Best-ever second place for Monticello girls golf team, boys get fourth at state

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
It was a season to write home about for the Monticello High School girls golf team. They shot a team total of 410 to finish in second place at the 1A Utah State Golf Tournament at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City May 17-18.
It’s the best performance by a girls golf team in Monticello High School history. The girls were just ten shots off the pace of the state champion Rich Rebels.
The boys were impressive too, shooting a 716 to finish fourth. Their two-day total missed earning the third spot by just three strokes. All in all, it’s an extremely impressive season for the Buckaroo golf team.
The Buckaroos placed three girls in the top ten at the state tournament with Alise Lewis leading the team with a personal-best 101 in eighth place.
Both Jade Nielson and Kahryme Alvarado scored 102s to finish tied for ninth. All three players received All-State medals.
Amy Lewis finished 14th with a 103, Cambree Chamberlain tied for 15th with a 104, and Gabi Dowell and Alli Young finished the scoring tied for 17th with scores of 105.
For the boys, Breckyn Hoggard finished in ninth place, medaling with All-State honors with scores of 83 and 85 for the two days.
Boston Freestone finished second on the team with scores of 89 and 82, good enough for 13th place in the state ranks.
Darrin Westcott shot 94 and 91, Tyler Thayn shot 91 and 102, River Flynn shot 93 and 103, and Donavan Atwood shot 114 and 109. All finished with personal bests at the state event.
In addition to their impressive performance at state, the Buckaroos also dominated Region 23 this year. The boys won by 77 strokes over Green River at the May 10 region championship in Green River and the girls ended 40 strokes ahead of the Pirates.
Needless to say, the players and coaches are all excited about how the 2022 season turned out. Head coach Nathan Chamberlain said the team exceeded every goal they set this spring.
He reports that the girls team won’t lose any players and are determined to work hard over the summer and vie for a state title next year.
On the boys side it’ll be a bit more of a challenge since they’ll lose four seniors, but Chamberlain says the team hopes to start the recruitment process to bring some younger blood to the team.
Coach Chamberlain also wanted to express some words of reflection and appreciation following the close of the excellent season.
“As a coaching staff, this season was one of the best,” he said. “The weather didn’t cooperate very well, [but even] with the wind and colder temperatures the players still showed up to practice and played as best as they could.
“We would like to thank Caleb Bailey and Jeff Simon for their work on the course and helping teach the kids golf skills. [Thanks to] Greg Adams and Paul Langston for their abilities in getting us where we needed to be when we needed to be there.
“Also, [thanks to] the parents who supported us in following their kids around the course, helping them remember their clubs on match day, and allowing us the opportunity to watch them grow as a team.”
The team will hold two fundraising tournaments at the Hideout in Monticello for local folks to have fun playing some golf and help support the team financially.
The first is this Saturday, May 28 and will be a four-man scramble tournament starting at 8 a.m. The second tournament is set for July 1 starting at 6 p.m. with nine holes played at night.
If you are interested in playing either event, contact Coach Nathan Chamberlain or Coach Shane Brewer.