ACE OF THE DAY: Brendan McCauley of Olympia called his shot … well, sort of.

As he approached the 154-yard par-3 No. 13 hole at Camas Meadows, McCauley wondered out loud how cool it would be to hit a hole-in-one.

“Actually we were all saying it, my whole group,” McCauley said, referring to his playing partners Ahren Young of Kentridge and defending 4A state champion Kyle Cornett of Jackson. “We are all kind of joking ‘I’m going to hit it right in here.’ Then came my turn, and I hit it the ball. It went straight at the hole, hit and bounced twice and went in the hole.

“And then we were all freaking out.”

It was McCauley’s first hole-in-one, not just at the state tournament, or high school tournament or any high school round. It was his first hole-in-one ever. And he’s been playing competitive golf for about eight years.

The ace helped McCauley finish with a two-round total of 150, six over par, and in a tie for fifth place.

“I didn’t get off to a good start, in both rounds really,” McCauley said. “But I sort of put it all together on the back nine. And then I got that hole-in-one. It just made everything worthwhile.”

PUTTING IN TIME: 4A state champions Brian Humphreys of Camas said Wednesday’s win was a product of a lot of hard work.

“This year was a real turning point for me because I spent a lot of time on swing fixes,” Humphreys said. “And now that I have it dialed in, it was good to go out and have a free swing.”

And there was additional work he put in since losing to Union’s Ian Spicer at last fall’s district tournament.

“We got free (driving range) tokens and a round a week (of golf), and I really took advantage of that,” he said.

BETTER NEXT YEAR: Apart from the weather, Leta Meyer was pleased with how things went at not only the 4A boys state tournament at Camas Meadows, but all four Southwest Washington courses that hosted state tournaments. Meyer is Heritage’s athletic director and a WIAA Executive Board member.

If there is one thing she would like more of next year — apart from sunshine — would be course volunteers. So if you love to get outside and be around some of the top high school golfers in the state, mark May 28-29, 2014 on your calendar when Southwest Washington is planning to again host the 4A and 3A state tournaments.

While the final sites won’t be formalized until they are approved by the WIAA Executive Board early next year, the tentative plan is to have the 4A boys and girls switch sites next year, and the same for the 3A boys and girls.

The post Notes from Day 2 of the 4A boys golf state tournament appeared first on High School Sports.

All spring, we had great weather. I believe we only suffered through two or three days of baseball or softball rainouts this year. It was the best spring for sports in at least five years.

And then this. When Clark County is hosting four state tournaments. We get this. It did not just rain a little bit Wednesday. It poured for most of the day. Congrats to all the golfers who qualified for state, then endured two miserable days for golf.

It’s so fun, let’s keep playing: Patrick Sato of Interlake had the round of the day Wednesday at Tri-Mountain, a 71 to erase a two-shot deficit. He forced a playoff with Frank Garber of Juanita.

Then I’m sure everyone was happy to get right back out there in the monsoon.

Unfortunately for Sato, but fortunately for everyone else who wanted this thing to end, Sato’s drive found the water on the 18th hole. (Of course, every drive found some water, rain water. But by water, in this sense, I mean the hazard.) So Garber had a huge advantage early.

Still, Sato kept battling. He was lying four on the par-5 here.

He had to mark his ball, while a member of the grounds crew waited to clear off some of that water. Sato ended up getting some relief from that spot, but finished up with a double-bogey. These are the conditions the players had to endure just about all day.

Anyway, Garber ended up making a par for the win. You can read about it here.

Mountain View represents: Mountain View fans had a blast, even in the rain, while watching Taylor Smith this week. That’s one thing Clark County golfers had that they have not had in previous state championships: large gathering of fans.

With state in other parts of the state, it’s hard for golfers to get more than their parents to show up for their rounds. But Mountain View fans were there both days.

“I really appreciated everybody coming out. It was awesome,” said Smith, who finished in a tie for eighth, earning a medal for the second consecutive season. “It’s definitely a cool way to end my high school career.”

Smith said he will be golfing at Bellevue College next school year.

So close: Columbia River junior Brandon Barnes had two rounds in the 70s in his first appearance at the state tournament. He also almost got something really special.

He was about an inch away from a hole-in-one on No. 6.

“The ball landed five feet past the whole and spun back,” Barnes said. “Just missed the edge. It was a tap-in birdie. Those are nice.”

Next year: The 4A boys and girls and 3A boys and girls state tournaments are scheduled to be back in Clark County next year, as well. Here’s hoping it’s 95 degrees both days, to make up for this week.

The post Class 3A boys golf notes: Day 2 appeared first on High School Sports.

Taylor Smith of Mountain View scored a 74 in the first round of the Class 3A state boys golf tournament at Tri-Mountain Golf Course. Smith, who finished in a tie for fourth at state last year, is four strokes off the lead going into Wednesday’s final round.

Meanwhile, Brandon Barnes of Columbia River scored a 77.

They both made the cut.

Smith, Barnes and the rest of the 3A Greater St. Helens League golfers who made it to state played on this course for the district tournament back in the fall. In all, nine golfers from Clark County qualified for state.

Smith and Barnes, however, are the lone Clark County golfers to make it to Day 2.

Trent Standard of Fort Vancouver, who won the district title in the fall, shot an 85. The cut was 81.
Boon Kusolsomboon of Fort Vancouver and Ryan Yeh of Mountain View, playing in the final group of the day, found out they were two off the cut with their 83s.

Marshall Ward of Prairie finished with an 84. Jacob Berg of Mountain View scored an 85. Landon Joy of Hudson’s Bay came in at 87. And Collin Herrema of Mountain View carded an 88.

Golf clap: A round of applause of Meadowdale’s Nate Glazewski. He signed for an 83. At the time, 83 was still possibly going to be the cut.

But after thinking about it, and then seeing his score posted on the board, he realized there had been a mistake.

Because of the wet conditions, many of the tournament scorecards were drenched. In some cases, players had to transfer their scores to a dry scorecard. Glazewski called it an honest mistake by him and his playing partner who kept track of his score, but they transferred the wrong score on one of the holes.

Glazewski signed for an 83, but it should have been an 84.

He self-reported himself, knowing what the penalty would be: Disqualification.

If a player signs for a worse score than he played, he gets that score. However, if the player signs for a better score than he earned, it’s a DQ.

Glazewski was given a sportsmanship award for his honesty.

Strong groups: Mountain View’s Taylor Smith, Conner Denessen of Glacier Peak, and Zach Spencer of Mt. Spokane each had impressive rounds, and they were playing together. Denessen scored a 73, Smith came in at 74, and Zach Spencer was at 75. Each player had an eagle.

Their combined score of 222 was matched by the first threesome of the day. Andrew Kennedy of Interlkae (76), Nick Mandell of Southridge (74) and Sam Warkentin of Bainbridge (72) also shined.

Coulda: Brandon Barnes of Columbia River is not complaining about a 77 in his first round. But he also is wondering what could have been.
“I was hitting the ball better than I’ve ever hit it,” Barnes said. “My putting was terrible.”

Still, the final result was pretty good.

“I’m frustrated with some parts, but happy with most parts,” he said of his game.

The post Class 3A boys golf notes from Day 1 appeared first on High School Sports.

“A kid from Camas gets to play state on his home course?” the spectator remarked. “How does that happen?”

It happens more often than you think. Just about any course that hosts a state tournament is the home course from some high school team. There just aren’t that many courses for that not to happen.

Camas Meadows is actually the home course for both Camas and Union golf teams. Union’s Eddie Abellar also shot a first-round 70.

“This is as perfect as it gets for me,” said Union’s Ian Spicer, who shot a 76 on Tuesday. “I get to sleep in my own bed, get breakfast and come to the course.”

Added Humphreys: “Getting to play here is a big advantage. This is the kind of course that you need to play a couple of times to get a good feel for where to play the ball.”

But knowledge of the course wasn’t a guarantee for success, as Spicer found out.

“I play this course every day,” he said. “I think I played it faster than those in my group because I didn’t need to read every green. But I guess, given how many putts I left today, maybe I should have.”

RAINY DAY PROBLEMS: As Humphreys mentioned, knowledge of the course was a big edge for local golfers, especially since the course played much differently on Monday, when it was sunny and 75 degrees, than it did in on Tuesday’s soggy afternoon.

“It wasn’t much of a practice round to simulate playing conditions today,” Humphreys said.

Several golfers complained about hitting balls short through the wet grass, or not getting a lot of roll.

But none had a bigger problem than Wentachee’s Brady Kuntz.

While playing his 7-iron on the back side of the course, Kuntz lost grip of his club on his swing and it landed in the middle of a nearby water hazard.

“The rest of the round I was short-arming my 6-iron,” he said. “And holding onto to it really, really tight.”

Officials planned to retrieve Kuntz’s club from the water.

The post 4A state boys golf notes: Home-course edge for Papermakers, Titans appeared first on High School Sports.

Skyview, meanwhile, got a tough draw after placing fourth in the bi-district. The Storm open against defending champion Woodinville, also at noon. Woodinville is 22-1 this season.

Here is the full 4A bracket.

The 4A tournament is at the Merkel Sports Complex in Spokane.

The Prairie Falcons will have to get up early to start the 3A state tournament at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey. Prairie will play Mountlake Terrace in the first round, at 9 a.m.

Here is the full 3A bracket.

The Woodland Beavers will open the Class 1A state tournament at noon Friday against Mt. Baker. The 1A tourney is at the Columbia Playfield in Richland.

Here is the full 1A bracket.

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League MVP: Shannon Boyle, jr., Ridgefield

Outstanding offensive player: Madison Cathcart, fr., R.A. Long; Outstanding defensive player: Majerle Reeves, sr., Mark Morris

FIRST TEAM

Carly Estes, sr., Ridgefield

Samantha Rice, so., Ridgefield

Tori Almos, sr., R.A. Long

Jacki Smith, fr., R.A. Long

Addie Bailey, so., R.A. Long

Ashley Coons, so., Mark Morris

Tayler Blackman, sr., Mark Morris

Amber Gilbert, sr., Mark Morris

Madisen Baldwin, so., Washougal

Ashley Carrol, sr., Washougal

Sydney Cole, fr., Hockinson

SECOND TEAM

Megan Holeman, sr., Ridgefield; Madison Achoa, fr., Ridgefield; Jenna Mayer, fr., Ridgefield; Jenny Haagan, sr., R.A. Long; Julia Leggett, jr., R.A. Long; Taylor Bjorge, sr., Mark Morris; Emmylee Holt, so., Mark Morris; Rebecca Bennett, fr., Washougal; Kaylee Harteloo, so., Hockinson; Emma Woolcott, fr., Hockinson.

Coach of the year: John Carver, Washougal

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Player of the year: Ryan Littlefield, sr., Mark Morris

FIRST TEAM

Tanner Ruffe, jr., P, R.A. Long

Riley Johnston, jr., P, Mark Morris

Joel Worden, jr., P, Hockinson

Nick Martin, jr., P, Ridgefield

Brandon Casteel, so., C, Washougal

Brock Myklebust, sr., C, Mark Morris

Tanner Brill, sr., IF, Mark Morris

Max Tilton, jr., IF, Mark Morris

Brady Hulings, jr., IF, Mark Morris

Joe Siegel, sr., IF, Ridgefield

Jarred Gomez, sr., IF, Hockinson

Sam Gillenwater, sr., OF, Ridgefield

Hiro Husakabe, sr., OF, Mark Morris

Doug Jason, sr., OF, Mark Morris

Thomas Kirschenbaum, sr., OF, Hockinson

Johnny Osborne, sr., UT, Ridgefield

Rauson Fine, sr., UT, R.A. Long

Taylor Ellensohn, jr., UT, Hockinson

Dylan Butler, sr., DH, Hockinson

HONORABLE MENTION

Spencer Thorsen, so., R.A. Long; Taylor Rennaker, jr., Hockinson; Eric Rosellini, sr., R.A. Long; Taylor Mosier, sr., Mark Morris; Ian Williams, sr., Ridgefield; Jose Hiojosa, jr., R.A. Long

The post Class 2A GSHL all-league baseball team appeared first on High School Sports.

FIRST TEAM

Jared Williams, jr., fwd, Ridgefield

Nate Miller, jr., mid, Ridgefield

Charlie Hauser, jr., mid, Ridgefield

Kyle Morris, jr., def, Ridgefield

Brett Sparks, sr., mid, Hockinson

Mitchell Pinney, so., fwd, Hockinson

Emmanuel Gil, sr., fwd, Hockinson

Nathan Gunderson, jr., def, Hockinson

Weston Robinson, sr., def., Mark Morris

Ian Cheslock, sr., def, Mark Morris

Tristan Simons, jr., gk, Mark Morris

SECOND TEAM

FWD: Connor Thompson, jr., Hockinson; Max Westervelt, sr., Mark Morris; MID: Riley Aloe, sr., Mark Morris; Colton Willie, jr., R.A. Long; Juan Vazquez, sr., R.A. Long; Brandon Winn, jr., Ridgefield; Patrick Johnson, jr., Washougal; DEF: Alan Haagen, jr., Hockinson; Jacob Roscoe, so., Hockinson; David Potter, jr., Ridgefield; Brad Abella, jr., Ridgefield; GK: Casey Turner, jr., Hockinson; Dalton Ries, jr., Ridgefield.

HONORABLE MENTION

Hockinson: Scott Stavig, jr., mid; Adam Jeschke, so., def; Mark Morris: Ryan Johnson, sr., def; Max Hardy, sr., fwd; Elijah Richey, jr., def; R.A. Long: Seth Dahlquist, so., gk; Ridgefield: Chase Majury, jr., mid; Washougal: Thomas Normandeau, jr., mid; Spencer Carnera, jr., mid; Samuel Razumouskiy, so., mid.

Coach of the year: Jason Staley, Ridgefield

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Player of the year: Sierra Richards, sr., Kelso

FIRST TEAM

Macy Ruth, sr., P, Kelso

Teaghan Cowles, fr., C, Columbia River

Taylor Bussey, sr., IF, Prairie

Bailey Gaspar, sr., IF, Mountain View

Traci Crollard, sr., IF, Hudson’s Bay

Lindsey Johnson, so., IF, Kelso

Kindra Post, sr., OF, Hudson’s Bay

Nicole O’Haver, jr., OF, Prairie

Allie Hutchinson, sr., OF, Columbia River

Kailey Mackin, jr., DP, Kelso

Carly Sims, sr., UT, Kelso

SECOND TEAM

P: Collen Driscoll, so., Mountain View; C: Kayla Bergerson, jr., Prairie; Lauren Warner, jr., Mountain View; IF: Grayson Burke, fr., Columbia River; Katelyn Lukes, jr., Mountain View; Kailey Soto, sr., Hudson’s Bay; Jamie Phares, so., Prairie; OF: Clara Hatfield, jr., Mountain View; Kady Bruce, so., Kelso; Mason Smith, sr., Fort Vancouver.

Coach of the year: Mindy Williams Cleeland, Columbia River

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Michelle Brincefield, Skyview softball: Started the week by helping the Storm win the district title, striking out 14 in the title game against league champion Camas. Then on Friday, struck out 11 in the first round of bi-district, then won another complete game in the second round as the Storm clinched a berth to state. Brincefield also had two triples and 4 RBIs in the bi-district opener.

Nicole Goecke, Prairie track and field: Goecke won the 1,600-meter run in the 3A bi-district meet on Friday, then made the best of an interesting situation to win the 800 on Saturday. She was disqualified from the 800, but was reinstated after an official re-evaluated the initial ruling. Goecke did not let it distract her. She won the final easily.

Ian Hamilton, Skyview baseball: The Storm are going to baseball’s final four for the first time in school history. Hamilton struck out 12 as the Storm beat second-ranked Gonzaga Prep on Saturday, then he had a double and scored two runs later in the day to help beat league rival Heritage to reach the state’s final four.

Esther Kwon and Jen Lewis, Camas tennis: The doubles team won the Class 4A bi-district championship with a straight-sets victory in the final, advancing to the state championships in Richland.

Mitch Wheelon, Union soccer: Wheelon scored the equalizer, then added the go-ahead goal as the Titans topped Ferris 3-1 to advance to soccer’s final four. Wheelon also had two assists in Union’s first-round victory on Wednesday.

To cast your vote, go to The Columbian’s prep sports facebook page at www.facebook.com/360preps.

Voting will continue until 8 p.m. Thursday and be announced in Friday’s edition of The Columbian.

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