3A golf coaches miffed by WIAA’s late adjustment to state tournament berths
Greater Spokane League 3A boys golf coaches are upset after learning of a discrepancy in the number of state berths available at Thursday’s regional tournament.
Coaches were under the assumption four state berths were on the line in the 12-player regional (six from the GSL, six from the Mid-Columbia Conference).
They were told by Washington Interscholastic Activities Association officials Thursday afternoon only three berths were up for grabs at MeadowWood.
“It’s disappointing because all season we knew what the allocations were, we double-checked and did our homework,” North Central coach Dave Hall said. “All of a sudden, after the start of the round it changes and we find out when my first kid was on the seventh hole. The MCC coaches are feeling the same way I do.”
The mix-up stemmed from the wrong number of allocations being listed on the WIAA website. The mistake wasn’t discovered until Thursday afternoon.
“We have a work sheet to determine the number of allocations and when the numbers were transferred from the work sheet to the website, they were transferred incorrectly,” WIAA executive director Mike Colbrese said. “So that had to be corrected. It was three all along. It was just inaccurately put on the website.”
That didn’t sit well with GSL coaches.
“We were told the entire season by the WIAA there would be four berths at regionals,” Shadle Park coach Bret Bloom said. “I’m really disappointed, especially since it was my senior (Cobe Smart) that finished fourth. He’s come a long way. He was pretty upset.
“The whole thing is golf is a game of honesty and we tell our kids they’re in charge of keeping track of their score. This is a mistake the WIAA made and they should have to own it.”
“I said, ‘Who made the mistake?’ Hall said. “They said the WIAA made the mistake. Easy fix, you add the one (berth), no big deal. No, they said, that would set a precedent.”
Asked if there was consideration to allowing four state berths, Colbrese said, “We can’t provide one more allocation than what it is permitted by the rules.”
3A boys regional
Kennewick’s Neal Zimmerman (72), Southridge’s Chris Brown (76) and Shadle Park sophomore Luke Bauernfiend (79) earned state berths at the GSL/MCC regional tournament at MeadowWood.
Bauernfiend joins teammates Mitchell Weipert and Sam Pauly as state qualifiers. The state tournament is Tuesday and Wednesday at Columbia Point in Richland.
4A boys and girls regional
Gonzaga Prep’s Jack Reeves shot 74 to win the 4A regional boys golf title at Horn Rapids.
Reeves went out in 35 and back in 39. Others state qualifiers: Jackson Creer (Hanford, 76), Riley Hadley (Central Valley, 76), Ben Stone (Lewis and Clark, 76), Will Reeves (GP, 77) and Clatyon Whitby (Chiawana, 77).
On the girls’ side, Mead’s Camryn Culp shot 38-40-78 and won the girls 4A title by eight strokes.
Other girls’ state qualifiers: Brooke Cramer (Walla Walla, 86), Allison Wanichek (WW, 89), Michaela Morris (WW, 92), Shannon Curran (Lewis and Clark, 93), Lane Gustafson (Mead, 93).
2B-1B boys regional
Palmer Guhlke shot 1-under 71 on the second and final round to win the District 7 2B-1B boys golf tournament at MeadowWood Golf Course.
Guhlke shot 3-under 69 in the first round at Deer Park on Monday for a two-day total of 140, 11 strokes better than second place finisher Dawson Strobel (72-79-151) of Tekoa-Rosalia.
Others state qualifiers: Bennet Gray (Colfax, 152), Carson Odegaard (Wiblur-Creston, 154), Chance Weitze (Colfax, 155), Jacob Elskamp (Asotin, 164), Michael Shields (Lind-Rtizville/Sprague, 164), Augie Allenbach (Colfax, 165), Becket Odegaard (W-C, 165), Rolf Veenstra (Northwest Christian, 166), Hunter Gordon (Asotin, 168) and Levi Veenstra (NWC, 171).