Back-to-back Zach
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Goldendale’s Zach Wanderscheid completed an extraordinary high school golf career last Wednesday, with his second consecutive State championship in 1A golf. The golfer who is accustomed to winning by five or ten strokes had to dig deep to pull this one out on the last hole in the 36 hole tournament.
Wanderscheid was in the driver’s seat to win his second State championship after shooting a 7-under-par 65 in the first round at Columbia Point golf course in Richland, last week. However, just two strokes back was a familiar face in Minwoo Park, the Highland golfer who has battled Wanderscheid for supremacy in the SCAC west for several years, and Wanderscheid knew Park would be tough.
Wanderscheid and Park waited through a rainy morning before teeing off at 11:30 a.m. in the final foursome with Tyler Barrong, of Freeman and Ronnie Harrell, of Port Townsend, both four strokes behind Wanderscheid. The first few holes were like a boxing match with each golfer jabbing and getting the feel of the match. Park birdied the first hole and Wanderscheid countered with a birdie on the third.
Both golfers had difficulty finding the fareway in the early going, but the course was very forgiving with short roughs and few trees. Wanderscheid birdied the fourth and Park gained one back on the seventh. But Park made a crucial mistake on the fifth hole that would come back to haunt him. Park was on the green in three on the par five hole. His first putt came close, passing the hole by one-foot. Instead of marking the ball, Park chose to step across another line and awkwardly attempt a tap in. The ball slid by the cup and Park registered the first bogie of the day for the pair.
The back nine started with Wanderscheid up by three on Park. Barrong was another stroke back and three bogies put Harrell nine strokes out. All four golfers parred the next two holes. On the par-3 12th hole, Park was five feet short on a long putt for birdie. He pulled the next putt and settled for a bogie while Wanderscheid made his par. With six holes left and a four stroke lead, Wanderscheid might have been cruising, but his putter let him down.
Wanderscheid was on the par-5 13th green in three, as was Park. They both watched Harrell, who reached in two, drain a 20 foot putt for eagle. Wanderscheid read the break and putted to the top side of the hole from six feet out. The ball rolled past the hole before it broke, leaving a three-foot putt for par. Wanderscheid went to the high side again, and again, no break. Park missed a two-footer for birdie and settled for par. Wanderscheid’s lead was cut to three strokes.
All but Harrell played safe on the 14th fareway, left of the green. Harrell braved a two-acre sand trap and was rewarded with a 14 foot attempt at another eagle. He had to settle for birdie. The rest of the foursome made par. Wanderscheid was over the green on the par-3 15th. He chipped to within 10 feet, but a two-putt and Park’s par cut the lead to two strokes. Harrell made another birdie, closing six strokes in three holes, but nine strokes was too much to overcome and he faded at the end.
Wanderscheid was feeling the pressure when his second shot on 16 came up short of the green and Park was on in two. Park made his birdie and Wanderscheid missed a short putt for par. Suddenly the the tournament was turned on its head. Wanderscheid was talking to himself, visibly upset, and Park was on a roll with just two holes left and the match tied.
But Wanderscheid didn’t win every match this year by being weak-kneed. Park recovered from a bad tee shot on 17 to chip within two feet of the cup and salvage par. Wanderscheid was on the green with his tee shot, but missed a 12 foot putt for the lead and settled for par on a putt that made a trip around the cup before dropping.
Wanderscheid had one of his longest drives of the day and one of the few to find the fareway on the 18th. Park was short and just off the fareway. Neither player liked their second shot. Park had more reason for concern, as he pushed the ball right and found water. Wanderscheid was looking for some wind assistance, but his ball stayed right and on a hillside, four feet from a bunker. Park dropped and hit his fourth shot to within nine feet of the pin. Wanderscheid’s chip was six feet out. Park sank his putt for an incredible par. However, like a wolf smelling blood, Wanderscheid wasn’t about to miss this opportunity and the putter that almost gave away the tournament came through. It was a heartbreaking loss for Park who won the day with a 2-under-par 70, but finished one stroke back for the tournament. The winning putt was Wanderscheid’s only birdie on the back nine. He finished 8-under-par for the tournament. Wanderscheid will take his golf to the University of Idaho next year where he intends to major in golf course management.
Other results: Goldendale had three other golfers in the State tournament. Amber Ihrig shot a 102 on the first day, missing the cut for day two. Also missing the cut were Andrew Wall, who shot an 84 and Riley Ross who finished with a 91.
10 county athletes take home gold at State track and field meet
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Liz Vogt was a double winner and the TLG girls narrowly missed repeating as State team champions in the 1B track and field meet at Cheney last weekend. Vogt was one of six county athletes to win individual events. The TLG girls 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams also were winners.
Vogt came home with gold medals in the triple jump, 300 meter hurdles and 4x400 relay. The Trout Lake junior was the odds on favorite to win the 300 hurdles, which she did easily. The main competition came from Jamie Bruno, of Pateros. Bruno was second to TLG’s Anna Schmid last year as a freshman runner. Vogt and Bruno won their heat races, Vogt by more than three-seconds. Vogt found even more speed in the finals, running 47.73 seconds on the windy course, more than a half-second better than Schmid’s winning time in 2009. Bruno finished in 48.61, three-seconds ahead of the third place finisher.
Vogt’s first medal came in the triple jump. She launched a leap of 34 feet and 3/4 inch at the start of the event and it stood as the top distance through preliminaries and finals. Vogt’s main competition in the event was expected to be defending State champion, Samantha Brewer, of Klickitat. But Brewer couldn’t get within a foot of last year’s winning jump and had to settle for fifth place at 32-0.75.
Vogt and Brewer went at it again in the long jump. Brewer had already picked up her first gold medal with a dominating win in the 100 meter hurdles. She ran a 16.97, a shade faster than her winning run at State in 2009. Brewer was also the defending champion in the long jump, having defeated Vogt by five inches in 2009. While Brewer and Vogt battled, Lyra Dalton, of Lopez Island came through with a 16 foot jump, leaving Brewer and Vogt tied for second at 15-7.25. Brewer won the tie-breaker based on next best jump.
Brewer’s fourth event, the high jump, was a near miss at gold. She jumped 5-2, good enough to tie the 1B record, but this time the tie-breaker went against her. Two other jumpers who cleared 5-2 had fewer misses and were awarded first and second, leaving Brewer with her name in the record book, but holding a bronze medal.
Nic Venema got Bickleton into the gold rush with a great battle in the pole vault. Venema and TLG’s Brian Langfield had been the class of the event this year and a new State record seemed a possible outcome. The cold and windy weather was less than ideal for vaulting and Venema and Langfield were well short of PRs. Both vaulters cleared 11 feet but could go no higher. Venema was awarded the gold medal based on fewer misses. Three other TLG vaulters cleared 10 feet. Harvey Starr made 10-6 for third place. Tygh Schuster and Donny Woodruff were stuck at 10 feet with fourth place going to Schuster based on fewer misses.
Cody Carlsen, of Lyle-Wishram ran some of his best times in the 100 and 400 meters. Carlsen was edged by Reardan’s Chace Bell in the 100 and 200 as the sprinters battled head winds ranging up to 5 mph. But the 400 was all Carlsen who ran a 50.27 and was never challenged, winning by more than a second.
The only Goldendale participant to reach the podium was Sadie Shattuck, whose 35-5.75 toss in the shot put was good enough for sixth place. The next best finish for the Timberwolves was Irene Goble, who was 10th in the 800 meters
Bickleton’s Henrik Heldahl was a medalist in the high jump, clearing 5-8, and Taylor Brown placed fifth in the 110 meter hurdles. The girls 4x100 relay team of Haley Goodnight, Jamie Venema, Katelynn Clinton and Jenna Mount finished sixth. Clinton also finished fifth in the discus.
Klickitat’s girls finished fifth as a team as Brewer was joined by Charice McConville and Zoe Lindner in the medal round-up. Lindner stepped up big-time in the javelin, throwing 120-3, nearly five feet better than her PR, and earning her the second place medal. McConville was the defending champion in discus, but she knew Andrea Heinen, of Cusick was putting up big numbers during the season. Heinen was inconsistent at State, but managed to connect on a 118-9 toss, a PR for her and a gold medal winner. McConville’s 109-10 earned her the silver medal. She also had a podium finish with sixth place in the shot put.
Lyle-Wishram’s boys finished eighth in 2B thanks to Calrsen’s three medals and Henry Matai’s fourth place finish in the 110 hurdles. Matai tweaked his ham-string oin the preliminary heat but still ran a 16.71 against a 4.9 mph wind in the finals. Lena Mueller ran her second best time in the 100 meter hurdles finishing fifth.
TLG set season’s best marks in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Anna Nakae, Amanda Zoller, McKenzie Zoller and Katie Yarnell ran a 53.76 in the 4x100. Nakae and Amanda Zoller were joined by Amy Underwood and Liz Vogt in the 4x400, knocking nearly nine seconds off the season’s best time with a 4:21.81. McKenzie Zoller led the TLG girls in a near sweep of the pole vault. Zoller won the event at 9-0. Krissy Yarnell placed second with a PR 8-6 and Katie Yarnell finished fourth.
Alec England returned to State
League rival ends State run for Kussmann
Goldendale’s entries into the State tennis tournament, Tom Kussmann and the doubles team of Kelcey Walker and Stacy Thompson each went 1-2 on the first day of the tournament, short of placing in the top six medal positions.
For Kussmann, it was a familiar face that sent him packing, when fate matched him against league rival, Seth Gibbons. The two players were the top two in the SCAC all year long with Gibbons getting the best of Kussmann in each of four matches prior to State. Kussmann, an exchange student from Germany, lost his opening match against Daniel Ham, of Charles Wright 6-1, 6-2, who would go on to finish third. Kussmann was equally as dominating in his next match, staying alive with a pair of 6-1 wins over Sully Blake, of St. George’s.
Gibbons had started the day with a win, but Trym Torvund, of Overlake defeated the LaSalle hopeful in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, setting up the fifth match against Kussmann. The Timberwolf senior started strong with a 6-2 win in the first set. But Gibbons gathered himself and mowed down Kussmann 6-2, 6-1 to move a step closer to a medal. Gibbons would eventually finish fourth in the tournament.
Walker and Thompson traveled a similar route at State. They were very competitive in their first match, losing 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to Sam Journey and Brittney Smith, of Tenino. They swept Sprague-Harrigton’s pair, Brandi Sweet and Kelly Melville 6-0, 6-2 in the second match. The Goldendale duo ran out of steam in Friday’s loser out match against Cashmere’s Stephanie O’Brian and Mikela Kowatsch losing 6-3, 6-2. The Cashmere girls finished fourth by defeating the other SCAC west representatives, Janae Klarich and Emily Carpenter, of Granger. Thompson ends her career at Goldendale having qualified for the State tournament in her junior and senior years. Walker is completing her junior year. |
