By Brandon Harvey
For The New Era
The Sweet Home golf team took to the road again for its sixth straight week of competitive rounds, producing personal bests for two of the girls.
The Husky boys also had a player break into the 4A Division top 10 for the second time in recent years that a boys player has breached the top ten.
The weather was ripe for scoring for both teams.
Girls PR at Santiam
The girls team travelled to Santiam Golf Club in Aumsville, hosted by Stayton High School. Sophomore Victoria Victor led the way with another personal best, breaking into the double digits with a 99. Her original goal for the season was to break 120. Victor finished 15th in a field of 42 varsity golfers.
Junior Isabella Wagner finished one back from Victor at 16th with another personal best, scoring 100. Victor and Wagner both commented that the Santiam Golf Club suited their playing style. Rounding out the girls varsity team were senior Crimson Ring-Emmert with a 109 and a 27th place finish, and first-year junior Kylie Melkvik (score 164 and 42nd place) who played in her first 18-hole match and first time on varsity.
Two junior varsity girls took to the tee as well, with Junior Avery Temple shooting one of her best rounds of the season with a 52, second overall behind a player from Philomath who scored 49. Junior Eleanor Larson, as well, had a great day with an 11th-place finish in a field of 28 golfers and a score of 62.
Overall, the girls varsity placed sixth out of 13 schools and the junior varsity placed eighth out of nine schools.
Boys score at Trysting Tree
The boys varsity and junior varsity teams travelled to the home of the division I Oregon State golf team, Trysting Tree in Corvallis.
Trysting is known for its wide open fairways and gusty winds and lightning-fast greens. The wind and the greens did not disappoint and presented a challenge for all players, with only two players in the field of 46 breaking 80.
Sophomore Trent Harvey, the Huskies’ top seed, shot 86 to place in the top 10 for the second time this year. Senior Easton Perry was close behind with his low score for the year of 90, a top-20 finish.
Returning sophomore Zane Garrett shot his low for the year as well with a 34th-place finish and a even 100.
Senior Gavin Gardner and sophomore Daniel McCubbins rounded out the varsity squad with Gardner shooting 106 to edge into 41st place and McCubbins finishing 45th with a score of 112. Gardner and McCubbins self-proclaimed that they both struggled with the fast greens and the windy conditions. Overall the boys finished seventh out of nine teams.
Four junior varsity players took to a nine-hole match and finished third to Marist Catholic and Cascade.
Freshman Henry Gainer led the way with a personal best of 48 and a seventh-place finish. “Henry’s play is advancing quickly and he has potential to make the varsity team by the end of the season,” Coach Ron Moore said.
Returning sophomore Kellen Hartsook took 10th overall with a score of 51. Freshmen Reid Garrett and Blayne Schuster rounded out the four-man squad with Garrett shooting 52, good for 14th place, and Schuster a 58 to finish in 19th.
Looking forward, the boys junior varsity will play at Diamond Woods on April 29 as the boys varsity takes this week off from competition to begin preparations for districts, which will be at Toketee Golf club on May 12-13. Both the varsity and JV girls were scheduled to play at Salishan Monday, April 28.