Sidney takes second in conference event

On a day when temperatures again sorared into the 90s by rounds end, the host Sidney girls golf team played its way into a second-place finish at the Western Conference Tournament on Friday.

Scottsbluff was the runaway winner. The Bearcats 356 total earned them the Western Conference title for the seventh time in eight years. The Raiders had three players medal and finished at 387. Gering was third at 401.

Gering's Sam Rahmig scored an 83 to take individual honors. Jordan York of Scottsbluff (85), and Emily Snyder of Mitchell (89) rounded out the top three.

"We have the capabilities to do better, but the conditions were tougher today than they were on Tuesday," said Raiders Coach Jody O'Connell. "The pin placements were tougher and the greens were double rolled. You really needed to keep the ball below the cup today."

After Tuesday's Sidney Invitational when temperatures approached 100, it was decided to begin Friday's match one hour earlier at 8 a.m. In addition to the earlier start, the players used golf carts.

While the precautions taken at Hillside Golf Course may have prevented anyone from being overcome by the heat, Gering lost one of its players after being struck in the head by a golf ball. She was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Karson Langley again turned in the low score for Sidney. She fired a 95 to medal in eighth place. Just behind Langley were teammates Rachel Petik (96) and Katelin Cole (97) who medaled in ninth and 10th place respectively. Jessica Campbell turned in a 99 to finish just out of the medals.

Despite having three medalists, the Sidney players were less than enthusiastic about their rounds.

"I wasn't hitting anything very solid today," said Langley. "Over the long weekend I'm going to try to get in some work with Jody (O'Connell) and Chuck (Christensen, Hillside Golf Professional). I'm sure I'll be ready for a better round in our next match."

Petik, also displeased with her round, vowed to see a lot of the golf course over the holiday weekend as well.

"I had some really bad approach shots. My play with my wedges from 100 yards and in was a real problem today," Petik said. "I'm going to play a lot this weekend. I may even play 27 or more holes in a day."

While the Western Conference Tournament is a varsity event, some teams brought a small group of junior varsity players. While Sidney sophomore Rachel Blauert played junior varstiy, she actually turned in the best round of any Raider. Her 94 was two strokes better than her previous best at Hillside.

"I had a lot of really good putts today. My irons and hybrids were also working really well for me today," Blauert said. "I still need to work on my driver. No matter how well I do, there is always something I can work on."

Because of her solid play, O'Connell will play Blauert in the next varsity match on Friday at North Platte. The match is scheduled for 9 a.m. at Lake Maloney Golf Club - a different venue from previous years. The North Platte matches used to be held at the Iron Eagle Course.