Highland golfers finish 2nd to Mascoutah at Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament
Entering the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament championship Wednesday, Sept. 22, Highland boys golf coach Brent James knew the scores would be close and that every stroke would count.
Just before the tournament started at Belk Park Golf Course in Wood River, he reminded his players of just that.
Thankfully, the Bulldogs were dialed in from the start as they tied Mascoutah for the team championship, shooting a 332 team score.
Highland ended up in second place because Mascoutah’s Greg Adams — the Indians fifth top scorer — bested Highland’s Braden Schrof with a low score of 91 to Schrop’s 97. That allowed the Indians to claim the tournament team championship.
Nevertheless, Highland’s performance on a windy day at Belk Park pleased James.
“We were pretty happy with it,” James said. “It was windy, so scores might have been elevated just a little bit. But for the conditions, I was very pleased with how it turned out and I knew it (the tournament) was going to be super tight.”
Although the Bulldogs did not win the team title, senior captain Bryce Knackstedt tied Mascoutah’s Sam Norrenberns with an 18-hole score of 76 and then beat Norrenberns on a playoff hole to win medalist honors.
“We don’t do a scorecard playoff,” James said. “They went out on the course and played it off in front of everybody with the whole field of players watching — both coaches, plus parents — so it was a really cool experience. Bryce hit a wedge into the green about 10 feet and left it (as) a birdie putt on the lip (of the hole) and tapped it in for par and that was good enough to win it.”
Knackstedt has continually shot well each match and been the anchor of the Bulldogs lineup this fall.
“He was very strong for us last year, but his stroke average has improved significantly. He’s been a team leader at practice, at matches everywhere and he’s just really given the team a boost,” James said.
Highland’s individual scores were strong throughout as Knackstedt’s 76 paced the team followed by Dominick Emig in eighth place with an 83, Mason Emig placing 10th with an 86, and Easton Belford finishing 11th overall with a sturdy round of 87, giving the Bulldogs four finishers in the top 11.
Meanwhile, Belford, Mason Emig, Dominick Emig, and Knackstedt all earned all-conference honors for their strong showing.
“I knew they had it in them, but it’s always a question of ‘are they going to go out and execute?’ and they did. So we’re very happy with it,” James said.
Schropf (97) and Tanner Gilliam (98) rounded out Highland’s scoring.
Next up for HHS boys
The MVC tournament wrapped up regular season play for the Bulldogs, who now will compete in the IHSA Class 2A regional tournament in Taylorville on Wednesday, Sept. 29, at Lakeshore Golf Course.
“I like the position that we’re in. Our numbers right now are not lower than they were at the start of the year, but I think we’re in a position where we can do pretty well at the regional,” James said.
“But, again, it’s golf, so it comes and goes; however, we’re not just relying on the same four scores every tournament. So if somebody comes out and doesn’t play their best, we have somebody else right there that can step up.”
Boys/Girls Cross Country
A week after competing in Granite City, the Highland boys and girls cross country teams returned home to host the Highland Invitational meet Saturday, Sept. 18, at Firemen’s Park in Alhambra.
Both teams enjoyed strong performances, with the boys finishing ninth with 64 points. Dalals Mancinas led the Bulldogs by placing ninth (17:04) while Ethan Smith placed 14th (17:43), and Mason Steinbeck finished in 21st place (18:01).
the Lady Bulldogs fared decidedly better as they won the event with a first-place total of 41 points followed by Father McGivney in second place (78 points) and MVC rival Civic Memorial in third place (80 points). Faith Brindley topped the Lady Bulldogs finishers with a fifth place showing (20:35). Freshman Peyton Frey took eighth place (20:51) and Alyson Pace came in ninth place (20:55).
Boys Soccer
Highland’s boys soccer team returned home Monday, Sept. 20, looking to extend their win streak to two games against Granite City. The Bulldogs started well but Granite City scored three second-half goals to hand HHS a 3-1 home loss.
On Tuesday, Sept 21, the Bulldogs kept things close but came up short in a 2-1 setback at home to MVC foe Waterloo. On Thursday, Sept 23, Highland traveled to arch-rival Triad and lost 5-0.
Girls Tennis
The Highland girls tennis team had a successful showing Saturday, Sept. 18, in hosting the Highland Tournament.
HHS turned in a solid fourth place finish in the one-day event. Sophia Fleming finished sixth in No. 1 singles, while Nicole Bluhm placed seventh at No. 2 singles. Lauren Herman and Katie Augustin placed second at No. 2 doubles while Maya Pollard and Allie Rinderer finish fifth at No. 1 doubles. Madison Stehlik and Abigail Chalfant took sixth at No. 3 doubles.
The Lady Bulldogs finished the week with a satisfying 5-4 come-from-behind win at Alton Marquette. Herman and Addison Crask pulled out a big victory at No. 1 doubles and Bluhm rallied for another clutch victory at No. 5 singles.
Girls Volleyball
A trip to Charleston for the Charleston Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 18, produced a good weekend of results for the Lady Bulldogs volleyball team. Highland’s spikers defeated Decatur McArthur (25-11, 25-14) before losing to Effingham (23-25, 22-25). The Lady Bulldogs rebounded later in the day with wins over Olney Richland County (25-15, 25-17) and Carbondale (25-17, 25-14).
HHS followed up their Charleston Tournament appearance with a good performance at home as the Lady Bulldogs defeated Jerseyville in two sets (25-17, 25-9) on Tuesday, Sept. 21.
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 9:00 AM.