For the first time this season, the Lowry High School boys golf team got some nice weather and took advantage of it.
The Buckaroos posted two second-place finishes this week in Fallon and in Winnemucca. Those outings have all but put Lowry into the 3A state tournament in Pahrump in May.
Lowry nearly knocked off defending state champion, Spring Creek, on Wednesday, losing by one stroke. The Spartans shot 338 and the Buckaroos finished at 339. Churchill County, South Tahoe and Elko tied for third at 361.
“We were right there,” said LHS coach Andrew Meyer. “It would have been nice to win but we improved our state tournament chances pretty good.”
Churchill County’s Kelvin Cann was the low medalist at 77, beating Spring Creek’s Daniel Mahlke in a one-hole playoff. Spring Creek’s Mason Adams (82) was third. The 77 was the second-highest medalist score of the year since the start in Dayton. The Winnemucca Municipal Golf Course played tough on Wednesday.
The Buckaroos had four scores in the 80s led by Zane Fifield and Kobe Stoker at 84. The rounds of 84 were good enough to tie for fifth overall in the field.
Dillon Patterson and Peyton Capellen shot 85 and 86, respectively, for the final kept scores for the Buckaroos. Max Mavity shot 101 and Rian DeLong carded an 119 for Lowry.
Buckaroos finish second in Fallon
Lowry and the rest of the Northern 3A started the week in Fallon on Tuesday. Spring Creek won that tournament with a score of 325 and Lowry was second at 342. Churchill County was third on its home course with a 353 and South Tahoe and Truckee tied for fourth at 358.
Spring Creek’s Adams was the low medalist at 74 and Cann was second with a 77. Truckee’s Ethan Flynn finished third at 78.
Patterson shot his best score of the year at 82 to pace the Buckaroos on the day. Stoker and Capellen each carded rounds of 84 and Fifield shot 92. Mavity shot a 101 and DeLong finished with a 105.
Spring Creek leads the Northern 3A with 48 points and have clinched a spot in the state tournament. The league does not have a postseason tournament and the postseason berths are based on the final regular season standings.
Lowry is second with 39 points and South Tahoe is in the final transfer spot with 33 points. Truckee (29) and Elko (25) round out the top five.
The Buckaroos are scheduled to travel to Lake Tahoe on Wednesday for a non-conference meet at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. Lowry returns to league play on Thursday in South Tahoe.
The regular season ends on Wednesday, May 9, at Old Greenwood in Truckee.
The NIAA 3A State Championships are set for May 14-15 at Mountain Falls Golf Club in Pahrump.
