Dani Boyle earned a spot in the State Tournament for the Crookston Pirates Girls Golf team after a career-best round on day two Section 8AA Boys and Girls Golf Tournament played at the Town and Country Club in Bemidji. The Pirate Girls finished in fourth place with a team score of 757 with Detroit Lakes winning the section title with a 626, 91-strokes better than runner-up Perham. The Crookston boys finished in a tie for fourth place with a 666, with Detroit Lakes winning with their score of 622, 25-shots lower than Roseau.
GIRLS Results –
Dani Boyle battled back from her round one 92 with a career-best 84 that earned the junior a trip to the State Tournament by two strokes in the fifth and final individual spot. “It’s very exciting,” said Crookston head coach Jeff Perreault. “I’m so proud of her, and I’m really proud of the entire team. They came out and played well today and for Dani, last year just being a couple of strokes away, it has been a goal of hers. I know going into the golf season that’s all she talked about, it’s all she wanted and so I’m very proud and very happy for her that she’s attained that goal. She relaxed. Yesterday, she was playing with some very good golfers that I think were a little bit intimidating for her. Today, playing with some familiar people, she was comfortable. Just being comfortable out there can be a big difference. I think she just settled down and played a more relaxed style of golf and the score came to her.”
Joslynn Leach turned in a 95 after her first round 94 to submit Crookston’s second-best score with her 95. “She’s definitely disappointed,” said Perreault of Leach. “But, the thing about her is that she has such a great golf attitude. She just knows that the game of golf is going to do this to you. One year you’re going to be going to the state tournament and making holes in one, and the falling year you’re going to be struggling to make the greens or struggling to make a putt and posting a higher score. Golf is an awfully cruel sport, and she understands that. I know she’s going to work hard to get herself back into contention and back to the state tournament.”
Hannah Street shot a 100 on her second day finishing with a two-round total of 197 for the Pirates third base score. “She’s a rock,” noted Perreault of Street. “We counted her score just about every single meet that she played in. She’s going to be greatly missed. She’s a senior. She’s a quiet leader that leads by example in many ways. She’d often stay after and chip or go out to the range and hit a couple of balls. Those are the type of people that are hard to replace.”
Bailey Cameron was unable to build off an opening round 95 shooting 111 in the second round for a 206. “She was disappointed, obviously coming out with a 95, that was her best score on this course this year,” explained Perreault. “She was feeling it yesterday, today she was not, but again she’s young, and it’s one of those lessons you have to take away from here that consistency is the name of the game. She’s a good kid, and I know she’s going to play some golf this summer to improve.”
Hannah Brouse also finished with a 206 over two days shooting 100 on day two after an opening round 106. “Talking to her, she was so disappointed because she wanted one more (stroke),” noted Perreault. “She hasn’t been in the 90s as a varsity golfer so that’s her goal, and she’s a very determined young lady. She said she’s going to play a lot of golf this summer. She wants to get herself where she’s in the 90s next year or even below that. She’s very athletic, so I think it’s well within her ability.”
Sophia Rezac lowered her score by two strokes in her second round with a day two round of 104 finishing with a two-day total of 210 for Crookston. “That was nice to see, go out on the second day and play better than you did in the first round,” added Perreault. “Her game is so close to being in the 90s. Around the green, we need to work, but off the tee, she’s been hitting the ball pretty well the last couple of weeks. If we can get her mid-irons to dial in a little bit, she’s going to be in the 90s too.”
Perreault was pleased with the improvements shown by the team this season and is also excited to have one more tournament to prepare for, “I think coming into the section tournament, I think we would’ve liked to have seen our whole overall team score be a little lower. That’s just evaluating it as a coach. I’d like to have seen us been in the 370s or high-360s. I think we were definitely capable of doing that as a team, but there are some bright spots and good things we can take from this. Obviously, sending a girl to her first state tournament as a junior is something we’re going to totally embrace and enjoy right now, and then we’ll regroup after that and see what we can bring to the table next year.”
Dani Boyle will be the lone Pirate to continue Crookston’s golf season on June 11 and 12 at the Ridges of Sand Creek Golf Course in Jordan, Minnesota for the Minnesota State Class AA Tournament.
| Girl’s Teams | Day 2 | Total | Pirates | Day 2 | Final |
| 1. Detroit Lakes | 313 | 626 | Dani Boyle | 84 | 176 |
| 2. Perham | 355 | 717 | Joslynn Leach | 95 | 189 |
| 3. Fergus Falls | 375 | 735 | Hannah Street | 100 | 197 |
| 4. Crookston | 379 | 757 | Bailey Cameron | 111 | 206 |
| 5. Park Rapids | 374 | 770 | Hannah Brouse | 100 | 206 |
| 6. Roseau | 410 | 789 | Sophia Rezac | 104 | 210 |
| Top Individuals | Day 2 | Final | |||
| 1. Shelby Busker-DL | 70 | 141 | |||
| 2. Anna Cihak-DL | 75 | 147 | |||
| 3. Mallory Belka-Per | 71 | 154 | |||
| 4. McKenna Mallow-DL | 79 | 158 | |||
| 5. Faith Justesen-Haw | 80 | 165 | |||
| 6. Allie King-Per | 85 | 168 | |||
| 7. Greta Christenson-FF | 87 | 173 | |||
| 8. Dani Boyle-Crox | 84 | 176 |
STATE QUALIFYING INDIVIDUAL
BOYS Results –
Trey Christopherson led the way for Crookston in his final high school round turning in a second straight 80 missing out on a playoff for the final spot in the State Tournament by a single stroke. “He knew that he probably needed to break 80 today to really give himself a good look (at qualifying for state),” said Crookston head coach Steve Kofoed of Christopherson’s performance. “He had a chance on nine to make birdie and gave himself a look. Big picture, he had a really good year, in the short term, missing it by one stroke, like I told him, is a lot harder than missing it by ten strokes. When you miss it by one stroke, it means you gave yourself an opportunity coming down the back nine and that’s something you’ve got to be proud of.”
Jack Ricord was unable to match his first day 76 shooting an 85 in the final pairing on day two. “For Jack, at the beginning of the year, if we would’ve told him he was going to be in the final group of the Section Tournament he would’ve said, ‘not a chance,'” explained Kofoed. “I probably would’ve said not a chance at that point. For him yesterday he played great, today, obviously he got himself off to a decent start in the first couple of holes. Nerves could’ve been something for a kid who’s not used to playing in the number one spot with really good players all season long, that could’ve been an easy way to say the nerves got me early. He kind of fought himself around through the middle portion of the back nine, which was our first nine. He just missed a couple of short putts, which Jack has made most of the year, and that was really the difference maker for him.”
Brock Heppner shot an 87 in his second round after a first day 83 shooting 170 over two days. “Brock definitely did not have the season that he felt like he was going to have back in March,” noted Kofoed. “He had aspirations of leading us and being a 70 player but was unable to really have the ball in control at all times. He, by far, gets more out of the round then most players would get. His mom made the point that ‘he makes it interesting when we’re out there walking with him.’ It’s going to be different next year not having a Heppner on the team. This is the end of an era. Thirteen years of the Heppner boys on the Pirate squad. With that said, I’m proud of the way he played with his senior season.”
Quinn Westlake shaved six strokes off his day one round with a day two 86 for 178. “He came here feeling really good after practice rounds,” noted Kofoed. “He was really disappointed yesterday with the way he played. Today, he never really got himself going, but he played steady. He was hoping for 82 today, but he got himself an 86. He now realizes he can play Bemidji Town and Country Club.”
Jaxon Wang had the most impressive improvement of all the Pirates bouncing back from a day one 96 with a day two 84 to round out Crookston’s Section Tournament. “Really it comes down to his back nine,” explained Kofoed. “He has not yet this year been a fan of Bemidji, and obviously if you don’t love a golf course, it’s hard to play it. He’s got a good enough golf game to score well at any golf course. He didn’t play very well on the back nine today, but then I caught him on the front-side, and he told me he was ‘even now,’ and he just got himself out of his way. To finish the final nine holes of the Section Tournament turning in a 37 (in his final nine-holes), hopefully, gives him the belief that he can come into Bemidji and bring a game that can play here.”
Kofoed was pleased with his team’s performance on the final day of the season but disappointed that two Pirates came up just short of heading to State, “obviously, we didn’t finish the way we want to. It’s now two years in a row we haven’t had a kid in the state tournament, but at the beginning of the year if you would’ve told us we’d be in second place, playing with Detroit Lakes at the Section Tournament giving ourselves the opportunity with three guys to advance to state (heading into the final round) that’s the way we would’ve drawn it up to start the year. Big picture, the guys have really grown together with a super short, condensed season. I thought we had a lot of fun and it was a good year.”
| Boy’s Teams | Day 2 | Total | Pirates | Day 2 | Final |
| 1. Detroit Lakes | 311 | 622 | Trey Christopherson | 80 | 160 |
| 2. Roseau | 316 | 647 | Jack Ricord | 85 | 161 |
| 3. Pequot Lakes | 320 | 660 | Brock Heppner | 87 | 170 |
| T4. Fergus Falls | 329 | 666 | Quinn Westlake | 86 | 178 |
| T4. Crookston | 335 | 666 | Jaxon Wang | 84 | 180 |
| 6. Warroad | 359 | 725 | Ben Andringa | ||
| Top Individuals | Day 2 | Final | |||
| 1. Gus Vatnsdal-Ros | 69 | 149 | |||
| 2. Hunter Burnside-DL | 76 | 151 | |||
| 3. Henry Neva-PL | 73 | 153 | |||
| 4. Tyler Seeling-PL | 72 | 156 | |||
| T5. Grant Inniger-Barn | 79 | 157 | |||
| T5. Daniel Rozsa-DL | 81 | 157 | |||
| 7. Jack Schramel-DL | 75 | 158 | |||
| T8. Adam Tonsfeldt-Barnesville* | 77 | 159 | |||
| T8. Judd Ginther-Ros | 78 | 159 |
STATE QUALIFYING INDIVIDUAL *Won playoff hole
