Basin teams tee off at Colockum Ridge
From left: Andrew Jacobson, Wyatt Hope, Cody Ogle and Jett Julian work on their swings at the driving range at the Lakeview Golf & Country Club. The Tigers finished in fifth place at a tournament in Quincy Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO
QUINCY — The Quincy Jacks hosted the Ephrata Tigers, Othello Huskies and five other 2A schools at Colockum Ridge Golf Course Wednesday. The three placed in the middle of the pack, as the Tigers finished in fifth place, the Huskies sixth and the Jacks seventh.
Ephrata
The Tigers had a strong day on the green, finishing with 333 points as a team.
“Course conditions were great,” Assistant Coach Larry Redfield said. “Nobody really went exceptionally low, but as a whole team, we played pretty steady. All in all, we came out pretty well, definitely proud of the guys for it. We've got some work to do, and we'll get back at it as soon as spring break is over and get ready for our next match.”
The Tigers had six players competing Wednesday – Caiden Weber, Cody Ogle, Caleb Moberg, Jett Julian, Brady Hendrick and Noah Castillo – all of whom finished in the top 20. Their top scorer was Ogle with an 80, which was also good enough for a spot inside the top 10 at ninth place.
The Tigers have qualified players for districts already, so their focus is improving week to week as they move closer to that tournament. Since many of them are shooting in the mid- to low 80s, Redfield feels confident in this team’s potential this season.
“I feel like we're going to be able to get a couple of our guys to state, which would be fabulous. Getting back down there this year after having some opportunities last year and getting some of the guys there was awesome,” he said.
Redfield and the Tigers are planning to focus on getting more reps in between matches to help the players build confidence, Redfield said.
“Getting opportunities to get out and work on their game and spend time playing to help drop scores. Practicing and learning the techniques is a big deal as well. Just lots of reps and building that confidence, and especially in that tournament environment, is a big deal to helping them succeed as a squad and individuals,” he said.
Quincy
The Jacks’ seventh-place finish was the result of a 370-point score, putting them ahead of league rivals Selah and Toppenish.
“It was actually pretty exciting day for our boys,” Quincy Head Coach Chris Trevino said. “Colockum Ridge may be one of the easier golf courses to try to qualify for the district tournament. Our guys knew coming in, ‘This may be my best shot to be able to qualify.’ I was excited that we got a couple of new guys qualified for the district tournament, and that gives my team a total of five members eligible to go now.”
Conner Galloway and Keegan Nelson shot just under 100 to qualify for the district tournament. They will join Miles Fabian, Jett Bierlink and Jones Ferguson at the district tournament, the coach said.
Trevino is pleased with the competitive nature and excitement his players have shown this year, he said. Ferguson and Bierlink are freshman, but have shown a great interest in the sport this season.
“They’ve kind of been bitten by the golf bug. So, I'm super excited to see that, and I hope they continue to play. I hope they're enjoying it this year, and hopefully play all summer and do well, and then just continue to grow all the way through senior year,” Trevino said.
Another player showing growth this season is Fabian, who was unable to shoot under 100 last season – and has put in the work since to improve.
“(Fabian) didn't qualify for the district tournament last year but played all summer long. He would be out there, (and) sometimes he'd play 54 holes a day,” the coach said.
With the extra work he’s put in, Trevino believes he’s shaved off about 20 strokes off his game over the summer.
“You put the time in, you put the hard work in, you can really be successful. I think he started to notice that, and so I think he's excited about it. He shot a 94, and last year that would have been his best round, but (he) was pretty disappointed with the 94 yesterday, just not happy with the way that he played. The expectations for him are a little bit different in his mind now, and so that's kind of exciting,” Trevino said.
Trevino said his players have shown a lot of dedication and determination to improve this season. He feels confident they are capable of pushing each other to reach new levels and potentially earn spots in the postseason tournaments.
“The nice part about that is they can push each other, and if one guy starts to kind of get a little lead, the other guys start to work harder and try to catch him. So that'll be great for the team dynamic, and for scores moving forward,” he said.
Othello
The Huskies finished in sixth place with 345 points. Gavin Simmons was their top scorer with an 84, which earned him 15th, just over teammate Alejandro Garza who shot an 85 to take 16th.
In a five-way tie for 20 was Gavin Carl and Omar Valdez who split the spot with the Jacks’ Bierlink, East Valley’s Brandon Hahn Jr and Ellensburg’s Kaden Thomas. Rounding out the sub-100 scores was Jose Gonzalez with an 89.
Othello coaches were not available for comment by press time.
All three teams are slated to hit the green Monday, April 13, at Sage Hills Golf Course with the tee off set for 10 a.m.
RESULTS:
Place, team, score
1: Grandview, 318
2: Ellensburg, 324
3: East Valley, 324
4: Prosser, 332
5: Ephrata, 333
6: Othello, 345
7: Quincy, 370
8: Selah, 400
9: Toppenish, 405