Golfers third at divisionals

Hungry Horse News

Both of the Columbia Falls High School golf teams punched their tickets to the State A tournament with third place finishes at the Northwest A Divisional last Saturday in Ronan.

Wildcat senior Jordan Mueller fired a career-best 77 to take second place and earn all-conference recognition along with junior Parker Johnson who shot a 79 and tied for third place. Whitefish's Reed Platke took medalist honors with a one-over par 73. Rounding out the Wildcat team score of 354 were Nick Emerson at 94 and Brian Marcille at 104.

Senior Jason Trueblood also competed for the Wildcats and posted a 120. Whitefish boys captured the team title with a 311 followed by Polson at 342. Libby was 4th at 361 while Ronan was 5th at 377. The top three teams advance to state.

"Jordan and Parker work very hard at this game, so it's very gratifying to see them find success - particularly under the pressure of a big tournament," said coach Gene Marcille. "Jordan put up his best competitive score ever, and Parker eagled the 18th hole to meet his goal of breaking 80. Their performances allowed Nick and Brian to be a little off their games yet still contribute to the team making it to state."

On the girls' side of the tournament, Wildkat senior Nika Geratova posted a 108 for 12th place overall while seniors Michelle Hagen and Courtney Tamburelli tied for 14th place at 116. Sophomores Morgan Love and Maggie Panasuk shot 123 and 129 respectively. Whitefish's Kiley McConnell shot 78 for first place. The Wildkats team score of 463 earned them a third place finish and a trip to the state tournament trailing Polson in second with 399 and Whitefish in first with 364. Ronan was 4th with 478.

"These girls are really fun to coach," said Marcille. "They really see golf as a life-long sport and something they hope to be doing well into adulthood."

The State A golf tournament starts today (Thursday) at the Laurel Country Club and concludes Saturday.