Polson boys, girls will compete for state team golf titles
Polson's Ellie Thiel lines up a putt on the No. 10 green Saturday. (Scot Heisel/Lake County Leader)
Scot Heisel/Lake County Leader
Ellie Thiel hits a drive off the No. 10 tee box at Polson Bay Golf Course. (Scot Heisel/Lake County Leader)
Alyssa Pretty On Top of Ronan strokes a putt on the 18th green Saturday in Polson. (Scot Heisel/Lake County Leader)
Four members of the Polson girls team walk down the No. 10 fairway. From left are Clare Konen, Ellie Thiel, Carly Garrick and Kylee Seifert. Not pictured: Ashley Maki. (Scot Heisel/Lake County Leader)
Ronan's Dillon Pretty On Top hits a putt on No. 18 in front of teammate Sage Coffman during the 2020 Western A divisional tournament at Polson Bay Golf Course. (Scot Heisel/Lake County Leader)
Carson Hupka of Polson reacts after missing a putt as teammate Torrin Ellis prepares to line up his next shot on the No. 10 green Saturday. (Scot Heisel/Lake County Leader)
High school golfers representing a dozen schools from the Northwest and Southwest competed Saturday at Polson Bay Golf Course for a spot in this week’s Class A state tournament in Butte.
The Polson boys third and girls finished second. Both advance to the state team competition.
The top 15 individuals earned all-conference recognition, while the top three teams harvested hardware. The top 30 advance to state along with the top four teams.
All-conference honors went to Polson’s Ellie Thiel, who shot a team-best 93, and fellow Lady Pirates Ashley Maki, who made the top 10 with a 97, and Kylee Seifert (103), who closed out the top 15. Teammates Clare Konen (104) and Carly Garrick (114) both made the top 30 list, although the second-place team finish ensured they would be playing next weekend in either case.
Ronan golfers Alyssa Pretty On Top (102) and Macao Jackson (10) placed in the top 15 for all-conference honors, while teammate Kylee Niemeyer (106) also advanced to state with a top-30 finish. Madyson Runningcrane actually tied for the last spot, but tie-breaker tallies on the back nine left her a few strokes short of the state tournament.
Pirates Torrin Ellis (82) and Carson Hupka (85) both finished among the top 15 for all-conference recognition, while the remainder of the Pirates — Hunter Emerson, Otto Lund and Michael Smith — finished among the top 30 to advance.
Ronan’s Dillon Pretty On Top (99) and Ruben Couture (101) finished among the top 30 to advance.
The Class A State tournament will be played Thursday and Friday at the Butte Country Club in Butte.
2020 Western A Divisional
Polson Bay Golf Course
Saturday, Sept. 26
GIRLS
Team scores
1, Whitefish 379; 2, Polson 397; 3, Corvallis 400; 4, Hamilton 420; 5, Ronan 424; 6, Frenchtown 444; 7, Browning 444; 8, Columbia Falls 499
Top 15 all-conference individuals
1, Macee Greenwood (Corvallis) 74; 2, Aly Rose (Hamilton) 89; 3, Anyah Cripe (Whitefish) 90; 4, Harper Armitage (Frenchtown) 91; 5, Kendall Reed (Whitefish) 91; 6, Ellie Thiel (Polson) 93; 7, Jill SureChief (Browning) 95; 8, Maddie Sramek (Whitefish) 97; 9, Ashley Maki (Polson) 97; 10, Jasmine Oyler (Stevensville) 97; 11, Sami Knapp (Corvallis) 98; 12, Anna Elm (Whitefish) 101; 13, Alyssa Pretty On Top (Ronan) 102; 14, Macao Jackson (Ronan) 102; 15, Kylee Seifert (Polson) 103
BOYS
Team scores
1, Whitefish 308; 2, Hamilton 332; 3, Polson 351; 4, Frenchtown 365; 5, Corvallis 375; 6, Libby 401; 7, Dillon 410; 8, Ronan 412; 9, Browning 469
Top 15 all-conference individuals
1, Cameron Kahle (Whitefish) 72; 2, Billy Smith (Whitefish) 74; 3, Tanner Hanson (Hamilton) 76; 4, Marcus Kilman (Whitefish) 80; 5, Cody Brothwell (Columbia Falls) 81; 6, Jackson Heath (Hamilton) 81; 7, Max Cianflone (Hamilton) 82; 8, Johnny Nix (Whitefish) 82; 9, Torrin Ellis (Polson) 82; 10, Luke Schlimgen (Corvallis) 83; 11, Carson Hupka (Polson) 85; 12, Bjorn Olson (Whitefish) 85; 13, Luke Sova (Columbia Falls) 86; 14, Mason Anderson (Corvallis) 86; 15, Kamas Romney (Frenchtown) 87