Luke Gordon of Marion tees off at Hole 3 during regional play on Monday. Gordon placed seventh overall with an 85. Andrew Ottoson / Free Press. Click image to enlarge.
Justin Kent eyes his drive off the Hole 3 tee. He finished second individually, and the top four Trojans claimed first a regional title seven shots ahead of Marion. Andrew Ottoson / Free Press. Click image to enlarge.
Hillsboro and Marion dominated the field Monday at the Class 3A regional golf tournament held at the Hillsboro Municipal Golf Course.
With three players among the top four individual finishers, the Trojans combined for a four-man total of 316. Marion, with the No. 3, 5, 6 and 7 individuals, was seven strokes back at 323.
The next closest competitor was Burlington with a 372—56 strokes behind the champion Trojans.
“We knew coming in that the other teams coming weren’t going to be real strong,” Hillsboro coach Scott O’Hare said. “You could tell by the average scores they sent in.
“We pretty felt sure coming in that it was going to be between Marion and us, and it was going to be a battle.
“Actually, they had us by four strokes coming off the front nine. We had some kids who came back with some better scores on the back nine and a couple of their kids struggled a little bit.
“It’s been a fun competition between the two of us this year,” O’Hare said.
Sophomore Elliott Soyez of Hillsboro led the field with a 73 to win his second regional title in two years. Teammate Justin Kent was two strokes back at 75 for second place and Daniel Kunantaev shot a 78 for fourth.
Darren Enns rounded out the four-man score with a 90, which was good for 12th place overall.
For Marion, Jake Bredemeier led the Warrior effort with a 76, Travis Hett and Keith Jones each added an 81, and Luke Gordon an 85.
Zach Magnuson shot a 99 and Daniel Dick a 102 for Hillsboro while Chase Carlson, who placed 13th, contributed a 91 for Marion and Lindsay Hett carded a 124.
As the top two teams in the field, Hillsboro and Marion qualified for the state tournament next Monday at Cheney.
“We think we have a chance to be in the mix at state,” O’Hare said. “If our top three have another good day, and we can get one other good score, we could do well. Of course, Wichita Collegiate is going to be very tough. They’re good all through their top six.”
MCAA at Hesston—Led by a third-place individual finish from Elliott Soyez, the Hillsboro High golf team place second at the Mid-Central Activities Association league tournament Friday at Hesston.
Soyez shot a 73 to finish three strokes behind the individual champion, Andrew Foulston of Wichita Collegiate. Foulston’s teammate, Randall Vautravers placed second at 72 as Collegiate won the team title with a score of 292.
Hillsboro was 22 strokes back at 314. Justin Kent, ninth overall, and Daniel Kunantaev, 11th, both shot a 76. Rounding out the Trojans’ four-man score was Zach Magnuson with an 89. Darren Ens shot a 102 and Daniel Dick a 114.
“I am pleased with a second-place finish in the MCAA,” Hillsboro coach Scott O’Hare said. “Wichita Collegiate just has a very solid six-man team. It will be very difficult for anyone to knock them off this year at the state level.”
O’Hare said he was glad to see Soyez return to form after a couple of tournaments with higher-than-usual scores. Kent claimed ninth in a playoff with teammate Kunantaev and Ryley Clemm of Collegiate.
For freshman Kunantaev, this was the first time this season he did not finish in the top 10 individually at a tournament.
Marion, meanwhile, place fourth as a team, although the Warriors tied Hesston for the third-best score of 322.
Travis Hett led Marion with a 74 to place fourth overall. Keith Jones placed 15th with a 78 and Jake Bredemeier was 17th at 79. Chase Carlson rounded out the four-man score with a 91. Paul Hodson shot a 94 and Lindsay Hett a 103.
