Ever since finishing second in Elko a couple of weeks ago, the Lowry High School boys golf have been a mission to prove that it is the best team in the Division I-A North and one of the top squads in Nevada regardless of classification.
The Buckaroos spent the end of last week in Lake Tahoe for a pair of tournaments. The first was on Thursday at South Tahoe, which was a league meet.
Lowry clinched a spot in the Division I-A state championship, with a winning score of 394, which tied for its third lowest score of the season. Elko was second at 407 and South Tahoe (442) and Truckee (44) were third and fourth, respectively. Spring Creek had its worst finish of the year in fifth at 448 and Churchill County (454) and Fernley (455) were sixth and seventh. Dayton and Sparks rounded out the standings.
"The Lake Tahoe adventure was a success," said LHS coach Andrew Meyer. "The scores were kind of a high but it is a different environment and different elevation. The courses we played on were spectacular. It was a great opportunity for the guys to play the two courses we did. The key to our success is our fifth and sixth guys. If they play well and shoot in the low 80s we will be a tough team to beat."
Elko's Rance Black was the low medalist at 76, but Lowry's Andy Mendoza, Ethan Gray and Josh Shaver each shot 77 in the victory. Chris Mendoza carded an 81 and Joesba Criswell shot 82, as he returned to the lineup for the first time since the opening weekend of the year in March. Josh Rose rounded out the scores for the Buckaroos with an 83.
Lowry, winners of three of the last four Division I-A state championships including two in a row, has all but clinched its third consecutive regional title. Lowry leads Elko 53-48 with one tournament remaining. Spring Creek is third at 40 and Truckee is fourth at 33. The Wolverines still have an outside shot to reach the state tournament, but they need to win on their home course Thursday and the Spartans have to finish last. The top three teams in the final regular season standings, advance to the state championships at Mountain Falls Golf Club in Pahrump on May 21-22.
Lowry currently has four of the top five golfers in the Division I-A North. Gray is first with a 71.8 average and Andy Mendoza is second at 75.2. Shaver and Chris Mendoza each have an average of 78.2.
Lowry stepped out of league play last Friday with a trip to Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline for the 20-team Parker Fox Memorial hosted by Whittell High School.
The Buckaroos claimed the team title with a score of 400, while Douglas of the Division I North was second at 422. Elko was third at 435 and Spring Creek (445) and Battle Mountain (447) were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Andy Mendoza ran away with the low medalist honor, with a 1-under par 71. Gray was second at 77 and Shaver was one of five golfers to shoot 83 and tie for 16th overall. There were 106 players in the tournament.
"That was a great round for Andy," Meyer said. "He is hitting the ball solid and playing well. Ethan shot two rounds of 77 and that is struggling for him. He will be OK, there is nothing to worry about with him."
Criswell tied for 18th at 84, Rose tied for 24th with an 85 and Chris Mendoza was 26th overall at 86.
"It was nice to see the seniors step up and show some leadership," Meyer said. "Usually, about this time of the year, senoritis creeps in and they want to get the year over. The guys are wanting to end the season on a strong note."
Lowry closes out the regular season on Thursday at Truckee. The Buckaroos will host a dual with Spring Creek and Elko on May 16 at Winnemucca Municipal Golf Course. Without the dual, the three teams would have been have gone 12 days without a tournament.[[In-content Ad]]
