Consider them jinxed

Try this on for size: The new Glacier High School already has a state championship within sight.

What?… Have they even started school yet?

Nope, school starts tomorrow.

But there's no seniors this year at the school, right?

That's right, no seniors.

The Wolfpack boys' golf team has participated in just two events so far - the Great Falls and Helena invites - and junior Larry Iverson III (if that's not a golf name I don't know what is) has not only won both of them, the team won in Helena and placed second in Great Falls.

Iverson placed fifth at the Class AA state meet last year with an 83-72-155 at the Missoula Country Club and Phantom Hills, respectively. He opened the season with a 77-72-149 in Great Falls and then carded a 68-68-136 in Helena.

"He just keeps getting better and better," Glacier High School golf coach Rob Logsdon said.

In Great Falls, Iverson proved he was on top of the state by beating defending state champ Jake Hedge of Billings West.

But it's not just Iverson who's playing great. There's two sophomores and a freshman who are turning heads … And Logsdon - a player on back-to-back Class AA state championship golf teams at Helena Capital in the 1980s as well as a state medalist winner and quarterback of a state champion football team - isn't afraid to boast.

"We have an excellent squad that will compete for a trophy at state," Logsdon said. "We're the first sport at Glacier that could win some state accolades."

Sophomores Grahm Schmaltz and Justin Newton think they can push Iverson.

"Grahm shot a 72 (on Tuesday) and it was typical Grahm - it wasn't as good as he wants," Logsdon said. "He thinks he should be able to push Larry every week. That's just the way he is.

"Justin has surprised me. He was on the Flathead team last year but I was surprised to see how hard he worked and how much he improved. He's made great strides. He's a tremendously heady player. He plays smart and doesn't give anything away."

Then there's freshmen Trey Griffith, who isn't playing like a freshman, and Tyson Howe - who qualified for the season's first tournament. The upperclassmen include juniors Aaron Young, Jake Miller and Cody Grosswiler.

"We've got eight guys that can play varsity and shoot under 80 on any given day," Logsdon said.

"This is Trey's first competitive golfing experience. He just started last year and these were his first tournaments. He went from falling on his face on the first day (when he shot a 99) and then came back out and qualified himself for the next tournament. I didn't know what to think. Then he shot a 79-75-154. He's just getting better and better and stronger and stronger."

Iverson, Schmautz, Newton, Griffith and Young all shot under 76 on the final day in Helena.

"I know Aaron (Young) is going to be there in the end," Logsdon said. "He thinks he's a top 10 player every week."

Here's one of the neatest parts of this whole thing: In Glacier's first year of existence, Iverson will probably set so many records and marks for the team that they'll stand for a very long time.

Here's the worst part: Some ridiculous sports writer just jinxed them not even three weeks into their season.

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Carl Hennell is a sports reporter for the Daily Inter Lake. He can be reached at chennell@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4446.