Monticello golf teams win Region 23 titles in Price, prepare for state tourney

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The Monticello High School girls and boys golf teams both got strong performances at the Carbon Country Club in Price to win their respective 1A Region 23 Championships on Monday, May 8.
The Buckaroo boys beat Pinnacle by 120 strokes, 370 to 490 while the girls topped the Lady Panthers by 71 strokes, 409 to 480.
Darrin Westcott won the boys region championship with an 81-stroke day. Traken Lee was third with a 98, Jackson Keyes was fourth with a 94, Easton Young shot 98 to finish fifth, and Kooper Nielson was sixth in the region with a 102.
Cambree Chamberlain finished second in the girls region with a 97-stroke round. Alise Lews was third with a 99, Amy Lewis was fourth with a 105, Alli Young got fifth with a 108, and Jade Nielson finished sixth with a 111.
The Monticello girls enter the 1A state tournament poised to follow up last year’s best-ever second-place performance in strong fashion. They’re second behind only Wayne and are averaging just under 407 strokes per match.
The boys are third behind Valley and Wayne with a 374-stroke average and are just two strokes off the pace of the second-place Badgers.
In the weeks leading up to the region championship the Buckaroos finally were able to play a couple rounds at their home course, the Hideout.
On Friday, April 28 sisters Amy and Alise Lewis shot identical team-low scores of 96. Alli Young was right behind with a 98 and Jade Nielson closed out the top four with a 102 for a team total of 392.
At the time it was the team’s best score of the season by 27 strokes and the Lady Bucks beat Pinnacle by an impressive 115 strokes.
The boys shot a team score of 371 on April 28 with Traken Lee leading the way with an 87 and Darrin Westcott right on his heels with an 88. Jackson Keyes shot a 96 and Landon Ewart finished the team scores with a 100.
Kooper Nielson and Tug Davis tied with a 109, Shane Lewis shot a 110, Donovan Atwood scored 112, Curtis Bunker carded a 113, and Easton Young shot 114.
On Wednesday, May 3 Monticello again hosted Region 23 foes at a home match at the Hideout. The boys team shot a 377 with Westcott again leading the way with an 87.
Traken Lee shot a 90, Kooper Nielson carded a 99, and Landon Ewart rounded out the team scores with a 101. Curtis Bunker was just outside the boys top four but shot a personal-best 103 on the day.
Easton Young shot a nice 105, Tug Davis got a 112, Donovan Atwood finished with a 119, Carter Harrod shot 140, and Shane Lewis got a 104.
Amy Lewis led the girls team by herself this time around with a 94. She was followed closely by Cambree Chamberlain’s 101 and Alli Young’s 102.
Alise Lewis and Jade Nielson shot identical 108s and Lilli Burton got a personal-best 117. Buckaroo Head Coach Nathan Chamberlain reports that the girls and boys are both excited to find out how they can perform at the 1A State Tournament.
They have a week to play some more practice rounds at the Hideout and get set for the tourney. It’s set for Monday through Wednesday, May 15-17 at the Cove View Golf Course in Richfield.