Sandpoint boys golf team earns a state berth
Mire also heading to state for the girls
POST FALLS — The Sandpoint High School boys golf team picked the right time to peak this year, unfortunately Post Falls did the same Tuesday at the Prairie Falls Golf Club.
"This was our best score of the season, but it was also Post Falls'," said Sandpoint coach Mike Keough, who watched as the Bulldogs pulled past Moscow for second place just nine strokes shy of the first place Trojans.
"Considering where we started out this year, this is just slightly above amazing," said Keough.
The Bulldog boys opened the season in March with a team score of 408, which makes their 4A Region 1 tournament performance an 101 stroke improvement.
In addition to Joey Lovell, who finished third overall with a two-over-par 72, Sandpoint had outstanding rounds from Matt Meaux (74), Andrew Genovese (78) and Colin Slaughter (83).
"Matt and Colin both shot a career best to put us ahead of Moscow for the first time this year," said Keough. "We've been gaining on Moscow, but I didn't think we'd blow right by them."
The Trojans won their first regional title and shot under 300 as a team for the first time in school history.
"I'm very pleased," Post Falls boys coach Craig Newton said. "We have the same nucleus of team we had last year, and last year we started hitting low scores real early in the year, and then we fizzled out at the end of the year, and ended up fourth at state. This year we start off and our scores are much higher … and to be real honest with you, two weeks ago I thought, 'Are we going to peak at all?' But this last week and a half, the kids never quit working."
Post Falls' girls also qualified for state, led by medalist Jenna Fetters, who shot a 10-over 81. The Trojans shot a 391, finishing three strokes behind first place Moscow.
Led by junior Ashleigh Mire's fourth-place score of 89, which qualified her for state, the Bulldogs finished third with a team score of 413.
"The boys weren't the only ones making great strides today," said Keough, who had three beginning golfers on this year's girls' team. "The girls did a great job. It's just to bad they don't reward a team for making that much of an improvement."
The top two teams and top four individuals qualify for state Monday and Tuesday at the Rupert Country Club.
BOYS
Par 70
TEAM SCORES (Top 2 to state) — 1, Post Falls 298. 2, Sandpoint 307. 3, Moscow 332. 4, Lakeland 366.
INDIVIDUAL STATE QUALIFIERS — 1, David Nuhn, Moscow, 65. 2, Zack Boughton, Post Falls, 68. 3, Joey Lovell, Sandpoint, 72. 4, Matt Meaux, Sandpoint, 74.
POST FALLS — Boughton 68, Kyle Doerfler 76, Travis Boughton 76, Nick Cuchessi 78, Tommy Beutler 83.
SANDPOINT — Lovell 72, Meaux 74, Andrew Genovese 81, Colin Slaughter 83, Nick Hawkins 97.
MOSCOW — Nuhn 65, Branden Schroeder 87, Zak Jones 90, R. C. Riggs 98.
LAKELAND — Shane Stuermer 85, Tyler Ettner 90, Steven Hanni 91. Doug Piller 100, J.T. Sharrai 113.
GIRLS
Par 71
TEAM SCORES (Top 2 to state) — 1, Moscow 388. 2, Post Falls 391. 3, Sandpoint 413. 4, Lakeland 464.
INDIVIDUAL STATE QUALIFIERS — 1, Jenna Fetters, Post Falls, 83. 2, Kelli Tatham, Moscow, 85. 3 (tie), Chelsea Pederson, Post Falls, and Ashleigh Mire, Sandpoint, 89.
MOSCOW — Tatham 85, Jenny Lim 93, Sara Kimberling 104, Heidi Guske 106, Karen Christian 118.
POST FALLS — Fetters 83, Pederson 89, Stephanie Dunbar 105, Amanda Cuchessi 114, Emily Beutler 118.
SANDPOINT — Mire 89, Ashley Burke 95, Anna Ballard 114, Colleen Koopal 115, Elyssa Tyler 129.
LAKELAND — Jennifer Smithson 99, Kara Schwartz 116, Kayla Gropp 119, Paige Erickson 130, Nichollette Moore 132.