D-II state golf: Thunderbird boys, Notre Dame girls claim team titles

November 4, 2014 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Canyon del Oro's Chris Meyers was about as steady as one could be Tuesday in shooting a 70 enabling him to win Division II boys medalist honors at Aguila Golf Course in Laveen.

Meyers, a senior who has committed to Stanford and finished 3rd at state last season, made two birdies on the front nine and two on the back to go with 14 pars for his final round 4-under 68. Meyers finished at 8-under 136 and held off a game challenge for 10 to 12 holes from Salpointe sophomore Trevor Werbylo. Werbylo shot 1-over 73 -- good enough for second place at 2-under (143).For the tournament Meyers made nine birdies and one bogey.

The pivotal holes came just before the turn for Meyers and just after it for Werbylo. Werbylo was withing one shot, but Meyers birdied No. 8 and Werbylo bogeyed Nos. 11 and 12. Meyers lead stretched to four and Werbylo added another bogey at 14. Meyers was tied after the first hole by a Werbylo birdie, but Meyers took the lead back and never lost it with his birdie on No. 2. Meyers was competing in his fourth state tournament. He tied for 37th as a freshman and placed 17th as a sophomore so his climb over that time in positon as quite pronounced.

The D-II boys team title remained for the third year in a row at Thunderbird High. The Chiefs placed all five of their golfers in the top 12 and were just 10 strokes apart. Thunderbird's score was 594 with Canyon del Oro second at 610. The rest of the top five are Catalina Foothills 615, Notre Dame 620 and Campo Verde 639. The Chiefs were led by Jake Chanen (145), Jakub Szyja (148), Daniel Starzinski (148), Scott Redelsperger (150) and Samantha Sandland (154). The high score for any Thunderbird player over two days was 5-over 77.

Rounding out the top 10 finishers behind Meyers and Werbylo -- 3rd-place tie Catalina Foothills Gavin Cohen and Thunderbird's Chanen; 5th Thunderbird's Szyja; 6th-place tie Desert Edge's Aaron Ramos, Verrado's Daniel Kirkendall and Thunderbird's Starzinski and Notre Dame's JJ Gresco; 10th-place tie Catalina Foothills Reece Nilsen and Thunderbird's Redelsperger.

 

DIVISION II GIRLS

A wild, yet successful back nine finally allowed Verrado's Kaylee Benton to reach the top of the Division II girls state golf tournament on Tuesday at Maryvale Golf Course.

Benton, a senior, used five birdies on the back nine sandwiched around two bogeys to rally and pull away from Sahuaro's Desiree Hong and Salpointe's Haylin Harris to become medalist for the first time in three tries. Benton finished third each of the past two seasons. Benton's scorecard for the day showed eight pars, six birdies, three bogeys and an eagle.

Benton and Hong overcame two-shot penalties on Monday when they inadvertantly played the 16th hole when they should have played the 14th. They had taken a wrong turn and got docked for playing the hole out of order. Had they continued playing after 16 they would have ben disqualified. Still they 1-2 along with Notre Dame's Haley Kapanicas heading to Tuesday.

Hong, who recorded her fourth top-10 finish in D-II state tournaments, held off Benton until the back nine. Benton got back in the hunt with an eagle on the ninth hole as Hong birdied the same hole. But Hong produced a pair of double bogeys within three holes on the back nine -- one on the 14th combined with a Benton birdie. That put Benton ahead to stay and Benton finished strong with two birdies and two pars. Harris stayed close to Benton and Hong much of the day. She played steady during the back nine and finished with five straight pars to edge out Hong for second by two shots.

Notre Dame, like Thunderbird, didn't have an individual competing for medalist honors, but packed in its scorers each day to pull off a 14-stroke win over runner-up Sahuaro. Notre Dame's total was 629, Sahuaro (643) and Salpointe (646). Lake Havasu and Verrado were fourth and fifth, respectively. The Saintshad four of their five golfers place in the top 10 -- fifth through 10th.

Benton finished with a 4-under 140, shooting 73-67. Harris shot 74-70 (even-par 144) and Hong 72-74 (146).  Rounding out the top 10 individuals in order are: Sahuaro's Taylor Hughes, Notre Dame's Haley Kapanicas, Page's Lindsay Wood, Notre Dame's Riley Corona, Sahuaro's Kethryn Ottman, Notre Dame's Ciara Petronzio and Notre Dame's Katherine Wilson. 

Notre Dame, like Thunderbird, didn't have an individual competing for medalist honors, but packed in its scorers each day to pull off a 14-stroke win over runner-up Sahuaro. It's the third girls golf title for the Saints -- all under coach Shelley Dinges. Notre Dame won its previous crowns in 2008 and 2009.  Notre Dame's total was 629, followed by Sahuaro (643) and Salpointe (646). Lake Havasu and Verrado were fourth and fifth, respectively. Notre Dame will return three of its five playes in this year's tournament next year -- junior Kapanicas and freshmen Wilson and Emily Munn. Munn tied for 15th.