Frogs Win Larned Tourney;

Varsity Golf Team Rode the Winds to Victory

by Dennis Gonzales & The Pratt Tribune

April 17, 2008

Cameron Ford shot an 83 and the Pratt High School varsity golf team rode the winds to victory at the Larned tournament Tuesday. The Greenbacks combined for a 339 to sit four strokes in front of Quivira Heights (343).

Andrew Seiler, of Greensburg, was the medalist, shooting a 78. He was the lone golfer under 80.

"We all played pretty well," said PHS head coach Andy Kisner. "Anything in the 80s was a good score."

Pratt's Danny Mason navigated the 18-holes and settled in at 84 and sixth. Jake Garrett's 86 was tenth and gave the Greenbacks their third top-10 finish.

Tyler Gatz and Lane Schartz manufactured 87s and were 11th and 12th, respectively. Bronson Blasi came in 17th with an 89. An obstacle facing the competitors was wind.

"Nobody in their right mind would have played golf yesterday (Tuesday)," said Kisner, who pointed out wind gusts exceeded 40 miles per hour at times. The Greenbacks' strategy to offset the winds' effects? "We kept it in play," explained Kisner.

He also felt his veteran team was not affected mentally by the winds. "If you can show any toughness and discipline in golf, we certainly did that," said Kisner.

"We try to play the best we can and stay focused," he said of his team's play despite less than ideal weather conditions during the pre- and early season.