The Philomath High School boys and girls golf teams saw their inaugural seasons come to an end Tuesday in their respective district tournaments — although both were in the hunt for spots in the state tournament until the end.
The boys finished fifth out of the nine teams that had full teams in the tournament. The top four advanced to state. The Warriors were 14 strokes out of the final qualifying spot after the first round but Junction City put together a much-better Day 2 total to pull away and in fact finished third. Stayton fell into fourth but still had a 55-stroke advantage over the Warriors in the final tally.
Philomath senior Elijah Bush had a consistent performance through the two-day with rounds of 87 and 89 to give him 13th in the individual standings. Senior Hudson Raab was 24th (189), senior Logan Matthews finished 26th (193), senior Silas Pittman was 27th (197) and senior Caleb Russell was 37th (209).
Stayton senior Isaac Laro was the individual champion with a 4-over par 148, which was five strokes better than the runner-up. Marist Catholic claimed the team title with a two-day total of 654.
Marist, Cascade, Junction City and Stayton move on to state.
For the girls, Philomath finished fourth overall in a district tournament that was qualifying the top two teams to state. The Warriors had an improved second day at the tournament, which was staged at Santiam Golf Club near Aumsville, with a sub-400 team score. Salem Academy won at 626, Harrisburg was the runner-up at 765, Santiam Christian finished third at 775 and Philomath was fourth at 797. Eight schools had full teams in the tournament.
Individually, junior Isabelle Muir turned in another sub-100 round and moved up a spot in the standings with a 95 for a two-day score of 193. Senior Anneka Steen finished Day 2 with a 98 and was 19th overall with a 198. Senior Kynlee Albin was 23rd with a 202 score, which included a 97 on the second day. Senior Ashleigh Brown (27th, 208) and junior Shaylee May (28th, 210) rounded out the PHS squad’s results.
In addition to Salem Academy and Harrisburg earning tickets to state, two Santiam Christian golfers also advance with top-five finishes — junior Akira White (third, 165) and senior Beau Hynes (fifth, 169).
Philomath added golf teams to this year’s spring sports lineup after several years of not competing. The last golf teams at the school competed more than 20 years ago.
BOYS GOLF
4A Special District 2 Tournament
Tuesday at Tokatee Golf Club, McKenzie Bridge
Team scoring — 1, Marist Catholic 654; 2, Cascade 667; 3, Junction City 696; 4, Stayton 700; 5, Philomath 755; 6, Sweet Home 770; 7, North Marion 779; 8, Newport 786; 9, Cottage Grove 871.
PHS results — 13, Elijah Bush 87-89—176; 24, Hudson Raab 96-93—189; 26, Logan Matthews 94-99—193; 27, Silas Pittman 95-102—197; 37, Caleb Russell 106-103—209.
GIRLS GOLF
4A Special District 3 Tournament
Monday-Tuesday at Santiam Golf Club, Aumsville
Team scoring — 1, Salem Academy 626; 2, Harrisburg 765; 3, Santiam Christian 775; 4, Philomath 797; 5, Amity 825; 6, Taft 836; 7, Sweet Home 862; 8, Waldport 874.
PHS results — 16, Isabelle Muir 98-95—193; 19, Anneka Steen 100-98—198; 23, Kynlee Albin 105-97—202; 27, Ashleigh Brown 99-109—208; 28, Shaylee May 105-105—210.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
The Philomath and Newport boys volleyball teams finished tied for first place in the final regular-season standings in Special District 2 with victories Tuesday on the road. Both schools played in North Bend but not against each other — the Warriors (14-6 overall) and Cubs (12-5) both had straight set victories over Marshfield and the host school.
The two teams finished 10-2 in the final standings. Newport had an advantage in head-to-head sets won in a four-match split against the Warriors by a 9-7 margin. Both teams are scheduled to participate Saturday in a tournament at Estacada.
Philomath opened Tuesday’s action with a 25-18, 25-18, 25-21 win over Marshfield and followed with a 25-19, 25-10, 25-15 rout over North Bend.
The Oregon School Activities Association rankings freeze after Saturday’s matches but it appears that both Philomath and Newport will easily qualify for the 4A culminating event in Hillsboro.