Woods Cross

Behind four top-20 finishes, the Woods Cross boys golf team finished second at the 5A state tournament Oct. 14-15 at Glen Eagle Golf Course.

“It was amazing!” said head coach David Simon. “I was so proud of our boys and the way they competed.”

The Wildcats were tied for third after Day One, 17 shots out of first place, but just four shots back on second. “First was pretty much out of reach but I felt like we could catch the team in second place if we had a good day,” Simon said. “As I was talking to the boys during the round, they were all playing really well. I kept watching the live scoring to see where we were and we kept bouncing between second place and fourth place with East and Olympus. Towards the end there was a three-way tie for second with three or four more groups to come in and finish their rounds. As they came in we started to make some birdies that would put us ahead of Olympus but still neck and neck with East. When the last group finished, I thought that we had maybe taken second place by one shot over East but that was not official. After all the scores were reported we were in a tie with East for second place.”

Four players from Woods Cross and East entered into a playoff to settle the runner-up slot on the 18th hole. Each score counted and the Wildcats won with a score of 20 to 22. 

Junior Layton Schmitt shot a 2-under to tie for 15th place in leading Woods Cross with senior Josh Allen, senior Lance Henriksen and junior Dylan Markisich all tying for 18th place with an even par two-day tournament score. Also competing at state were senior Jackson Bodily, who tied for 23rd, and senior Brooks Bybee who tied for 51st.

“I was so proud of this team for some of the things that transpired throughout the day and even having to pick four guys to be our playoff guys knowing we had to leave two guys out of the playoff,” Simon said. “It was definitely a team win and all the boys contributed to the success of the season and the state tournament.”

Simon was thrilled with the team’s finish and for sending out his seniors in “a great way.” “5A golf has some really good teams and really good players throughout the entire season so for us to take home the second place trophy is a great accomplishment for our team,” he said. “Our team has been steady and solid all year long and they really stepped up on the last day of the golf season. I couldn’t be more proud of them for the effort and work they put in to be able to compete at this level and to see it rewarded with a second place finish at the state tournament.”

Bountiful

Bountiful placed sixth at the 5A state tournament with junior Ty Cottle tying for fifth place with a six-under-par showing over the two days at Glen Eagle Golf Course.

Other finishes for the Redhawks were senior Jett Danowski (tied for 27th), senior Cody Forbes (tied for 42nd), senior Jack Jordan (tied for 51st), senior Luke Smith (tied for 67th) and senior Joe Stobbe (85th).

Viewmont

Viewmont High junior Oliver Gladwell tied for 18th, shooting even par, at the 5A state tournament at Glen Eagle Golf Course to lead the Vikings to an 11th place finish as a team.

Others on the VHS state team were sophomore Corver Barnes (who tied for 30th), senior James Gardner (tied for 42nd), sophomore Joe Gladwell (77th), junior Kimball Essig (tied for 83rd) and junior Brigham Shupe (86th).

Davis

Davis High took eighth at the 6A state tournament at Riverbend Golf Course Oct. 14-15, led by the play of senior Max Landon who tied for 10th with a four-under showing.

“State was great!” said head coach Josh Roberts. “After Day One we were in fifth. Max Landon has another top 10 finish at the state tournament. What an amazing four years he has had!”

Freshman Jackson Gross tied for 53rd for the Darts. “Jackson shot a pair of 77s to shot off his consistent play from the year,” said Roberts.

Three seniors – Jack Christiansen, Jacob Merrill and Grey Traveller – tied for 60th. “Jack played his final high school match on his 18th birthday and played hard to shoot 76 the second day,” Roberts said. “Jacob also finished up his high school career with an amazing performance on Day One with an even-par 72! Grey is also graduating this year and shot 76 the first day as well!”

Sophomore Nate Merrill rounded out the DHS state golf team with a 79th place finish. “Nate played some great golf as well, getting him some incredible experience in his sophomore year,” said Roberts.

Farmington

Farmington High junior Jack Summerhays tied for 19th place for the Phoenix squad who tied for sixth place at the 6A state tournament at Riverbend Golf Course.

Also on the FHS state team was junior Luke Forbush (who tied for 23rd), senior Tate Gibb (tied for 36th), senior Madden Streiff (tied for 42nd), senior Griffin Belnap (tied for 60th) and sophomore Max Clapham (tied for 67th). λ