Class AA state golf at Buffalo Hill
By DAVID LESNICK
The Daily Inter Lake
The Class AA golf season, which began in mid-August with the Great Falls Invitational, comes to a close in Kalispell today and Wednesday with the state tournament at Buffalo Hill Golf Club.
Play begins 10 a.m. both days.
This marks the first time in seven years this city has hosted the AA final. The last time — 2010 — Buffalo Hill shared the event with Northern Pines.
“On our home course we should have a leg-up on the other teams,” Flathead coach Kyle Dunfee said.
He’s hoping that experience and course familiarity helps his Braves and Bravettes crack the top 10 on the team front.
“A top half (finish) would be overachieving,” he said.
Fourteen schools will be in attendance.
The Flathead boys were 10th and Glacier boys 11th at last year’s state event in Billings.
The Flathead girls were ninth and Glacier 10th.
The Billings West boys and Bozeman girls are defending AA champions. West will be shooting for its fifth title in a row.
Joey Moore of Billing West will be looking for his second-straight individual title. Moore, who has signed to play golf at San Diego State next year, finished 10 shots ahead of the field last year. He was second at state his freshman and sophomore seasons.
His 134 score last year (68-66) is a AA state record.
West will be challenged by Bozeman, Great Falls and C.M. Russell.
The Bozeman girls are favored again. West and Missoula Sentinel will also be in the hunt. The Hawks are again led by Kameryn Basye and Annika Danenhauer. Those two finished second and third a year ago at state behind graduated teammate Meggie Delaney.
Bozeman last year crushed the field, winning by 106 shots for its first state title in five years.
For Flathead, Marcella Mercer should contend for all-state honors. The freshman has enjoyed a banner season to date by winning one tournament and posting four top 10 finishes in the others.
“For her age, for what she does on the course as a freshman, she’s ahead of her class, definitely,” Dunfee said.
Mercer also had the best scores for the first day at a couple of tournaments.
Cassidy Lavin, a junior, was on the state team a year ago for the Bravettes and has improved her overall play.
“She’s dropped her average by seven strokes,” Dunfee said.
“She has the ability to turn some heads and break 100 both days.”
Also competing for the Bravettes will be Maisie Hanson, a senior, and Sheridan Stroop, a junior.
For the Braves, seniors Sam Elliott and Keaden Morisaki, juniors Spencer Christy and Ryan Thomsen and freshman Ezra Epperly round out the state list.
Senior Aidan Philips is an alternate.
“He’s been our most consistent player all year,” Dunfee said of Elliott. “He has one top 10 finish.”
Epperly is averaging 85-86, but Dunfee says the youngster “has the ability to break 80 if he manages the course.”
Glacier senior’s AJ Grande and Brayden Aurich gained state experience last year. Aurich finished 17th, missing out on all-state honors (top 15) by four strokes.
Grande was three shots behind Aurich.
“Both have been solid (this fall),” Glacier coach Jim Schaible said.
“They have improved to the point I expect them to be in the all-state group.”
Senior Hunter Watterud, freshman Ethan Purdy and junior Caden Willis are Glacier’s other three state entrants. Hunter Berke, a junior, is the team’s alternate.
The Glacier girls have two competing with state experience in junior Kate Trunkle and senior Hannah Iverson. Going for the first time are sophomore Hailey Iverson, senior Reide Barkus and junior Avery Anderson. The girls do not have an alternate.
“Trunkle has finished in top 10 a couple times in the smaller tournaments,” Schaible said.
“If she can make some putts, she will be right in the mix (for all-state honors). If she can break 100 and be in mid-90s both days, she will be fine.”