Pratt High: Athletics: Golf

Garrett Qualifies; Frogs Are Denied States

"We Didn’t Make State, But We Had a Really Good Year." said Coach Kisner

by Dennis Gonzales & The Pratt Tribune

May 14, 2008

“Buhler has consistently been the best team in this regional, but it is golf and on any given day anything can happen. We’re certainly capable of competing against them to win the regional, there’s no question, but we’ll have to play well.”

These were the words of Pratt High School varsity golf coach Andy Kisner following his team’s victory at the 2008 Pratt Invitational May 5. He was looking ahead to the 2008 KSHSAA 4A Pratt Regional at Park Hills.

Two phrases stand out.

1) It is golf and on any given day anything can happen.
2) We’re certainly capable of competing against them to win the regional, there’s no question, but we’ll have to play well.

Looking back the phrases had a haunting quality, but shouldn’t have. The Greenbacks won the 2008 Pratt Invitational with a school record 307. They then earned the 2008 Mid-State Activities Association title May 8. Their 301 on a par-68 course re-set the newly minted record.

Their momentum, groove, ride ended Monday at the 2008 Pratt Regional. PHS shot a 366 and finished fourth overall. A 2007 state qualifer, they needed to be in the top 2 to earn a return trip. The par-71 layout was mugged by unrelenting 20-40 mile-per-hour winds.

Kisner felt the wind added 10 strokes to some player’s game. “I was surprised we’d be that high,” said Kisner of the Greenbacks’ total. “I thought we’d be around 350 – somewhere in there. I thought 350 would win it. For Andale and Buhler to go under 350 is pretty good. You have to take your hat off to them. Those are good scores.”

He felt the Greenbacks playing on their home course and recent success had softened their edge. “We just laid an egg. We weren’t there today. I don’t think it was so much overconfidence. We probably would have played better if we were going to play at Buhler or if we going to play at Andale today or someplace where we knew we had to absolutely concentrate and have our best performance.”

Buhler claimed the team title, nipping Andale 344-345. Cheney (349) was third. Andale was second to PHS at the Pratt Invitational, losing by a single stroke.

Despite the Greenbacks’ misfortune, Jake Garrett qualified for states. The top 5 individuals not on a qualifying team advanced. Garrett shot an 85 and finished seventh. The PHS junior’s 39 on the front nine was the best of the regional. He ended his day with a 46.

Danny Mason, the MSAA championship medalist and second at the Pratt Invitational, carded a 91 (44-47). Bronson Blasi had a pair of 47s to end up at 94. Two strokes back were Tyler Gatz (49-47 = 96) and Lane Schartz (48-48 = 96). Cameron Ford produced a pair of 50s, adding up to 100.

Kisner loses PHS seniors Mason, Blasi, Gatz, and alternate Eric Kocher. “We’re disappointed in how we played today,” said Kisner. “If we had played well and not made it, it would have been okay because those are two good teams (Buhler and Andale) and Cheney has really come on.

“I am disappointed in that. I am not in our season. We had a fantastic season. I think we exceeded our expectations monumentally. If somebody would have said at the start of the year, we were going to lose two tournaments all year and one was going to be our first one and then our last one. That is not too bad. We had a good string of really, really strong performances from what wasn’t supposed to be a really, really strong team. It was a communal strength rather than an individual strength. We really did have a golf team this year, and because of that we had some great performances, and because of that our whole team had to play close to their potential.

“Today, we didn’t get it done. I think we’ll look back and see we set some records, and we did some things we didn’t think we’d do. We’ll look back and say: ‘We didn’t make state, but we had a really good year.’”

Pratt Regional Medalists:
1. Sam Schulte, Buhler, 81
2. Logan Waggy, Cheney, 83
3. Dillon Scheer, Cheney, 83
4. Jake Steven, Andale, 84
5. Jordan Esau, Buhler, 84

State qualifiers
Teams: Buhler and Andale
Individuals: Logan Waggy, Cheney; Dillon Scheer, Cheney; Jake Garrett, Pratt; Brandon Smith, Cheney; Donovan McCauley, Ulysses.