THE CHAMPS ARE HERE: Polson golfers No. 1 in State

Polson’s golf teams had to find extra room to bring back all the hardware they won at the State A Golf Tournament in Sydney on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29-30. Both the boys and girls teams won the team championships, while Hunter Emerson was the top finishing boys golfer in the state and Lady Pirate Ashley Maki finished third.

It was the second straight state championship for the Polson girls, while the Polson boys were able to slay the proverbial dragon by defeating Laurel, a team they hadn’t previously bested in stroke play.

“It feels fantastic on both accounts,” Polson Head Coach Cameron Milton said. “First on the girls side to not lose for two years, only have four girls, and then have two banners for the girls in Linderman (Gym) is truly incredible."

"It's hard to overstate how hard it is to know you have no room for error with four girls," he added. "I'm extremely proud of their work together as a group."

On the boys' side, Milton described getting past Laurel as a major relief.

"It's all we talked about from last year's second place to Saturday afternoon," he said. "They are the epitome of excellence on the boys' side and it makes the boys' win that much sweeter to get one across the finish line against a great team.”

Hunter Emerson leads pack to victory

Emerson was clutch to win state medalist honors for the boys, shooting in the low 70s on both days. Emerson notched a hole-in-one en route to a first-day score of 71. On the second-day he hit long putts on holes 16 and 17, scoring a par and a birdie to card a 73 for an even-par 144.

“No other way to say it, Hunter just put the boys on his back for two days and got us to victory,” Milton said. “Hunter has always been a fantastic ball striker, but he won the individual championship on the back of his putter and guts.”

Emerson excelled in tough conditions, with 20-30 miles per hour winds that could knock quite a bit of distance off shots. On the first day, during the most difficult part of Sidney’s course, holes four through six, the Polson golfer collected a par, hole-in-one and birdie to move Polson from being tied with Laurel to eight strokes up.

“The conditions on day two were extremely difficult with the wind and to play that well in the wind is incredible,” Milton said. “His contribution at the end of day one and the hole-in-one on the back end of his round can not be ignored. He played the toughest stretch of the golf course in three under par. His finish is what allowed us to have the cushion over Laurel going into day two.”

Polson would end up with a team score of 612 strokes, three ahead of second-place Laurel.

Carson Hupka finished fourth for the Pirates with a 147 after shooting a first-day 70. Christian Lund was 11th (160) and Espn Fisher was tied for 13th (161) to earn All-State honors.

Girls: The fearsome foursome

The Lady Pirates, who had been winning tournaments all season and looking like the state favorite, won their second-straight title by a whopping 24 strokes over Billings Central.

While Frenchtown’s Katie Lewis won state medalist honors with a 148, but Polson’s name popped up several times on the leaderboard. Maki shot a 75 to lead first-day golfers, and then followed it up with an 86 for a 161. Kylee Seifert wasn’t far behind, shooting an 85 and 89 for a 174.

“The girls were just wired for success,” Milton said. “Led by Ashley Maki who set the tone with her work ethic and leadership skills, the fearsome foursome just refused to lose and put in the work to be successful. Ashley's contributions can not be overstated on how well she led this team. She was consistently the one leading the pack and deserves incredibly high praise for her play and leadership.”

Kila Cannon was 16th for the Lady Pirates (189) while Clare Konen notched a 212.

The Ronan boys were led by Oliver Rowe, who tied for 22nd (167) and Colter Cornwell, who tied for 32nd (175).

The Ronan girls’ Mady Evelo placed 45th with a 220.

In the previous four years, Polson’s golf program has added three state titles to its name. Emerson has been all-state four times, Hupka has been all-state three times, Otto Lund has been all-state three times and Maki has earned the honor four times.

“The depth of our program is what has allowed us to be so successful,” Milton said. “In the last four years we have three state championships, a second, a third, and over 20 All-State selections. These kids have been competing for a long time.”

Milton said as soon as last year’s state championships ended, the teams had the goal to win state titles this year. That laser-focus paid off and now the trophy case gets a little more crowded.

“People should know how much the Polson golf community and Polson Bay Golf Course helped these kids succeed,” Milton said. “We have a facility that nurtures and supports junior golfers at all levels and without that support none of this is possible.”

State A Golf

Sept. 29-30, Sidney Country Club

BOYS

Team scores — 1, Polson 612; 2, Laurel 615; 3, Corvallis 635; 4, Livingston 641; 5, Billings Central 668; 6, Hamilton 702; 7, Lewistown 711; 8, Ronan 713.

Individual Top 15

Hunter Emerson 71-73—144

Brady Powell, Corvallis 70-75—145

Aubrey Kelley, Livingston 71-75—146

Carson Hupka, Polson 70-77—147

Reece Malyevac, Libby 72-77—149

Cameron Hackman, Laurel 71-80—151

Sam Norman, Laurel 75-76—151

Colin Wade, Bigfork 76-76—152

Tate Jessop, Corvallis 77-76—153

Houston Dunn, Livingston 80-79—159

Christian Lund, Polson 76-84—160

Kyle Kennah, Laurel 78-82—160

Espn Fisher, Polson 76-86—161

Royce Taylor, Laurel 77-84—161

Caleb Fornshell, Billings Central 82-79—161

Carter Wichman, Lewisotwn 83-78—161

GIRLS

Team scores — 1, Polson 736; 2, Billings Central 760; 3, Hamilton 767; 4, Frenchtown 799; 5, Sidney 808; 6, Dillon 809; 7, Lockwood 813; 8, Laurel 843.

Individual Top 15

Katie Lewis, Frenchtown 79-69—148

Keni Wade, Bigfork 80-80—160

Ashley Maki, Polson 75-86—161

Jori Haugen, Billings Central 82-88—170

Kylee Seifert, Polson 85-89—174

Alivia Webinger, Laurel 88-86—174

Kiaralynn Weidinger, Lockwood 88-87—175

Camille Poncin, Livingston 91-87—178

Emma Hollingsworth, Hamilton 86-93—179

Skylar LaPierre, Dillon 93-91—184

Anna Prill, Billings Central 83-102—185

Cameron Burnett, Hamilton 96-91—187

Bryn Cianflone, Hamilton 97-90—187

Alyssa Robertus, Laurel 93-95—188

Anna Lende, Livingston 94-94—188