DIVISION I-A GOLF: Crusaders show off depth, claim team title

Three players for the Crusaders broke 80 despite cold and windy conditions, and Faith Lutheran earned its second straight team title at the Division I-A state golf tournament at The Golf Club At Gray’s Crossing in Truckee, Calif.

Paced by 5-over-par 77s from Charlie Magruder and Dallas Haun, the Crusaders shot a final-round 408 and won by 59 strokes over Elko. Boulder City (877) was third, followed by Pahrump Valley at 904.

“Over the course of the season, we had 10 different players play a league match. The entire team contributed to this championship,” Faith Lutheran coach Mark Cheney said. “The players had to compete on a daily basis, and that carried over to our performance in the tournament.”

Austen Ancell of Pahrump Valley, the first-round leader, shot 77 and finished at 6-over 150 to win by two strokes over Luke Logan of Boulder City. Logan had the low round of the day, shooting a 75 as winds gusted hard enough to blow sand out of the bunkers on the 6,329-yard alpine layout.

Magruder, the defending state champion, finished third at 156. Sierra Vista’s George Kim fired his second straight 79 and finished tied for fourth place at 158 with Lowry’s Andrew Mendoza.

“It was tough out there,” Cheney said. “I think today’s course was more difficult than yesterday’s course (Old Greenwood Golf Course), the wind was blowing harder and it was colder. The top six, it speaks to the quality of play.”

Haun, who tied for eighth at 163 with teammate Greg Price and Kyler Atkinson of Boulder City, wasn’t the only Faith Lutheran golfer to rebound after struggling in the opening round. Mitch Conley, who shot 86 on Monday, posted a final-round 78 for the Crusaders.

“Dallas and Mitch struggled (Monday), but both bounced back,” Cheney said. “That was important for us. It was a total team effort.”