A signing ceremony was held Monday afternoon at the Multipurpose Athletic Center for nine members of the Brownwood High School Class of 2026 who will continue their athletic and academic careers at the next level.

Peyton Sharp is headed for Hardin-Simmons to compete as a member of the men’s golf program following graduation.

Sharp said of the opportunity to continue his golf career in college, “It means a lot. I’m the only one that has been able to play college sports from my family, and I’m proud to be the first.”

Regarding the decision to attend Hardin-Simmons, Sharp said, “It just felt like home. I like their golf coach a lot.”

Sharp advanced to regionals as a medalist his senior year, was a member of the regional qualifying team as a junior, and played for the 2024 state team, which placed eighth overall, as a sophomore.

Reflecting on his fondest memories as a Brownwood High golfer, Sharp said, “Making it to state my sophomore year, definitely.”

Sharp plans to major in Civil Engineering at Hardin-Simmons with the intent to one day become a land surveyor.

Lions golf head coach Steve Fanara said of Sharp, “I’ve been here just a year and I was new to golf, and I came in and really leaned on Peyton because he’s been through it. He helped out on things we can change and maybe some things we can keep the same. He wasn’t real talkative at first, but as things got warmed up I really leaned on him as far as things they wanted to see happen as a senior bunch. You’ve been golfing for a long time, you’ve been a solid member of the golf team here, you went into this season as our No. 1 and came out at the end of the season as our No. 1 and qualified for regionals. He was a real solid performer for us, consistent, and that’s a culmination of a lot of work.”