot;

It’s the ultimate in high school golf today at Madison as West, Ulric Minor, Jeremy Ellis, Taylor Hinson and Delvin West will compete at the state tournament after finishing in third place two weeks ago at the region tournament with a 353.

&uot;We have kids this year going to the state tournament for the first time, and it’s an honor for me and them to be playing against teams like Oak Grove and Madison Central,&uot; NHS coach Tom Mathews said. &uot;Those are the top teams every year. I feel fortunate just to be in the same group as those teams.&uot;

The Bulldogs enter the tournament after playing solid at the region tournament to get into the top three. Akeem West’s 72 led the way, but the others were close behind &045; Minor shot a 88, Ellis 89, Hinson 104 and Delvin West 106.

They were just six strokes separating Natchez and fourth-place Picayune in the final scoring.

&uot;We all came out here before and set a goal,&uot; Ellis said. &uot;We almost made it. We set a goal for all of us to shoot a 350.&uot;

Said Minor: &uot;I played all right. I played decent. I could have played better than what I played.&uot;

But Mathews likes the team’s youth and hopes a trip like this can build for the future. Akeem West is the only player not in ninth grade.

&uot;Next year we plan on being one of the top teams in the state,&uot; Mathews said. &uot;They work at it. Being in the ninth grade, they could find a number of things to do, but they love to be out here. I’ve got schools calling me all the time about (Akeem).

&uot;We hope we can come in, be competitive and get our feet wet for the following year.&uot;