WEST POINT — Oak Hill Academy golf added two more talents Wednesday to a long list of its players who have signed on to play at the college level.
Seniors Jackson Cook and Payne Bius signed their letters of intent to play for Mississippi State and Delta State, respectively, in the Oak Hill gymnasium.
Raiders golf coach V.J. Trolio, a Class A PGA member with Old Waverly Golf Club, spoke to the crowd to celebrate the efforts of Cook and Bius.
“It’s a big deal because Jackson Cook, Payne Bius, Old Waverly Golf Club, Oak Hill, everyone is working in their own way but everyone is raising the culture around them.”
The Raiders golf program has sent several golfers to play on the next level, including Division I. The school and its ties with Old Waverly have made it a destination for young golfers looking to perfect their craft.
“We’re proud of them, proud of how they’ve elevated the program and proud of the parents for sacrificing and doing what they do,” Trolio said. “This program wouldn’t work if it wasn’t for Oak Hill, Old Waverly and Mossy Oak. Even if I was the best coach in the world, if you don’t have facilities and a school that wants it, it’s going to hurt it. It’s a great thing and something people should emulate if they can.”
Cook and Bius were members of the 2024 MAIS Class 4A state championship team last spring, the program’s eighth consecutive title. The high-caliber play within the program
Cook is fulfilling a lifelong dream by becoming a Bulldog, joining the school he’s rooted for as long as he can remember.
“Both of my parents went there, I’ve grown up a State fan and it’s just where I’ve wanted to be since I was born,” Cook said of MSU.
Cook already plays the same courses as the MSU team every day, with the Bulldog team playing regularly at both Mossy Oak and Old Waverly.
“It’ll be an easy transition come August,” he said. “It’ll be what I’m used to, I just need to go with the flow and be ready to go. Dusty (Smith) has a really good program, it’s going to be a good group of guys coming in with me. One we can build on, we’ll be young next year but we can get going.”
Bius had a similar feeling that he had found his home with Delta State, where he felt a sense of community he has at Oak Hill.
“The coaching staff is really great there,” Bius said. “The teammates are awesome and it’s just a good community.”
For Bius, the competitiveness between team members has fed his drive to play at the next level.
“It’s a grind out here,” Bius said. “Competition is stiff, you have to come ready to work and you better work your butt off because the guys are going to push you.”
The signing event brought much of the school out to celebrate, as well as friends and family. Golf has long been a point of pride for the school and the administration, and that pride was evident on Wednesday.
“If you’ve watched them play, it’s not just a game to them,” associate head of school Phil Ferguson said at the signing assembly. “It’s a big part of their life and it’s been a commitment to their love of the sport and their love of competing. We appreciate these guys and their parents making the commitment to our school, they moved here to be a part of Oak Hill and what V.J. and his guys are doing out at our courses.”
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