But even after the final results had been read at Wednesday's Class 3 District 4 golf tournament, Taylor Dalton was reserved. He had broken the streak during his senior season, qualifying for the state meet. After missing the cut by just one stroke each of the past two springs, Dalton managed to advance on Wednesday. "I'm happy I made it," said Dalton. "I had fun today." He shot an 82, placing ninth in the overall standings. "I was just happy to go to state," said Dalton. "I could have gotten last or first, as long I made it. It feels good to finally get in my final year, so I don't have another chance." And he won't be traveling alone to this year's MSHSAA Championships at Fremont Hills in Nixa either. Sophomore teammate Patrick Koch also qualified during his first year of varsity. He shot an 84, landing just one spot behind Dalton in 10th place. "I got off to a really, really bad start," said Koch. "I came back and just kind of relaxed, since I had lost all confidence. Then it turned out good." "It's awesome that Patrick is coming with me," said Dalton. "I didn't want to go by myself. I wish the whole team could have gone, but we can't all shoot good on the same day. He shot really well, though." Coach Rich Barton says he was hopeful at least Dalton would advance. The reality of two golfers fulfilling a dream overwhelmed Barton with emotion. "Fantastic," said Barton. "I'm so excited for Taylor and his family. It's pretty cool." In just his second season as head coach, Barton witnessed the golf program take a giant step forward. The Warriors finished fourth on Wednesday, shooting a 353. "I thought that was pretty impressive considering that three of our guys didn't shoot as well they thought they should have," said Barton. "But I don't have to be hard on the kids. They're hard on themselves." He says the team discussed its expectations heading into Wednesday's tournament. "I think they were pretty confident when they came in with 82s and 83s," said Barton. "We'd been talking about what kind of scores we thought would come in. We knew an 84 finished in the top 10 in our conference the other day. We didn't really think this was actually a strong of field as our conference probably was." Dalton is the first Warrenton golfer to qualify for state since 2006. He says this year's team finally provided some recognition for a sport that often gets overlooked. "At school there's only one thing for golf in the trophy case," said Dalton. "Since we're getting better in golf, they're talking about us more. It's a good feeling to know that we've turned the program." Dalton played with a confident approach during Wednesday's round, fairly certain he would make the cut after shooting well on the back nine. "I had a pretty good idea I was going to make it after what I shot," said Dalton. "I was hitting good shots and hitting my spots." At times, it seemed like everything was falling into place for him. "Even when I hit in the rough, it was sitting up," said Dalton. "I got pretty lucky there. The course was in good shape and the greens were soft." After falling short of qualifying the past two seasons, Dalton took the initiative. "I worked a lot harder and tried to stay composed more," said Dalton. "I did that today. I had some bad shots, but I just laughed them and kept moving." Koch, who has surfaced quickly during his sophomore campaign, is taking the milestone achievement in stride. While reaching state provides Dalton with a satisfactory close to his prep career, it may only be a building block for Koch. He has the opportunity to take over the leadership for the next two seasons, as Dalton - the Warriors' most seasoned veteran - will be graduating. "There's not really any pressure right now for me, since I have two more years to go," said Koch. Koch and fellow sophomore Mikal Harpster both played the No. 1 spot at some point in the season. They are part of a young squad that featured just one senior this spring. And as he bids farewell to the program, Dalton says it's in the best shape he can recall. "We've come from ground all the way up," said Dalton. "(Patrick) practiced a lot over the summer and got really good. Everyone just got so much better as the year went on." Barton believes this may just be the beginning. "As far as the program, you've got to take the baby step before you take the big jump," he added. "Getting two in is fantastic for our program."