Medalist Christensen carries Harrisburg to state Class AA boys golf title
MITCHELL — Freshman Riley Christensen and the Harrisburg High School boys golf team ended the final round of the state Class AA tournament in the same spot they started on Tuesday at the Lakeview Golf Course.
Christensen held off charges from a host of challengers, including defending champion Jake Olson of Watertown, to win medalist honors and help the Tigers record an eight-stroke victory for their first state boys golf championship.
Harrisburg held control for most of the two days in what was expected to be a four-team battle with fellow Eastern South Dakota Conference schools Pierre and Watertown as well as defending state champion Sioux Falls O'Gorman. The Tigers fired a 2-under 286 on Monday to take an 8-shot lead over Pierre with O'Gorman 18 back and Watertown 23.
"They did what they had to do, they played well," Watertown head coach Corey Neale said of Harrisburg. "They got off to a good start on Monday and did what they needed to do on Tuesday to hold it. It was well deserved."
Neither Christensen nor the rest of his teammates could afford to put things on cruise control Tuesday. However, Christensen did shoot an even-par 72 and turned his two-shot advantage from Monday into a five-shot victory. He finished with a 4-under 140 (68-72) total.
Olson bounced back from an uncharacteristic 5-over 77 on Monday to shoot Tuesday's best round (4-under 68) and move into second place. O'Gorman senior Radley Mauney and junior Mac Drake also made charges on Tuesday. Mauney shot a 70 to finish third at 146 and Drake a 73 to tie for fourth-place with sophomores Nicklaus Bothun of Pierre and Hayden Scott of Harrisburg, all at 147.
The top 25 individuals medaled including Harrisburg's Parker Schultz (tied for seventh), Charlie Swift (tied for 13th) and Will Parsons (tied for 19th) to help Mark Beckstrand's team win the championship.
Pierre held off Watertown 595-596 for second place. O'Gorman was fourth at 599, followed by Mitchell at 624 and Brandon Valley 638. Watertown shot a 1-under 287 and O'Gorman 295 to lead the field on Tuesday.
"Monday just wasn't our day." said Neale. "The guys knew what they had to do on Tuesday and went out and answered the call. We had nothing to lose so we wanted to go out and play well and put some pressure on other teams."
Watertown is still seeking its first state boys golf title since 1971 and will return its entire state-tourney lineup, including fellow medalists Jaden Solheim and Kaden Rylance (tied for seventh) and Ty Lenards (tied for 19th).
The problem is, other top teams (Harrisburg and Pierre, for sure) also all or most of their lineups for next fall.
"It's going to be a good competition again," said Neale. "We obviously will have a good shot, but as we saw this year it won't be a walk in the park. We're going to have to be get better in the winter and summer and give it a good run."
Final Results
at Lakeview Golf Course in Mitchell, Par 72
Team Scores — 1. Harrisburg 286-307—588; 2. Pierre 294-301—595; 3. Watertown 309-287—596; 4. SF O'Gorman 304-295—599; 5. Mitchell 311-313—624; 6. Brandon Valley 316-322—638; 7. Sioux Falls Lincoln 327-315—642; 8. Sioux Falls Jefferson 327-321—648; 9. Brookings 333-323—656; 10. Yankton 326-334—660; 11. Spearfish 350-315—665; 12. Aberdeen Central 328-339—667 13. Rapid City Stevens 341-328—669; 14. Rapid City Central 354-349—703; 15. Sturgis 357-372—720.
Top 25 Individuals — 1. Riley Christensen, Harrisburg, 68-72—140 (4-Under); 2. Jake Olson, Watertown, 77-68—145; 3. Radley Mauney, SF O'Gorman, 76-70—146; 4. (Tie) Hayden SCott, Harrisburg 70-77—147, Nicklaus Bothun, Pierre, 70-77—147 and Mac Drake, SF O'Gorman, 74-73—147; 7. (Tie) Jaden Solheim, Watertown, 79-70—149; Parker Schultz, Harrisburg, 71-78—149; and Kaden Rylance, Watertown, 76-73—149; 10. Jack Hilgenberg, SF Lincoln, 79-71—150; 11. (Tie) Lincoln Houska, Pierre, 79-72—151 and Sawyer Sonnenschein, Pierre, 71-80—151.
13. (Tie) Charlie Swift, Harrisburg, 77-75—152; Jack Bartlett, Pierre, 78-74—152; and Asher Dannenbring, Mitchell, 75-77—152; 16. (Tie) Nolan Cinco, SF O'Gorman, 77-76—153; Luke Olson, Pierre, 75-78—153; and Taten Mauney, SF O'Gorman, 77-76—153; 19. (Tie) Will Parsons, Harrisburg, 78-77—155; Will Hurd, SF O'Gorman, 79-76—155; Ty Lenards, Watertown, 79-76—155; and Lincoln Bates, Mitchell, 76-79—155; 23. (Tie) Noah Larson, Mitchell, 80-77—157; Peyton Brust, Aberdeen Central, 76-81—157; Austin Clark, Brookings, 80-77—157; and Jackson Swartz, RC Stevens, 81-76—157.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Pierre holds off Watertown for second place and O'Gorman takes fourth.
