Mt. Spokane wins girls golf title

WOODLAND, Wash. – In another context, Sierra Bezdicek’s last round of high school golf might have been a disappointment.

But missing out on an individual state championship didn’t ruin her day because the Mt. Spokane senior was part of school history.

Led by Bezdicek’s third-place finish at the WIAA State 3A golf tournament, the Wildcats earned the first state tournament trophy in any sport for their school.

“This is huge. This is indescribable,” said Mt. Spokane coach Eleen Northcutt, who is in her 21st season coaching golf and has been at Mt. Spokane since the school opened in 1997. “The girls did what they came here to do. They were determined. They wanted the state trophy.”

Mountain View of Vancouver finished second – 56 points behind Mt. Spokane’s 125.5 points – for the first state tournament trophy for that girls golf program.

Rachel Fujitani, a freshman from Mercer Island, shot even-par 73 on both days at Lewis River Golf Course to win the tournament by one stroke over Ingraham junior Sarah Rhee. Bezdicek, the first-day leader, shot 79 and finished third, five strokes back of Fujitani.

Bezdicek struggled early in Thursday’s round. She needed 41 strokes to get through the first nine holes.

“On the front nine I just wasn’t striking the ball very well. I wasn’t hitting greens in regulation, and I wasn’t getting up and down with my chipping,” Bezdicek said. “The bogeys just kept adding up.”

Fujitani had birdies on four of the first six holes on Thursday, shooting a 4-under-par 31 on the front nine to build a comfortable lead on Bezdicek.

Bezdicek said pressure wasn’t the reason for her early struggles.

“I don’t think I had more anxiety. I had less for myself and more for my team,” she said. “After the front nine, I just wanted to do enough to help my team have a shot at winning.”

The hot start gave Fujitani a comfortable lead on Bezdicek, who won this tournament in a playoff with her older sister Savana in 2012 and finished second in it as a freshman and a junior.

Rhee shot even-par 73 on Thursday and finished with a 36-hole score of 147. Bezdicek finished at 151.

Mt. Spokane won comfortably. Megan Billeter tied for eighth place (167), Hailey Warren of tied for 16th place with a score of 175, Brianna Jensen shot 179 for 26th and Cailin Spencer tied for 27th at 180.

“We’ve been second so many years in 4A and 3A,” Northcutt noted. “And if we were going to do it it was going to be this team that would do it.

“There are no words to describe how I feel right now. They are a true team. They like each other. They enjoy playing together. I think that’s what did it.”

St. George’s sweeps 2B/1B

St. George’s swept the 2B/1B state titles at Oakbrook Golf Course in Lakewood, with Sawyer Spackman winning the boys individual title.

Spackman shot a 78 on Thursday to finish at 161, a stroke ahead of La Conner’s Brendan McLeod and Liberty Christian’s Isaiah Ojeda. Jimmy Psomas finished fourth for the Dragons at 164.

The St. George boys earned 48 points, 14.5 ahead of second-place DeSales. Colfax was 15 points back in third place, with the Bulldogs’ Hunter Weitze finishing tied for sixth place with a two-day total of 167.

For the girls, St. George’s earned 32 points, 5.5 ahead of Wilbur-Creston. Skyler Kersten finished second for the Dragons at 186, 42 strokes behind champion Emily Baumgart of DeSales.

4A girls

Lewis and Clark’s Sierra Kersten came up just short of defending her state title, finishing a stroke behind Bellarmine Prep’s Alivia Brown at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver. Kersten shot 149. Gonzaga Prep’s Kelly Hooper tied for eighth place with a 156.

4A boys

Ferris teammates Eric Ansett and Tanner Comes finished tied for 16th place, shooting 151 at Camas Meadows Golf Course. The Saxons finished fourth as a team. Lynnwood’s Rudy Caparas won the state title with a two-day total of 142.

3A boys

Sam Stiles of Mt. Spokane finished tied for 14th place with a two-day total of 155 at Tri-Mountain Golf Course in Ridgefield. Teammate Austin Meng was a stroke behind and tied for 18th place. Spencer Tibbits of Fort Vancouver (140) won the title.

2A girls

Clarkston’s Grace Frazier finished tied for 12th place with a 185 at The Classic in Spanaway. Kendall Gray of Fife won with a 159.

2A boys

Joe Baldeck shot a pair of 75s to finish in seventh place at Chambers Bay in University Place and help Clarkston to a second-place finish. Sammamish’s Matt Maresse’s 133 earned him the state title.

1A girls

Freeman’s Bayley Stejer finished in 18th place with a two-day total of 193 at Lake Spanaway Golf Course. Elma’s Lauryn Keating won the state title at 151.

1A boys

Ryan Maine of Freeman carded a 157 over two days at Lake Spanaway Golf Course for a 14th-place finish. State champion John Sand of Hoquiam finished at 144.