STATE TOURNEY: Kato spurs Faith Lutheran to top of 3A leaderboard
Yuki Kato almost can taste a Class 3A state golf individual title.
If his Faith Lutheran teammates continue to play well, too, it might be a Crusader sweep.
Kato opened a seven-stroke lead by carding a 2-under-par 69 in the opening round of the tournament Monday at Spring Creek Golf Club.
The tournament concludes today.
Faith Lutheran’s team score of 407 is two strokes better than that of second-place Lowry. Spring Creek (414) and Truckee (419) also are in the hunt. Moapa Valley is fifth (452) and Yerington (464) sixth.
Kato had the only under-par round Monday on the 6,302-yard course.
Yerington’s Vinnie Arrighi is second at 76. Virgin Valley’s Aiden Sullivan joined Lowry’s Dillon Bryan and Joey Dendary at 77.
Virgin Valley’s Ryan Baeza is in a three-way tie for sixth at 78 with Spring Creek’s Homer Andrae and Zach Cordova.
Along with Kato’s stellar round, the Crusaders got an 81 from junior Trevor Ensign and an 82 from sophomore Chad Kaercher. Charley Berry, a junior, added an 85, and classmate Alex Vance shot 90.
Moapa Valley was led by senior Jon Oglesby’s 79. Cody Kelly added an 87.
