Moses Lake wins Othello Invite; Huskies ready to take the next step in CWAC
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin HeraldOthello junior Daisy Valdez follows her shot off the tee on the par-4, 358-yard first hole Thursday at the Othello Golf Club.
Rodney Harwood/Columbia Basin HeraldOthello's Candyss Miller chips on to the green on the 297-yard, par-4 10th hole during the Othello Invitational Thursday at the Othello Golf Club.
OTHELLO — In a conference where the top two teams finished first and second at the Class 2A state championship, where the state medalist Morgan Baum of East Valley and Kenedee Peters from Ephrata both shot under par on the final day, you let well enough alone and work on your own game.
Golf is like that, different levels, different layers, but there’s alway something you can do to improve your game and that’s what the Othello Invitational was all about Thursday at the Othello Golf Club.
Ephrata and East Valley were the top two 2A girls teams in the state last season and figure into the mix again in 2017. For teams like Othello, Toppenish, Grandview, Moses Lake and Pullman, Thursday was a chance to get out to work on the game, play under blustery conditions and get ready for the season.
Charlie Sanislo of Moses Lake was the 18-hole medalist with a round of 43-51-94 on the 5,156-yard, par-70 Othello Golf Club. Alyson Shade, Othello, had the nine-hole low score with a round of 70
“Last year was the first time in 12 years I didn’t have at least one girl go to state,” Othello girls coach Heather Ochoa said. “Right now we’re trying to get our scores under 100. Right now nobody in this group can do that, even my junior Daisy Valdez. We’re in a rebuilding process, but they have all expressed a desire to get better and do the work it takes to do that.”
Thursday’s format was designed to get everyone involved. Teams combined the top two 18-hole scores with the top two 9-hole scores for the team score. Later during the regular season the top three golfers will represent the team score.
Moses Lake’s Payton Erdmann came in at 50-45-95 and Kerisa Sanislo fired 55-55-110 to lead the Chiefs to the low team score of 305. Othello was second at 411. Daisy Valdez (64-67-131) and Candyss Miller (70-68-138) had the low rounds for the Huskies.
“We’re not just content to just show up. They’ve made it their goal to get better, which is exciting to me. It’s hard to work with people that aren’t competitive, so these girls want to go that extra mile,” Ochoa said. “They want to spend that hour and a half putting and chipping, which is what you have to do to get to the next level.
“We’re a lot like the wrestlers, their goal is to make it to state every year and our girls are committed to getting better.”
Moses Lake is at the League Pod No. 1 on Monday and Othello hosts the CWAC Girls Invitational at Othello Golf Club on Tuesday.
Team scores: 1, Moses Lake 305. 2, Othello 411. 3, Pullman 412. 4, Toppenish 414. 5, Grandview, no score.
18-hole medalist: Charlie Sanislo, Moses Lake, 43-51-94
9-hole medalist: Alyson Shade, Othello, 70
Moses Lake
Charlie Sanislo 43-51-94; Payton Erdmann 50-45-95; Kerisa Sanislo 55-55-110; Jaimym Law 64-61-125; McKenna Holman 71 (nine holes); Kendall Sandhop 73 (nine holes).
Othello No. 1
Daisy Valdez 64-67-131; Candyss Miller 70-68-138; Edith Reyes 72-71-143; Margarita Solorio 71 (nine holes); Amanda Cantu (78) Othello No. 2
Taylor Taff 74; Alyson Shade 70; Janey Zapada 78
Rodney Harwood is a sports writer for the Columbia Basin Herald and can be reached at rharwood@columbiabasinherald.com