Every week during the high school sports season, Nevada Sports Net will spotlight one local for our weekly “High School Prep of the Week” honor, a feature presented in partnership with America First Credit Union. Learn more about this week’s honoree below.
Embree Stutsman lives and breathes the game of golf.
“I can have conversations with him about firm greens and about green speed,” Embree’s father, Mark Stutsman, said. “Having conversations about bunker consistency.”
The 18-year-old cut his teeth at Red Hawk Golf and Resort, first learning how to play there and later calling those same greens his workplace.
“If I didn’t have this job here, I don’t know if I’d be going to college for golf or even play golf as competitive as I do,” Embree said. “I’m in the maintenance sector around here, so it’s a lot of cutting grass, changing the pins and changing the cups.”
Stutsman played for Spanish Springs High through his junior year, earning all-region honors. As a senior this season, he took a different approach. He didn’t participate in high school golf and instead played in high-profile junior tournaments in the region while training at Trevino Golf Institute.
“I just felt it was going to be more beneficial for me to practice elsewhere on my own and work with my coach more, being out at the institute more,” Embree said.
But that hasn’t been the only change for Stutsman, who is adjusting to life without his best friend. In January, Leo Mikelonis, a standout Spanish Springs runner and team captain, tragically died while on a fishing trip on the Feather River.
“I got all these great things from him,” Embree said. “I’ve been able to do so much great stuff from hanging out with him, so that’s gone. I just cherish all the moments we had and what he’s done for me.”
Amid his friend’s shocking death, Embree’s mom continues to battle ovarian cancer four years after she was diagnosed.
“It’s been super rough,” Mark said. “When we got the diagnosis of Meg, my wife, it hit us hard. And she’s fought really, really good and been through so much. And we just support her on whatever she needs to do.”
Despite all he’s been through, Stutsman is using the tragedy he’s experienced as fuel for his fire. He recently committed to play at Doane University, a NAIA school in Crete, Neb., on a full-ride scholarship.
“Obviously, it’s not great that those things happened,” Embree said. “But they have impacted me emotionally in a positive way, I would say.”
The way Stutsman has pushed through the adversity has left his father in awe.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Mark said. “With the problem with Leo happening, with his mom and then to still get a 4.2 (GPA), to still get through this, it’s just to be celebrated to me.”
With his high school graduation looming next week, Stutsman is looking forward to the next phase of his life.
“I’m so excited, man,” Embree said. “The whole college thing, going to a really nice school, being able to go play golf and have fun.”
