Raider golfers open strong in season opener

As the Sidney High School girls' golf team was completing a fourth-place finish at the NSAA Class B Girls State Championships last season, they finished with scores of 395 and 396 for a two-day total of 791.

That left them 39 strokes behind the state champion Scottsbluff Lady Bearcats.

While Sidney had the benefit of calmer weather and a home-course advantage, the Red Raiders made a strong early-season statement by finishing as the runner-up to Scottsbluff by a mere three strokes at the Sidney Invite Tuesday at Hillside Golf Course. Though the Bearcats outscored Sidney 375-378, both finished well ahead of third-place McCook (405). It was the first match of their season for all seven teams competing.

Ogallala (413), Gering (432) and Alliance (551) also battled in the team competition. Dundy County-Stratton brought three players who were eligible only for individual honors.

"I didn't know what to expect today," said Raiders' head coach Dani Kuchar. "Our goal was to break 400 and we smashed that. They came out and played their hearts out and I expect the scores to drop even more."

Senior Rachel Blauert led the charge with an 86 to finish second overall to the Bearcats' Hannah Holloway. The top seven individual scores included three Red Raiders and two Bearcats.

Scottsbluff's Shelby Poynter was awarded the third-place medal after firing an 88 while the Raiders' Megan Neal was just a shot back in fourth. Sidney sophomore Emma Alexander scored a 96 for seventh.

The Raiders were also boosted by the play of Paige Langley and Taylor Parsons, both of whom were making their debut in a varsity match. Langley finished with a 107 and Parsons a 112.

Blauert, playing in the No. 1 position for Sidney, punctuated her round with an eagle on the par-5 18th hole. While playing in a group with Holloway, the seventh-place medalist at state last season, Blauert often matched her rival stroke for stroke. While Holloway edged clear of Blauert by three strokes on the back nine, Blauert nearly caught her with a brilliat final hole.

"After hitting my 3-wood to the hole, everybody was saying 'great shot, great shot,' but I couldn't see where it ended up," Blauert said. "When I walked up to the green, I could see it was only about eight or nine feet away. I was pretty excited when I made the putt."

For the other state veterans, Neal and Alexander, they played some of their best golf ever in competition. Neal was pleased with her ability to stay in the moment, while Alexander was happy to be able to identify where she needs improvement.

"I'm so excited," Neal said. "It's the first time I've broken 90 in a tournament in Sidney. I was trying not to over hit today and let the club to the work.

"I managed to stay calm and keep my head even when my shots started going where I didn't want them to go," she added. "I didn't let the bad shots bother me."

As for Alexander, she was plagued by chipping woes. Though her tee shots were putting her in good position on most holes, she felt she was giving strokes away around the greens.

"I was a little unhappy, but it wasn't too bad really," Alexander said. "I had a lot of double chips and a few triple chips. Even though I couldn't chip to save my life, I know it's something I can work at and improve."

The Raiders are back at Hillside Golf Course on Saturday when they host the Western Conference tournament at 9 a.m.

TUESDAY'S RESULTS

Team Scores

1. Scottsbluff 375

2. Sidney 378

3. McCook 405

4. Ogallala 413

5. Gering 432

6. Alliance 551

7. Dundy Co. NS

Individual Medalists

Hannah Holloway Scottsbluff 85

Rachel Blauert Sidney 86

Shelby Poynter Scottsbluff 88

Megan Neal Sidney 89

Hannah Kohl McCook 92

Kira Mestl Ogallala 95

Emma Alexander Sidney 96

Kacee Samway McCook 99

Payton Zarkowski Dundy Co. 99

Jordan Hoxsworth Scottsbluff 99

Sidney Scores

Rachel Blauert 86

Megan Neal 89

Emma Alexander 96

Paige Langley 107

Taylor Parsons 112