WINNEMUCCA - With its third Northern 3A championship in four years under its belt, the Lowry High School boys golf team is looking for bigger and better things at the beginning of next week at the state tournament in Boulder City.
The Buckaroos won their sixth consecutive league tournament on May 3, tying their low round of the year at 392. Lowry continues to maintain a gap on Elko, who was second at 403, and Spring Creek, who was third at 426. All three schools have advanced to the state championships. There will be a new state champion this year, as Churchill County did not qualify as a team.
"Everything looks fine for us and that was a great score for us," said LHS head coach Andrew Meyer. "Elko is giving us a little scare and they have some guys that are playing well. It's showing our guys that this is not going to be easy and we are going to go out there and put the ball in the hole. I am feeling pretty confident and I think they are where they need to be. We will go out and work on the little stuff and try to shave off a few strokes around the green."
The Buckaroos' Cole Erquiaga shot a 73, his best round of the season, to finish second. He tied with Elko's John Hull but lost on the third hole of a playoff. Usually to break a tie it is decided by the lowest score on the number one handicap hole. Erquiaga missed a putt on the second playoff hole to win and on the third hole, Hull chipped in from about 25 feet away to win.
"The course was playing tough and the greens were in rough shape," Meyer said. "Cole showed up and played well and his game and ball striking is there and his mental game is back. He walked out there playing well, knowing he left a few shots on the greens."
Ethan Gray was fourth overall with a 77, while teammates Chris Mendoza and Jacob Jakich each carded scores of 80. Chris Dendary shot an 82 for the final kept score and Andy Mendoza fired an 84.
The Buckaroos had a chance to play back-to-back days, as they will do at the state tournament, when they moved on to Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline on Friday, May 4, for a non-conference match.
Lowry remained perfect by winning with a score of 414. Elko and Spring Creek were second and third at 423 and 436, respectively.
"The course was in gorgeous shape and we were the first ones on to the course," added the coach. "The greens were a little slow and that gave us some trouble. We seem to putt better on quicker greens. The wind was just brutal. On 17 you had to start your shot way over (Lake Tahoe) and let the wind bring it back."
Jakich led the way for the Buckaroos with a 78, with Gray and Josh Shaver shooting scores of 80. Shaver was taken as a seventh golfer and his score was not counted toward the team total. Erquiaga shot an 81, which included 42 putts, Chris Mendoza finished with an 87 and Dendary and Andy Mendoza shot 88 and 89, respectively.
"I am seeing a lot better attitude at this time of the year and they are hitting the ball better," Meyer said. "They are not as hard on themselves as they were at the start of the season. I think we have good momentum."
Lowry was scheduled to close out the regular season at Old Greenwood in Truckee on Thursday. The Buckaroos move on to the NIAA 3A State Championships presented by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Farmers Insurance Group in Boulder City on Monday and Tuesday. The 36-hole, two-day championship will be played at Boulder Creek (Desert Hawk and Eldorado) and Boulder Municipal. The Buckaroos will be looking to win their state-record 11th state title. In the last three years, Lowry has been the state runner-up twice (2009, 2011) and state champion (2010).
"I have been really hard on these guys and asking more from these guys," Meyer said. "It's just a matter of getting them ready, loosening them up and letting them have some fun. I think they are motivated and want it really bad. I think they are going to put in the hard work and we will be just fine."
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