In the final event of the Powell High School golf team’s regular season in Buffalo, George Higgins posted yet another top-10 finish.

As a team, the Powell boys took sixth among the seven schools that posted team scores on Thursday. The Panthers’ best four scores totaled 390 strokes on the day; Worland won the event with a 330.

“Buffalo is one of the very best and most challenging courses that we get the opportunity to play each year. The greens are extremely challenging and they always force our players to put a little extra focus into that portion of their game,” said PHS head coach Troy Hildebrand. “As a group we are doing many things better, we just need to put it all together on the same day here soon.”

Higgins led the Panthers with a round of 81 and a sixth-place showing at the Buffalo Golf Club.

“He is working hard in practice and seems to be peaking about the right time for us,” said Hildebrand. “His leadership has been very valuable for the freshmen that we have this year.”

Meanwhile, Gunnar Erickson “did a great job” in his first time playing the Buffalo course, shooting a 100, Hildebrand said, adding, “I am impressed with how far he has come in this short season.”

Brandon Wentz again came close to breaking into double digits with a 103.

“He is doing a great job and I hope that the next two weeks are his best golf of the fall,” Hildebrand said.

Some putting trouble held Andrew Jones back, but he hit the ball better in a round of 106.

“He has been a nice, steady addition as a freshman,” the coach said of Jones, praising his hard work.

Fellow freshman Isaiah Woyak matched his teammate’s 106.

“He had some ups and downs in his round but he did a great job of staying positive and posting the best score he could for us,” Hildebrand said.

Yogi Sullivan shot a 115 and Hildebrand said the senior’s experience and positive attitude “have been a nice benefit to our group.”

Maddi Hackenberg was the lone PHS girl to play in Buffalo and she posted a round of 140.

“With this just being Maddi’s second 18-hole competitive round on such a challenging course I was pleased with how she handled herself,” Hildebrand said. “She really focused on her positives and had stretches of the day where she really did play well.”

This week, the Panthers will welcome Cody, Green River, Lander, Lovell, Lyman, Pinedale and Star Valley to the Powell Golf Club for Friday’s 3A West Conference tournament.

The tournament has been pared back to a single day this year, “but it should be a fun event to see some new teams and players,” Hildebrand said. He said Cody and Star Valley appear to be the favorites, with Lander’s Jaren Calkins a top contender for the individual title.