Goals for 2025-26 filled the square pieces of paper as daily reminders of what he yearned to accomplish in his final two semesters at Tonganoxie High School.

As he accomplished the feat, he checked a box next to each goal.

A few weeks ago, McRae checked off one last box.

McRae’s performance at a Class 4A substate in Atchison qualified him for the state championships. He was one of the Top 5 golfers not on a state-qualifying team, so he would be representing Tonganoxie himself at state in Hesston.

Jim MItchell photo

The accomplishment created two distinct emotions.

“I was pretty ecstatic and pretty relieved,” McRae explained. “Going into this year, I put sticky notes on my bathroom mirror. One of them was to make it to state. I haven’t been able to do that. It was the only box I hadn’t checked off in my mirror.

“I felt really ecstatic.”

McRae was a three-sport athlete at THS: soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and golf in the spring. He competed in those sports all four years and was down to his last opportunity to advance to state.

The THS standout seized his last opportunity at Atchison Golf Course at Bellevue. McRae finished with a 79 and fifth place overall at the rugged regional. He was just 4 strokes out of first place, which went to Wamego’s Regan Kueker, who shot a 75. The Wamego standout would go on to win state the following week.

McRae was in the hunt again on Day 1 of the state championships.

He finished that day with a 71 and was tied for fourth place. This time he was just 2 strokes behind the leader.

“On the second day, I was trying to duplicate the exact same thing as the day before,” he explained. “I wanted to play steady golf, not be too aggressive and hit fairways and greens and move on with your life.

“It was a little windier, not much. Maybe 5-10 mph the entire round.”

He was a creature of habit, as he did the same practice routine on the eve of Day 2 as he did the evening before the opening day of the championships.

McRae said he started off really great and was even though the first six holes. Then on the seventh hold he made a 9.

“That kind of derailed my self esteem and me mentally,” he noted. “But I still was proud of myself. I fired off a pretty good score even with a nine.

“I can kind of separate myself from anything. “I’m mentally tough. I’m able to battle through those challenges. Who cares? Battle through the next one.”

That grit eventually helped him to a medal and capped off his high school golf career. McRae got second as a junior in the opening meet at Sunflower Hills and was ninth at Royal Valley in the season opener this season. He had a big performance April 13 with a 10th-place finish at Manhattan and then was third at the Ottawa Invitational.

THS coach Doug Sandburg praised McRae for his contributions to the program.

“Lachlan had a solid golf career with us,” the THS coach said. “It was three years of almost making it to the state tourney. In his final year he found his stride and made it to the state tourney. He had a great state tourney.

“He also has been a good mentor and has left the program in a very good place. We thank Lachlan for his four years.”

One of the teammates he has mentored happens to have the same last name.

Luke McRae, Lachlan’s younger brother, was a sophomore this season and was the team’s top golfer at several meets in the spring.

Lachlan said he was thankful to have his brother on the greens with him the last couple years.

“He’s my best friend and someone who was always able to talk to me and be there, even if he didn’t want to listen,” Lachlan said. “He knew more than anybody else how to calm me down and fix my swing if it went awry at any point in time.”

Golf is one of those lifetime sports in which McRae likely will get to partake the longest after his playing days have concluded.

McRae said Dub’s Dread is probably his favorite course. But he’s not just a fan of the venue, he’s also a member.

“I love that place,” McRae said.

As for a favorite course where he competed, McRae picked Rolling Meadows in Junction City.

“It’s really fun and really challenging,” he said. “The layout isn’t hard, but it’s almost 7,000 yards.”

McRae’s prep career hasn’t come without challenges.

He suffered a broken nose his sophomore year after catching two elbows in basketball and then broke his foot three months later playing in a summer basketball tournament. McRae had surgery to repair his nose in the offseason.

“I’m already laid up, I might as well fix my nose, too,” he explained. “I’m done with all that. It was worse than foot surgery.”

He had a deviated septum and his sinuses were shut.

And then he broke his nose again the next spring in Wichita.

Oh, and that broken foot kept McRae out of soccer for much of his junior campaign. A standout on the pitch as well, McRae did return at the end of the season in a playoff match. He broke his fifth metatarsal and had two plates put in his foot. But he persevered and did get to play in that postseason tilt.

That leaves one more sport.

McRae also played basketball all four years. For his junior and senior season, he got the nickname the Dark Knight for his Batman adjacent protective mask he wore for hoops.

“I just wear a mask, McRae said. “No one told me I had to. I wear it to feel safe.”

McRae put up some big numbers while donning the black mask.

The hooped crusader had the third-most points in a season in THS boys basketball history with 397 and was the third all-time scorer with 942. He was Top 3 in career assists as a Chieftain and his best single-game scoring performance was 31 points.

He’s probably not going to be ditching the facial equipment, though he has attempted to shoot without it.

“Honestly i’m still adjusting to it,” he said. “It’s a completely different game with that thing.”

He recently shot baskets during a workout session and didn’t have his facial accessory.

“I can’t shoot straight,” McRae said. “It’s something I need to have to perform my best right now.”

The new Tonganoxie alum has been preparing for his next chapter. He signed earlier this year with University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth to play basketball for the Spires. He also had been getting interest from NAIA schools Ottawa and Baker, along with Johnson County Community College and Cloud County Community College.

“I feel like the coaches there were very up front compared to other places,” McRae said. “I think l’m a good fit for them. Coaches seem bought in on me. Coaches seem pretty happy i’m going to be a Spire.

He hopes to learn from veteran guards for the next couple years and then “hopefully take the reigns” in Leavenworth.

McRae has been working out five days a week this summer doing jump rope and bench squats, for instance, and taking from 500-1,000 shots each day “anywhere the gym’s open.”

The soon-to-be Spire plans to major in sports management at USM. He explained his He’d love to be coaching basketball one day or running his own club-type team, McRae discussed his plethora of basketball notes, ideas and concepts that include this play and that set.

In the meantime, he’ll be working on his next chapter at USM.

“I just think the biggest thing that got me to here is I’m going to work harder than anybody out there,” McRae said.

And all the preparation that goes with it.

“The little dumb things,” McRae said. “I watch 12 hours of film for a team we’re gonna play for an hour.”

POSTSEASON ACCOLADES

Soccer

• 2x All-Frontier League first team selection

• Honorable mention all-state

Basketball

• All-Frontier League second team selection

• All-Frontier League honorable mention

• Vype Northeast Kansas Player of the Year

• Sports in Kansas all-state second team

• Tonganoxie Invitational all-tournament team

• Garden City Roundball Classic all=tournament team

Golf

• State golf, 16th place