Wolfpack take down AA boys golf crown
BILLINGS — Turns out the divisional tournament was just a hiccup for the Glacier Wolfpack boys, who picked up their third State AA golf championship at Lake Hills Golf Course Friday.
Sam Engellant led the way with a two-day total of 2-under 142 — Tye Boone of Skyview also shot 142, and won medalist honors on the second playoff hole — and three of his Wolfpack teammates finished in the top 10 on the leaderboard.
Together Glacier shot 300 on Friday, holding its five-stroke lead over Missoula Sentinel from Thursday. The Wolfpack’s 36-hole total was 595; Sentinel, which surged to the Western AA title a week ago to hand Glacier its only loss this season, was second at 600.
Skyview took third at 605.
“They responded just as I imagined,” Wolfpack coach Chris Michno said. “It was an eye-opener and there was the realization that they could be beat. They knew they had to dig deep to finish this off. This team knew they had it in them, but you still have to finish the tournaments.
“Nerve-wracking day, but it ended just the way we wanted it to.”
“I think at one point today we were losing by three,” said Engellant, a junior. “It was like, ‘Whoa. We had a five-stroke lead. We’d better make up some strokes.’
“I’m immensely proud of all five of us, because really, it’s all of us. It wasn’t one person that won it, or one person for Sentinel that lost it. It takes four people to bring home a team title. An amazing feeling.”
Engellant had a rough start to his day, carding a triple-bogey on No. 3, but then played the last 11 holes 3-under to close with a 72. Torren Murray had a double on No. 2 as well, which led the flip-flop in the team standings.
But Murray, a freshman, ended up tied for fourth with after shooting 77 Friday; his junior brother, Tanyon Murray, tied for sixth and sophomore Trevor Cunningham tied for 10th.
Sentinel golfer Kade McDonough faltered in his quest for a second individual state title, bogeying three of the final five holes to shoot 73. He finished one stroke back in third; the Spartans had four All-State (top 15) golfers, and got a boost when Carson Bay shot a 77 on Friday.
Meanwhile Skyview’s Boone was shooting Friday’s low round, a 68 that included a 25-foot birdie putt on 18. Playing a group behind, Engellant had to make a 6-foot par putt on 18 to force a playoff, and drained it.
“That was pretty awesome to two-putt that last hole and get into the playoff,” Engellant said. “It was pressure-packed. Every short putt feels twice as long as normal.”
The two both made bogey on the first playoff hole, No. 9; Engellant hit his tee shot out of bounds but scrambled nicely to make bogey while Boone three-putted.
“My first tee shot I pulled it pretty far left,” Engellant said. “I kind of just stuck my head down and said, ‘I’m still in this thing.’ I essentially made a birdie with my second ball.
They then played No. 18, and Boone made his par putt while Engellant missed his.
“Tye and I had about 30 feet (for birdie), and my lag putt just wasn’t good enough,” he said. “My par putt wasn’t bad. It just didn’t break the way I expected.
“I’m not that upset about finishing that way.”
For the record, neither was Michno. “A year ago he wasn’t playing golf,” Michno said of Engellant, who didn’t compete last school year because of health issues. “This year he’s playing in a playoff for the state title and helping us win. Nothing could make me happier.”
Glacier, which opened in 2007, won a share of the State AA crown alongside Billings West in its first season (both shot 622). In 2012 the Wolfpack won with 593.
Billings Senior, behind medalist Kenzie Walsh, cruised to its second straight girls state title and fifth overall. Walsh shot a 75 Friday for a two-day total of 151; Billings West’s Bella Johnson had Friday’s best round, a 73, and was two strokes behind Walsh in second.
Senior had three of the top five golfers at state, and all five Broncs earned All-State honors; they finished at 644 strokes; West was a distant second at 689.
The East was pretty dominant on the girls’ side — Glacier was the top Western AA finisher, taking fifth. The Wolfpack’s Chloe Tanner shot 80 Friday for a today-total of 163, tying her for second. She and Missoula Hellgate’s Anna Stensrud (tied for fourth) were the only All-State girls from the western side side of the state. Missoula Big Sky’s Lev Heaney was just outside the all-state group in 16th, at 179.
Flathead’s top girl was Becca Vosen, whose two-day total of 205 tied her for 41st.
Dylan Morris was Flathead’s top boys finisher, tying for 24th at 163.
State AA
Sept. 28-29, Billings
Lake Hills Golf Course
BOYS
Team scores — 1, Glacier 295-300—595; 2, Missoula Sentinel 300-300—600; 3, Billings Skyview 306-299—605; 4, Bozeman 315-317—632; 5, Gallatin 318-328—646; 7, Missoula Big Sky 331-331—662; 8, Helena Capital 320-345—665; 9, Butte 342-326—668; Billings Senior 355-352—707.
Individual Top 15
Tye Boone, Skyview* 74-68—142
Sam Engellant, Glacier 70-72—142
Kade McDonough, Sentinel 70-73—143
Logan Connelly, Skyview 75-74—149
Torren Murray, Glacier 72-77—149
Hudson Goroski, Sentinel 76-75—151
Tanyon Murray, Glacier 77-74—151
Colin McCarthy, Sentinel 71-81—152
Isaac Mosser, Skyview 77-75—152
Trevor Cunningham, Glacier 76-77—153
Toby Dinges, Gallatin 78-75—153
David Bickerstaff, Bozeman 77-77—154
John Gilbert, Capital 78-77—155
Reid Wilkinson, Bozeman 75-81—156
Brek Strobel, West 81-77—158
Zander Brester, West 82-76—158
Gabe Shepard, Sentinel 83-75—158
*-won playoff.
GLACIER — Sam Engellant 142, Torren Murray 149, Tanyon Murray 151, Trevor Cnningham 153, Wes Weber 88-89—177.
FLATHEAD — Dylan Morris 83-80—163; Tyler Williams 83-86—169; Korbin Eaton 87-89—176.
GIRLS
Team scores — 1, Billings Senior 325-319—644; 2, Billings West 348-341—689; 3, Gallatin 354-360—714; 4, Bozeman 378-353—731; 5, Glacier 376-378—754; 6 (tie), Hellgate 373-393—766 and Belgrade 376-390—766; 8, Helena Capital 391-389—780; 9, Helena 400-386—786.
Individual Top 15
Kenzie Walsh, Senior 76-75—151
Bella Johnson, West 80-73—153
Becca Washington, Senior 82-77—159
Anna Stensrud, Hellgate 80-81—161
Moe Kobold, Senior 81-80—161
Hanna Boyd, Great Falls 82-80—162
Mielle Kavran, West 79-84—163
Addison Bleile, Gallatin 83-80—163
Chloe Tanner, Glacier 83-80—163
Ryann Walker, CMR 79-85—164
Kira Connell, Bozeman 86-81—167
Olivia McGreevey, Capital 90-81—171
Lauran Mayala, Senior 86-87—173
Alison Shenk, West 87-86—173
Avery Wright, Senior 87-89—176
GLACIER — Chloe Tanner 163; Abbi Townsend 97-96—193; Braelyn Ryan 95-99—194; Kendall Tkachyk 101-106—207; Maggie Mitton 116-103—219.
FLATHEAD — Becca Vosen 106-99—205; Payzlee Boyce 103-106—209; Kyrie Gislason 114-108—222.