Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
WTC Champions on display at the Bayard Golf Club. The Kimball High girls won the team title of both the Western Trails Conference and Bayard Invitational Tournament with a 461 total, one stroke better than runner-up Bridgeport. L to R: Raylyn Soper, Hannah Walker, Brianna Jones, Asst. Coach Aaron Delhay, Kallie Bush and Brooke Hager.
Brooke Hager fired a round of 91 to lead her Kimball High Lady Longhorn Golf Team to a double team championship at Bayard this past Thursday. The talented senior, who already can boast of three state tournament appearances, also took top individual honors in both the Western Trails Conference championship and the Bayard Invite.
Every shot, by every team member proved to be of vast importance as Kimball edged out Bridgeport for the conference, and Invite team title by a single stroke. Kimball won with 461 strokes with Bridgeport runner-up with 462 in both divisions.
In the Invite side of the tournament, Perkins County was 3rd with 504 and Scottsbluff JV 4th with 505.
Behind Hager for Kimball, Brianna Jones captured 3rd place honors in both divisions with her round of 106, and Hannah Walker brought home the lOth place Conference medal with her round of 124. Kallie Bush shot 140 and Raylyn Soper 145 to round out Kimball's scoring on the day. The lowest four scores of each team are used in compiling team scores. Other schools involved and battling for individual honor~s as they lacked the numbers to compete as a team included Bayard, Mitchell, Gordon/Rushville, and Creek Valley.
New first year head coach Nora Robinson had to miss the action with Aaron Delha driving the girls to Bayard, but none the less was excited for the win and the play of her girls. Coach Robinson said she was very happy with the girls for the win.
"It's exciting to win a meet, especially the conference tournament, and I think it gives our girls confidence in what they can accomplish. Every shot counts and it shows them they need to compete to the final putt. It shows them they need to keep playing the game even if they have had some bad holes. I knew the ladies had it in them to win at Bayard and I told them to stay relaxed, go out and have fun, and play their game. That's what they did.”
Robinson said her players seemed to make big strides with their short games and that they will continue to concentrate on this phase of the game in practice.
With all three seniors on the team finishing in the top ten medal group, Robinson was all smiles.
"I am so happy how the seniors competed and am very excited for Hannah as this was her first varsity individual medal," she said.
The Kimball team actually opened the season at the Sidney Invite two days earlier going up against all larger schools. Scottsbluff won the team title with 350 followed by McCook with 364, Sidney 374, Gering 375, Ogallala 456, and Kimball 463.
No one in the top ten medal group for the Lady Longhorns with Hager low with 97, Jones 110, Walker 129, Bush 127, and Soper 145. Kimball was at home hosting their own Invite on Tuesday with their next action set for September 12 at Mitchell with a 9 a.m. start time.
Miss Hager commenting on her play of the opening week said, "I was pleased with the way I was driving the ball and with my putting but I need some work on my iron play."
Hager is always in the mix for individual honors .
