Badger golf: Driving for another state title
Despite poor green conditions as spring inches near, Badger golf teams have come out swinging.
Badger girls golf continues its historic success, winning the 3A state championship in 2021 and finishing second in 2022, just shy of the state title by two strokes. Kimberly High School edged the Badgers to win the 3A title with six of their golfers placing in the top 10. Three Badgers placed in the top 10.
The girls won the Intermountain League and district golf championship the last two years.
Last season, junior Braylyn Bayer took low medalist honors five times and placed second at the 3A state championship, only two strokes behind the top placer from Kimberly.
At the district contest, junior Avery Bayer was the low medalist at the Mirror Lake Golf Course on May 9, 2022. The top four places were nabbed by the Badgers girls golf team. Braylyn Bayer took second, Cali Iacolucci took third and Mia Blackmore took fourth.
The Badger boys team saw much improvement last season, as many had never golfed before, but no individual golfer qualified for state.
“The boys team keeps improving their games,” Bonners Ferry head coach Ralph Lotspeich said last year. “By this time next year, they will be in the hunt with Eli Blackmore and Tyson Tadlock leading the way.”
So far, Lotspeich words have been correct in the boy's improvement.
Eli Blackmore has significantly shaved strokes from last year’s district score of 105 at the season opener at Clarkston with 96.
Tadlock scored 102 at last year’s districts and opened the season with 109, but the season is still early.
Chago Jimenez finished at districts with 137 and shaved off 16 strokes at the Clarkston match with 121.
Due to Kellogg and Priest River dropping down to 2A, leaving Bonners Ferry and Timberlake to fight it out in the 3A IML, only one team will qualify for state and the lowest-scoring golfers will individually qualify for the state championship.
A difficulty that Bonners Ferry golf has run into is, the 4A and 5A schools moved over to fall golf.
“They did the majority of the invites,” Lotspeich said. “Now we don’t have those invite options anymore for Bonners Ferry to compete. So, we’ll be traveling more.”
There are 10 1A-2A teams in golf, and they do nine-hole courses as well, but those courses can’t accommodate enough players for 3A teams like Bonners Ferry to compete.
“We’ll have to travel farther than in past years. We’re going down to Clarkston and Pullman Washington.”
In addition, the Badgers will be traveling to two tournaments in Montana.
12 boys came out for golf and five girls, which is a consistent turnout for Bonners Ferry.
It is still early in the season, as the Badgers have only competed at one golf tournament. The Timberlake tournament on March 17 was canceled due to green conditions.
The Badgers are scheduled to compete at home on April 4.
