SNOHOMISH — The Cascade Conference boys golf team title was within reach for South Whidbey. The Falcons needed to finish first, and the Archbishop Murphy Wildcats needed to place third or worse.
Only, the Wildcats swung exceptionally well, as did the King’s Knights, and the Falcons had to settle for third place at the Cascade Conference championship Monday at the Snohomish Golf Course. Archbishop Murphy scored 401 strokes, and King’s had 403. South Whidbey finished with 427.
The Falcons were led by four seniors, including two that finished in the overall top 10. Harrison Price shot a 76 to claim second place behind King’s Jonathan Dang (74). Jesse Portillo tallied 80 strokes. Quintin Viers finished with an 85 and Jerimiah Robey shot a 94. Falcon junior Evan Merculief totaled 90 strokes. Viers’ count was one of his season’s best.
“I played alright,” he said. “Two birdies was exciting.”
Viers birdied on the seventh (par five) and 11th (par three) holes. The 11th hole is the shortest on the course at 148 yards from the regular tee, but slants uphill.
“My mid-range shots, approach shots were pretty good,” said Viers, adding, “It was definitely nice playing in good weather.”
The 70-degree, sunny environment was a pleasant change of pace from the previous week for the Falcons. Last week, South Whidbey played three matches in four days, capped by a team victory at the Cedarcrest Golf Course in Marysville on Thursday.
“It rained as hard as it possibly could’ve rained,” said Falcon head coach Steve Jones.
After the last group had played through the front nine holes, the coaches ended the match because of inclement weather. Jones described the fairways as having “rivers” flowing down them, caused by the deluge. A little water didn’t stop Price, however, who played through all 18 holes without his conference competitors, who headed indoors or home.
Through the front nine, Price had shot a 32 (three under par), and finished with an unofficial total stroke count of 66, four under par.
“Everything was clicking. His tee shots were in the fairway . . . he was putting very well,” Jones said.
At the Marysville course, Portillo finished sixth overall with a 38, Viers shot a 40, Robey 42 and Merculief 43.
South Whidbey’s top two golfers, Price and Portillo, had previously qualified for the Egbers Invitational at the Skagit Golf and Country Club in Burlington on May 4. Both finished in the top 40 golfers after the morning round and qualified for the finalists round in the afternoon, Price with a 73 and Portillo with a 77.
“These are the best golfers in Western Washington,” Jones said.
“They know if they play the golf course the rest will take care of itself.”
Between the first and second rounds, the course’s maintenance crew cut and rolled the greens. It made for a quick change in putting play, as the ball rolled faster. Price tied for eighth overall with a total of 150 strokes, and Portillo finished with 159.
The two seniors, both of whom played in the 2A state boys golf tournament last year, played five rounds of golf in five days last week. Jones said that fatigue hit his most dependable golfers.
“When they got to the final round, it would be fair to say they were exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally,” Jones said.
Jones was glad that two of his best golfers had a chance to play on the course that will host the District 1 championship May 14-15.
“Course knowledge is everything in golf. You know how the greens roll,” Jones said.
