Highland boys golf finishes strong before regional, girls take 3rd at MVC Tournament
Heading into the IHSA Class 2A Regional, Wednesday, Sept. 28, in Taylorville, Highland boys golf coach Clint Hamilton said he felt good about how the Bulldogs golf team prepared for the postseason.
The HHS boys turned in a strong final week of play thanks to a second-place finish in the Orphan Invitational in Centralia on Saturday, Sept. 24, and a first-place finish in the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in Wood River.
On Sept. 24, the Bulldogs placed second in the six-team field that allows the players to pair up and have fun with an end-of-the-season best-ball format tournament at Greenview Golf Course in Centralia.
Dominick Emig and Mason Emig led the way for the Bulldogs, winning top medalists honors as the pair shot a combined three under 67 for the match. The brothers’ top-shelf performance pleased Hamilton.
“We went down and played really well and Dominic Emig and Mason Emig actually were the top medalists and they shot 300. So, as a team, that was a great weekend for us kind of going into the postseason,” Hamilton said.
Three days prior, the Bulldogs ventured to Belk Park Golf Course in Wood River and turned in arguably one of their best days of the season by winning the MVC championship with a first-place round of 322, besting Mascoutah and Civic Memorial by 12 strokes each.
Dominic Emig, Easton Belford, and Braden Schfopf all medaled as Emig and Belford fired a 75 and 79, respectively, and Schropf shot a steady 82.
“Dominic Emig lost in a playoff for the top medalist but, as a team, we played really nice there and we had three guys medal,” Hamilton said. “Dominick shot 75, Easton Belford shot 79, and Braden Schropf shot 82, so all three of them were in the top-10 and medaled which was really nice to see.”
Tanner Gilliam (86), Mason Emig (87), and Alex Reinarman rounded out the scoring for Highland.
Hamilton said he felt the Bulldogs could get a few people qualified through the regional and onto the sectional round.
“We’re swinging it (the club) well right now and hopefully we can stay out of our own heads,” Hamilton said.
Lady Bulldogs impress at MVC Tournament
While the Bulldog boys were getting set for regional play, the Lady Bulldogs competed in the MVC Tournament on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at Belk Park in Wood River and finished a solid third in the six-team field.
“The girls played great,” Highland coach Jordan Keeven said. “They struggled on a few holes but they were able to move on and move forward with their rounds. They were able to put together some pretty decent scores, so that’s my biggest thing is to be able to recover after a tough hole and they did that very, very well.”
Highland shot a 373 in finishing behind first place Triad (330) and second place Waterloo (350).
“Triad had five of the 10 medalists. We knew it was gonna be tough to beat them in the first place and then Waterloo has an incredible golfer, so I’m very happy with third (place),” Keeven said
The Lady Bulldogs had three golfers finish in the top 15. Brooke Hunsche finished tied for 10th place with Triad’s Sophie Sterling with a 90 while Kalei Gould placed 12th (93), and Maci Miles finished 13th with a 94.
More from the Highland girls
Keeven was very pleased with the efforts of her top three finishers.
“Brooke Hunsche had some incredible holes as she birdied three of her 18 holes and she played great,” Keeven said. “She just had a few holes she didn’t score so well. Kalei Gould also had one of the best rounds she’s had with a 93 and the same thing with Maci Miles as they had some incredible golf shots and played a very smart round all-around.”
Sydney Coziar turned in a 15th-place finish, shooting a 96. Camryn Burns placed 19th (105), and Lauren Janini finished 23rd (111) to round out the scoring for HHS.
The Lady Bulldogs will begin play in IHSA Class 1A Roxana Regional on Thursday, Sept. 29, at Belk Park in Wood River. Keevan expressed optimism heading into the regional.
This story was originally published September 28, 2022 at 5:03 PM.