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State AA golf: Sentinel's Kade McDonough, Bozeman's Sami Yates take home state titles

Bozeman girls, Sentinel boys win team titles
Bozeman's Sami Yates.jpg
Missoula Sentinel's Kade McDonough-2.jpg
Bozeman Girls golf
Sentinel boys golf
Posted at 8:51 PM, Oct 02, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-03 02:17:06-04

MISSOULA — The State AA golf tournament concluded Friday in Missoula with the Bozeman girls making another historic run, and a freshman breaking onto the scene in the boys tournament.

On the girls side, it was Bozeman's three golfers -- Cooper Knarr, Sami Yates, and Franchi Ceartin -- who were positioned first, second and third, respectively, at the beginning of Day 2.

Day 2 teed off at Missoula Country Club that features tighter fairways and more trees than Day 1's venue at Larchmont Golf Course.

To start the day Knarr led Yates by two strokes. By the end of the tournament, Yates and Knarr went back and forth with Yates finishing one stroke ahead, shooting a 74 to win the individual title by one stroke (152).

Knarr finished with a total of 153, shooting a 77 on Day 2.

Ceartin finished tied for fifth with an 18-over-par 161.

In the end, Bozeman crushed the rest of the field as a team, winning the state title with a combined 66-over-par 638.

“Our team just really has been grinding and we’ve been talking about every single tournament like every shot counts," said Yates. "I really think that our team took that to heart and I saw the girls just grinding and really just putting all they had into their golf game.”

It's Bozeman's fifth straight girls team title, dating back to 2016.

The next-closest team was Billings West, led by junior golfer Kadence Fischer. West finished with a combined 699.

"I am so proud of my team, they did so good," said Fischer. "Like we beat some teams that we haven’t beat all year. We really fought through this state tournament."

On the boys side, it was freshman Kade McDonough who held his Day 1 lead and led the Missoula Sentinel Spartans to their first team title since 1999.

McDonough was the only player in both fields to shoot under par on Day 1 at Larchmont, with a 2-under 70. He continued that performance on Day 2 shooting a 2-under 70 once again to finish 4-under with a 140.

Sentinel's Joe Opitz, Andrew Hauser and Zach Hangas rounded out the Spartan scores, shooting 72, 73, and 82, respectively, on Day 2 to help lead them to the title.

"(Thursday) I didn’t even play that bad, I just had trouble adjusting to the greens, so it felt good to just get back to a more common territory," said Opitz.

In the Bozeman Gallatin Raptors' first year as a school, they asserted themselves as a threat in Class AA moving forward.

Their three junior golfers, Justus and Jordan Verge and Stevie Voight, all shot in the 70s on both days and helped lead the Raptors to second place in the team competition.

"Overall, the team played pretty good, we played pretty smart (Friday)," said Justus Verge. "(Thursday) we got in some trouble we probably shouldn’t have. Overall, I think as a team I’m really proud of how we fought and hung in there. No one had their A-game on both days, so it was a grind for sure. But that’s golf, so you have to love the good and the bad."

Jordan and Justus finished in second and third, respectively, shooting a 144 and 150. Voight finished in seventh place with a 10-over 153.

"No matter what we shot, we were going to have fun doing it," said Voight. "I played pretty good over the two days, had some putts that didn’t fall Day 1, but as a team we put it in the trees a little too much (Friday) so that was probably our downfall as a group."

Here are the final boys scores:

1McDonough, KadeMissoula Sentinel-37070140
2Verge, JordanGallatin+17470144
T3Verge, JustusGallatin+77476150
T3Groshelle, EliCMR+77773150
5Opitz, JoeMissoula Sentinel+87972151
6Salonen, WillKalispell Glacier+97676152
7Voight, StevieGallatin+107677153
8Avery, TylerKalispell Glacier+117480154
T9Hauser, AndrewMissoula Sentinel+128273155
T9Epperly, EzraKalispell Flathead+128075155
T11Cassidy, KeatonKalispell Glacier+147978157
T11Wiliailuck, SiamBillings Senior+148671157
13Bloomquist, CaswellHelena Capital+157979158
14Haber, TreydenBillings West+177585160
T15Hangas, ZachMissoula Sentinel+187982161
T15Brunner, TylerBillings Senior+187982161
T15Ellis, HaydenMissoula Big Sky+187982161
T15Boone, TyeBillings Skyview+188477161
19Lloyd, RameyGallatin+198577162
T20Dennis, JadenMissoula Sentinel+207786163
T20Mayala, ReeceBillings Senior+208182163
22Olson, TrentonGreat Falls+218579164
T23Manaker, SamKalispell Glacier+227986165
T23Klein, GavinGallatin+228481165
T25Teders, DutchHelena Capital+238284166
T25Brandon, JacobBozeman+238284166
T25Pailthorpe, NateBozeman+238779166
28Meyer, LoganHelena High+248681167
29Connolly, LoganBillings Skyview+257989168
30Suchecki, CarsonMissoula Big Sky+268881169
T31Wagner, CadeBillings Senior+278585170
T31Gappert, AidenMissoula Hellgate+278783170
T33Kunda, CobyKalispell Glacier+288883171
T33Hinse, CaleHelena Capital+288982171
T33Wassmer, JacobBillings West+289279171
T33Halligan, ConnorBillings West+288586171
T33Beck, JoshMissoula Hellgate+288982171
T33Weymouth, FoxCMR+288091171
T33Anderson, BradyButte High+288784171
T40Stoos, BrettHelena Capital+298587172
T40Mattson, TreyMissoula Hellgate+298488172
T40Hinshaw, JaxonBelgrade+298488172
43Madison, AnthonyBelgrade+308588173
T44Driscoll, JosephBillings Senior+318886174
T44Cripe, JostenKalispell Flathead+318589174
T44Zeiler, AustinHelena High+318985174
T44Couture, DylanBozeman+318886174
48Fogelsong, MitchellBillings West+329283175
49Engel, KalebCMR+379585180
50Hollenback, NoahCMR+389190181
T51Flohr, CroixBillings West+408895183
T51Black, HenryMissoula Hellgate+409192183
T51Lowry, DrewKalispell Flathead+409291183
54Gall, KadinKalispell Flathead+429194185
55Perkins, MichaelGreat Falls+459989188
56Dobbins, DylanHelena Capital+479793190
57Labbe, BrennanMissoula Hellgate+5294101195
58Jacobs, MylesHelena High+5598100198
59Philipps, CarterCMR+59100102202
60Falk, BrodieBelgrade+61102102204

Here are the final girls scores:

1Yates, SamiBozeman+97874152
2Knarr, CooperBozeman+107677153
T3Mercer, MarcellaKalispell Flathead+178377160
T3Walsh, KenzieBillings Senior+178377160
T5Ceartin, FranchiBozeman+187982161
T5Vandersloot, HalleGallatin+188180161
T7Prigge, EllaButte High+197983162
T7Hoagland, KodieButte High+198280162
T7Fischer, KadenceBillings West+198181162
10Chapman, CeliHelena High+218381164
11Williams, LaurenHelena High+228580165
T12Wynne, JillianKalispell Flathead+268683169
T12Lloyd, AddileyGallatin+268782169
14Johnson, BellaBillings West+289081171
T15Benson, SamiBillings Senior+298587172
T15Sundheim, CierraBillings Skyview+298884172
17Armstrong, MeilynBillings Skyview+339284176
T18NcNew, LexiHelena Capital+378793180
T18Mayala, LaurenBillings Senior+379090180
20Atkins, EllyBozeman+388893181
T21Priebe, SaraBozeman+409984183
T21Voegele, MeganBillings West+409192183
23Griffin, AlanaKalispell Glacier+439393186
T24Gravely, ZitaHelena Capital+4510682188
T24Brocklebank, AnnikaBillings West+459395188
T24Tanner, ChloeKalispell Glacier+459494188
T27O'Mara, PaigeHelena Capital+469594189
T27McGregor, BarbaraBillings West+469990189
T29Lean, KennedyButte High+479892190
T29Jones, KellyGreat Falls+479595190
31Sunchild, MorganGreat Falls+489695191
32Madsen, AlexCMR+5092101193
33Finnegan, MackenzieButte High+519896194
T34Bury, MakaylaHelena Capital+529996195
T34Ceartin, ZoieGallatin+529996195
36Turnquist, BrynBillings Senior+539997196
T37Swanson, MeganHelena Capital+5410196197
T37Claridge, StellaKalispell Glacier+5496101197
39Savage, MeganButte High+58101100201
40Fawcett, AveryBillings Senior+5910894202
41Williams, BreannaBillings Skyview+6199105204
42Torsleff, EllaGallatin+67109101210
T43Murer, McKinlieKalispell Flathead+70108105213
T43Hensel, KaitlynBillings Skyview+70104109213
T45Sandler, KennaKalispell Glacier+73115101216
T45Cory, BellaMissoula Hellgate+73111105216
47Miller, AlexBillings Skyview+79107115222
48Fero, SofieMissoula Sentinel+84116111227
49Whitaker, JordanBelgrade+89113119232
50Anderson, LandrieMissoula Sentinel+91118116234
51Daniels, ColetteKalispell Glacier+93122114236
52Mamangnun, LeilaBelgrade+95129109238
53Dykhuizen, SophiaKalispell Flathead+96122117239
54Owens, AshleeMissoula Big Sky+99120122242
55Heaney, MadelineMissoula Big Sky+102123122245
56Stensrud, AnnaMissoula Hellgate+112117138255
57Murray, AltaMissoula Sentinel+113124132256