A challenging course and steady wind led to a competitive state tournament at the Rochelle Ranch in Rawlins, as Trey Scott and Emery Hernandez earned All-State honors for the Powell Panther golf teams as the boys placed sixth and the girls finished fifth.

“Finishing with two All-State players and two others that were battling for that honor right to the end was a nice sign for our program this year,” coach Troy Hildebrand said.

ALL-STATE FINISHERS

Scott led the Panther boys en route to his All-State honors, finishing in a tie for eighth after a first round of 84 and a personal best 76 to cap off his senior season.

“This weekend was an awesome finish to his four year varsity career with our team,” Hildebrand said. “I could not be more proud of how he battled and fought on Saturday to post a career best 76 in the biggest round of his career.”

Scott shot a one under 35 on the back nine to help secure the top 10 finish.

“Trey has grown tremendously in his four years and this was an effort that really showed how far he has come,” Hildebrand said.

Hernandez led the Panther girls with rounds of 98 and 100 to tie for 10th.

“She really showed some grit and battled through both rounds to stay in that position as a sophomore,” Hildebrand said. “She had some tough holes but responded with some pars and kept a positive attitude that allowed her to hang in there both rounds. I know Emery played a lot of golf this summer and she is a player that is only going to get better.”

Hildebrand said he expects her to be right back in the mix next fall for her junior year.

BOYS BATTLE IN TOUGH FIELD

Behind Scott was Cody Fisher, who finished with rounds of 85 and 80 to finish just outside an All-State finish in 13th.

“Cody had a great tournament and was in and out of the top 10 throughout Saturday,” Hildebrand said. “His growth from his freshman year to now is phenomenal and he will return next year as our undisputed leader. He has been extremely consistent this fall with rounds in the upper 70s and low 80s and he is a true golf junkie who will be working hard all year to take that next step with his game.”

Behind Fisher was Jackson Hill, who battled to rounds of 90 and 96 to place 33rd.

“Jackson played his best golf early in the season and these past two weeks at conference and state he has had to work hard to post his best score for our team,” Hildebrand said. “I have appreciated his efforts and growth in this area over the past two years. He is also a senior for us that has a tremendous amount of tournament experience and we will absolutely miss him next fall.”

Rounding out the team scores for the Panthers were Jace Harris and Park Harvison, as Harris posted rounds of 97 and 99 to place 45th and Harvison carded rounds of 108 and 93 to finish 45th.

“This was Jace’s first state tournament as a junior and he did a great job of posting his best tournament score to date with his 97 Friday,” Hildebrand said. “Park really only picked up the game this summer as a sophomore and put a lot of time in at the course to earn his spot on this state team.”

Hildebrand said he expects both Harris and Harvison to continue improving their games and return to contribute next year for the Panthers.

The Panthers ended in sixth with a final score of 701 in a croded boys’ field, while Wheatland ran away with the team title at 611 behind individual champion Tate Nichols who recorded rounds of 71 and 68.

Powell finished just 14 shots out of a trophy placement, as Lander finished second with 671, Worland finished third with 687 and Pinedale and Cody were just six and four shots ahead of Powell respectively.

GIRLS CONTINUE GROWING

On the girls’ side, just behind Hernandez was Coy Erickson, who finished with rounds of 108 and 103 to finish 14th.

“Coy had a tough first day and then opened up Saturday with a birdie and battled her way up around that top 10,” Hildebrand said. “She had a few tough stretches Saturday but did an excellent job of hanging in there until the end for us.”

Hildebrand said she has grown so much in three years, and expects her to do great things next year as a senior.

Third for the Panthers was Maddie Croft, who recorded rounds of 127 and 122 to finish 28th to wrap up an improved freshman campaign.

“Maddie had a great finish to her year in my opinion,” Hildebrand said. “This was easily the toughest course these players have seen this fall and the weather was a true challenge. Maddie stepped up and played more steady golf to wrap up her freshman season.”

Hildebrand said she had played some golf coming into the season but had no prior tournament experience, but she has improved all areas of her game and Hildebrand is excited to see her leap next fall.

Douglas outpaced the field to earn the team title with a final score of 554 behind individual champion Maddie Brace who shot rounds of 82 and 88. Powell finished fifth with a total of 658, just 10 strokes behind Pinedale as Lander placed second with 605 and Cody was third with 612.

BRIGHT FUTURES

Despite graduating two seniors from the boys’ team, Hildebrand is excited about the future throughout the program, returning all three girls along with three state players with young players in behind.

“This year we shot the best scores as a team that we have in the past few years and their consistency was a nice step forward,” Hildebrand said. “We had a large group of young players that were putting in a lot of time at the course and they will all be battling to fill the open spots in our (boys) travel group. Bringing back all three of these girls and possibly adding one or two more is a great position to be in as a team and it will be fun to see what our growth as a group looks like when we start up again next fall.”