Ending the season on a high note the Powell Panther golf teams put together some of the best rounds of the season, as Emery Hernandez and Coy Erickson paced the Panther girls to a fourth place trophy behind All-State finishes, and Cody Fisher earned All-State for the eighth-place Panther boys in a competitive field in Cody.

“We really put together about as good of a weekend as we could have hoped for to close out the season,” coach Troy Hildebrand said. “Getting three All-State players and the girls earning a trophy was a tremendous finish to our season. The weather was outstanding and the course was in great shape for the kids.”

On the girls’ side, Erickson used a strong second day to improve her scoreline and jump into the top 10, shooting a 92 on day one before an 87 jumped her up on day two to tie for ninth.

“Coy had a great second day with her 87 to work her way into a tie for ninth and an All-State finish for her career,” Hildebrand said. “She has improved every year and this round really showed her mental toughness and growth as a player … She has been a very steady player and a great leader by example for the girls that have joined our program during her four years. Coy will really be missed next year.”

Hernandez tied Erickson in ninth with rounds of 84 and 95.

“In the same fashion as her sophomore year, Emery showed a lot of grit down the stretch as she hung in there and found a way to stay in the top 10 on a day when she didn’t have her very best,” Hildebrand said. “Emery is such a competitor in golf, basketball and soccer and she was able to draw on all of those experiences as she closed out her tournament. She has had an incredible fall with top 10 finishes at every tournament and she’ll return next year as a senior looking to make another step forward.”

The third Panther girl was Ali Scott, who shot rounds of 110 and 106 to take 22nd overall after her freshman year.

“Ali got her feet wet as a freshman with her first state tournament and came through with two very solid rounds for her season,” Hildebrand said. “She comes from a great golfing family and I know she’ll be playing a lot of golf between now and next August.”

Maddie Croft was the final Panther to post, finishing in 32nd with rounds of 118 and 121.

“Maddie wrapped up her sophomore season with two more rounds that were right in line with her season average,” Hildebrand said. “She has definitely played the best golf of her career over the past two weeks and I truly expect her to be a player that is down around 100 by next fall.”

The girls finished fourth in team standings with a total of 574 to earn a team trophy. The Panthers were just seven strokes behind third place Lander, while Wheatland took the team title with a 511 over both days outpacing Cody by 16. Buffalo’s Addison Bettinger won the individual title by seven strokes with a 154.

Cody Fisher again led the way for the boys’ team, taking eighth overall with rounds of 76 and 83.

“Cody has played great golf all fall and an All-State award was a very fitting end to his year,” Hildebrand said. “He showed tremendous mental toughness as he had a really tough couple of holes very late in his second round that could have really rattled him, but he kept his composure and closed out the round to stay in the top 10. Cody has a great deal of talent and has shown all season that he is right there with the very best players in Wyoming at any level. He’ll return next year as a real player to watch in 3A golf.”

Second in for Powell was Park Harvison, tying for 24th overall with scores of 88 and 83.

“Park has been our unquestioned No. 2 player all season and a pair of rounds in the 80s was a very strong finish to his junior year,” Hildebrand said. “He improved more than any other player from last year to now and with another summer of hard work he will be a player that will be battling for All-Conference and All-State honors as a senior.”

Playing in his final tournament as a Panther was Jace Harris, who turned in rounds of 92 and 88 to tie for 36th.

“This was Jace’s second state tournament and he really stepped up and played some solid golf for the team,” Hildebrand said. “He’s been a solid contributor for us and we will miss him next year.”

Kason Sherman was the fourth Panther in, posting rounds of 92 and 93 to tie for 39th.

“For his first ever state tournament experience Kason stepped up and put together two good rounds,” Hildebrand said. “Getting more tournament experience this spring will be the next step in Kason’s development.”

The final golfer for Powell was Abel Teten, who posted rounds of 92 and 97 to take 42nd.

“Abel battled all fall to earn his spot on the state team and then posted a career best tying round with his 92 on day one,” Hildebrand said. “He is a player that always keeps a positive attitude and does a nice job of keeping his golf game in the right perspective.”

The boys’ team finished in a close battle in 3A, finishing with 695 over two days and just 22 behind fourth placed Torrington for a trophy spot. Wheatland took the individual and team titles with a total of 622 led by Tate Nichols who won with a total of 142, winning by nine strokes over his teammate Jacob Miller in second.

Both Powell teams return a majority of their top golfers with hopes of earning a trophy at the state tournament in Torrington.

“We’ll be able to return three of our four girls and three of the five boys that made up our state teams this year as well as two of our three All-State players so the future looks pretty strong for Panther golf,” Hildebrand said.