Powell High School junior Mycah Wainscott battled her way to an All-State finish at the Class 3A State Golf Tournament in Riverton over the weekend.

Wainscott played well on Riverton’s back nine during both Friday’s and Saturday’s rounds. But she had to finish out the tournament on the more challenging front with a top 10 medal on the line.

“She knew that she was right in the hunt for All-State honors and she stepped up to that challenge and achieved that goal,” said PHS golf coach Troy Hildebrand.

The junior, who’d opened the tournament with a 97, hung tough through Saturday’s closing holes to post a 101 and finish in a tie for ninth place.

Wainscott “really showed great poise and tenacity,” Hildebrand said, adding, “She made two or three putts over that stretch that really tested her nerve and showed a ton of guts on her part.”

Her performance was the highlight for the Powell golfers at state. The boys — coming off a third-place showing at regionals — took seventh among 13 teams.

“In all honesty, this was a bit of a disappointing finish for this group,” Hildebrand said. He’d hoped for the top five, but the Panthers struggled on the tough Riverton greens and came up a dozen shots short.

“Sometimes in golf things just don’t come together and that kind of summed up our weekend,” Hildebrand said.

The Lady Panthers took ninth out of 10 teams, but the coach said he was “very pleased” with the girls’ growth and improvement over the season.

All three girls — Wainscott, Cat Wilson and Bailey Kennedy — are juniors and “I am very excited about getting them back again next fall,” Hildebrand said. “All three of them left the state tournament with good memories and confidence to come back next year ready to battle for a top five finish.”

Wilson “stepped up and played well” in shooting 124 and 119, Hildebrand said.

“Cat [Wilson] does a ton of things very well; it is just about consistency for her to get to the next level,” he said. Hildebrand said Wilson has been committed to improving, with a great attitude.

Kennedy, who’s been battling an injured wrist, posted a 164 on Friday. She then “showed some real grit” on Saturday in cutting 10 strokes for a 154, Hildebrand said. With continued improvement, health and experience, he expects a “great leap” next fall.

Torrington’s Kaleigh Essert helped the Lady Trailblazers run away with the 3A title: Essert blew away the field by 32 shots with identical rounds of 73 (finishing 2 over par). Torrington posted a total score of 530 (averaging an 88.3), followed by Lander at 610 (101.7) and Star Valley at 614 (102.3).

On the boys side, Worland freshman Karsten Simmons finished at 1-under par — buoyed by a 3-under-par 69 on Saturday — to edge Lander sophomore Jaren Calkins by two strokes.

However, Calkins and the rest of the Lander squad won the team title with a total score of 629. The Tigers’ top four golfers all finished in the top eight, posting an average score of 78.6. Worland trailed by 10 shots with a 639 (79.9) and Star Valley took third at 660 (an 82.5 average).The Panthers boys’ 739 total translated to an average round of 92.4.

Sanders paced the Panthers, shooting an 89 on day one and a 91 on day two.

The junior had “some real bright spots,’ but “a few too many tough holes along the way,” Hildebrand said.

“He has worked hard on his game for three years and with just his senior season remaining, I expect him to continue that effort and come back next fall as a real leader for us,” Hildebrand said.

Senior Rob Sessions was right on Sanders’ heels with rounds of 90 and 95.

“His growth over the four years has been incredible and he will certainly be missed,” Hildebrand said, adding that, “he has a lot to be proud of in his four years.”

Higgins opened with a 97 on Friday then “showed what he was capable of” on Saturday with an 89, Hildebrand said.

“... With the progress he has made in the last 12 months, I can’t wait to see where he is next fall,” Hildebrand said. “George will definitely be taking on a bigger leadership role for us moving forward.”

Senior Bennett Walker similarly posted a 98 on Friday, then bounced back with a 90.

“I was very proud of how he came back Saturday from a tough Friday to post a solid final round,” Hildebrand said. The coach said Bennett had many highlights in his three years on the team.

“He has become a very solid player and we’ll miss him moving forward,” Hildebrand said.

In his first-ever state tournament, Kason Cannon handled the pressure pretty well and shot rounds of 125 and 117, Hildebrand said.

“If he [Cannon] can get on the course next summer, I expect to see a tremendous jump in his performance,” Hildebrand said. “He has already come a long ways.”

The coach thanked the Powell Golf Course and pro Mike Propp for their “tremendous support” of the PHS golf program. Propp worked with a couple players last week, including Wainscott, “and I know that it paid dividends in Riverton,” Hildebrand said.

Looking toward the future, “We have a couple of valuable seniors to replace in Rob [Sessions] and Bennett [Walker],” the coach said, “But we had solid numbers this fall and I know there are some younger players that are excited to get their opportunity for us.”