The faces change, but the results remain the same for Summit's powerhouse boys golf team.
The Storm showed its depth last year, dominating the 5A championships after graduating three of the top nine state placers from a 6A title team that shot a tournament record 16-under-par in 2022.
Summit is doing it again this season, not losing a step despite graduating three of its top five golfers from last season, all of whom placed in the top 17 at state.
Summit will be going after its sixth state title since 2015 when the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 5A tournament tees up Monday and Tuesday at Quail Valley Golf Club in Banks.
“They're certainly not as good as the team a couple years ago, but they're probably even better than last year,” coach Andy Heinly said. “It's them against themselves at this point, I think.”
A title would complete the second three-peat for Summit, which won three consecutive 5A championships from 2015 to 2017. It also would give the Storm two titles on each of the OSAA's three championships courses: Quail Valley, Emerald Valley Golf Club and Trysting Tree Golf Club.
To do it, Summit will have to repel a field that includes Wilsonville and La Salle Prep, teams that finished second and third, respectively, last year. The Storm has not lost to a 5A team this season, its third-place finish in the season-opening Canby Invitational coming behind 6A teams Sherwood and West Linn.
The Storm cruised to victory in the 5A State Preview on April 17 at Quail Valley, shooting 304 to finish ahead of Wilsonville (322), Thurston (330), Mountain View (330) and La Salle Prep (330). Summit had the top two finishers in senior Jakob Hansen (71) and freshman Bryden Ditty (73).
Heinly said he is “always confident, but always concerned,” especially considering many of his players will attend the high school prom on Saturday night before leaving early Sunday morning for a practice round at Quail Valley.
“I'll have to have my 'dad talk.' I just go, 'OK, boys, don't mess it up,'” Heinly said. “We have the guys that can win it, and I believe that they will do it. But it's high school golf, so you never know who's going to show up.”
Hansen, who plans to play in college at Missouri as a preferred walk-on, is the team's No. 1 player. He was the No. 5 player on the 2022 team, tying for 34th at state, and finished sixth in last year's state tournament at Emerald Valley.
“I think Jakob can win the whole thing. I think he's that good,” Heinly said. “He has as much control over a ball as anybody I've seen. It's just a matter of focusing. He's very confident right now.
“When he's shooting 75, I look at him like, 'Why?' He should be even par or better every time he tees it up. He's kind of underachieved the last couple years. I thought he should've been top five both years. This year, he took it really seriously. I think he's ready to prove something.”
Hansen played on Summit's state championship boys basketball team, and in the post-game dogpile celebration, he suffered a broken nose and concussion. He missed the first few weeks of the season and fell behind on his studies, which led to Heinly keeping him out of the lineup, including the district tournament.
Without Hansen, the Storm took care of business in the Intermountain Conference district tournament at Eagle Crest Resort, beating Mountain View by 34 strokes. The team's scorers were sophomore Bryce Grieb (first-155), Ditty (second-157), junior Paolo Delia (fourth-166) and senior Owen Harper (eighth-169).
Grieb, who tied for ninth at state last year, is the team's No. 2 player. He is the brother the Brody Grieb, the 6A medalist as a senior in 2022 who now plays at Trinity University in San Antonio.
The addition of Ditty and the rise of Delia and Harper has allowed Summit to maintain its high standards. Harper, an alternate last year, shot 65 in the Canby Invitational. Ditty, the team's longest hitter behind Hansen, plays with a high level of confidence. Delia is the team's most improved player.
“If Jakob and those guys play the way they can, we should be in pretty darn good shape,” Heinly said.
A preview of the state tournaments, Monday and Tuesday:
Boys
6A, Quail Valley Golf Club, Banks
No. 1 district individuals: Quinn Hefele, Lincoln, jr.; Grady Brown, Jesuit, sr.; Cohen Gladheim, Sherwood, sr.; Mason Ho, Reynolds, jr.; Nilay Naik, Lakeridge, sr.; Riley Quillin, West Salem, sr.; Carson Krauss, Grants Pass, soph.
District qualifying teams: Wells, Jesuit, Sherwood, Central Catholic, Lake Oswego, West Salem, Grants Pass
At-large regional qualifying teams: Westview, Glencoe, Newberg, West Linn, Tigard, South Medford, Sheldon
2023 state tournament: Lake Oswego 610, Tigard 617, Grants Pass 630, Westview 630, Sunset 630
Top returning state placers: T3. Carson Krauss, Grants Pass, soph.; T3. Owen Davis-Piger, South Eugene, sr.; T3. Jennings Oelke, Tigard, sr.; T3. Tiger Lu, Sherwood, soph.; T8. Andy Yang, Westview, sr.; 11. Drew Woolworth, Lake Oswego, soph.
Notes: Woolworth won the 6A State Preview, shooting a 69 to edge Krauss and Jesuit senior Mason Zimmerman by one stroke. Reigning champion Lake Oswego brings back three of its top four scorers in Woolworth and seniors Adam Blackmore and Adam Wrenn. Jesuit, Westview and Lake Oswego have been the lowest-scoring teams this season. In the State Preview, Jesuit (290) beat Lake Oswego (299), Wells (311) and Westview (312). With a title, Jesuit could join Lake Oswego and Medford atop the all-time list with 10.
5A, Quail Valley Golf Club, Banks
No. 1 district individuals: Jonas Caddell, La Salle Prep, fr.; Josh Moran, Ashland, jr.; Ryland Carroll, Lebanon, jr; Brody Grieb, Summit, soph.
District qualifying teams: La Salle Prep, Thurston, Corvallis, Summit
At-large regional qualifying teams: Wilsonville, Crescent Valley, Dallas
2023 state tournament: Summit 640, Wilsonville 656, La Salle Prep 673, Thurston 680
Top returning state placers: T1. Michael Flaherty, Wilsonville, jr.; T6. Silas Waller, Bend, soph.; T6. Jakob Hansen, Summit, sr.; T9. Bryce Grieb, Summit, soph.
Notes: Wilsonville's Flaherty was the co-medalist last year with La Salle Prep's Will Koch, who has graduated. Flaherty was third in the 5A State Preview at Quail Valley, shooting 74 to finish behind two Summit players, Hansen (71) and freshman Bryden Ditty (73). Summit shot 304 to win the Preview by 18 strokes over Wilsonville. Lebanon's Carroll tied for sixth as a freshman in 2022 and tied for 18th last year.
4A, Emerald Valley Golf Club, Creswell
No. 1 special district individuals: Massimo Cereghino, Molalla, jr.; Kyler Hemelstrand, Cascade, sr.; Jordan Jiles, Phoenix, fr.; Elias Long, Baker, soph.
Special district qualifying teams: Seaside, Scappoose, Crook County, Tillamook, Marist Catholic, Cascade, North Bend, Marshfield, Mazama, Henley, Baker/Powder Valley, Pendleton/Griswold
2023 state tournament: Baker/Powder Valley 613, Molalla 639, Crook County 657, The Dalles 683
Top returning state placers: 2. Owen Bascom, North Bend, jr.; 3. Isaiah Jones, Baker/Powder Valley, jr.; 4. Massimo Cereghino, Molalla, jr.; 6. Elias Long, Baker/Powder Valley, soph.
Notes: Cereghino, Bascom and Marist Catholic sophomore Jaxen Mazur tied for first at 73 in the 4A State Preview at Emerald Valley on April 18, ahead of Hemelstrand (75). Marist Catholic, the 2019 champion, won the Preview with a score of 320, beating Seaside (347) and North Bend (350). Reigning champion Baker did not play in the Preview. Cereghino has had an outstanding season, shooting a 65 at Langdon Farms and a 67 at Mallard Creek.
3A/2A/1A, Emerald Valley Golf Club, Creswell
No. 1 special district individuals: Benny Zhu, Valley Catholic, soph.; Ryan Klampe, Siuslaw, jr.; David Hartwell, Crosspoint Christian, soph.; Sawyer Quinton, Prairie City/Grant Union, soph.
Special district qualifying teams: Valley Catholic, Banks, Oregon Episcopal, Western Christian, Siuslaw, East Linn Christian, Bandon, St. Mary's, Cascade Christian, Trinity Lutheran, Burns, Vale
2023 state tournament: Oregon Episcopal 613, Valley Catholic 619, St. Mary's 633, Bandon 649
Top returning state placers: 1. Benny Zhu, Valley Catholic, soph.; T2. Peyton Simonds, Bandon, jr.; T2. Lucas Vanderlip, Brookings-Harbor, jr.; T6. Benjamin Tieu, Oregon Episcopal, jr.
Notes: Oregon Episcopal's reign of three consecutive titles appears to be in jeopardy as Bandon and Valley Catholic are in position to strike. In the 3A/2A/1A State Preview, Bandon outscored Valley Catholic 322-329 to win. The Tigers were led by freshman Sevren Quinn, who shot a 1-under 71 to edge reigning state champion Zhu by two strokes. Bandon won the title in 2018 and was runner-up in 2019. Valley Catholic won the 4A title in 2018 and was second the last two years (4A in 2022, 3A/2A/1A in 2023).
Girls
6A, Trysting Tree Golf Club, Corvallis
No. 1 district individuals: Kate Ly, Cleveland, soph.; Kristine Shin, Mountainside, fr.; Campbell O'Connell, Sherwood, sr.; Jessi Tantog, Clackamas, fr.; Maya Promwongsa, Tualatin, sr.; Emily Keel, Sprague, sr.; Jill Potter, Sheldon, sr.
District qualifying teams: Grant, Sunset, Sherwood, Nelson, Lake Oswego, Sprague, Grants Pass
At-large regional qualifying teams: Jesuit, Mountainside, Cleveland, Tualatin, West Linn, Sheldon, McNary
2023 state tournament: Jesuit 663, Lake Oswego 665, Sunset 677, Grants Pass 682
Top returning state placers: T2. Kate Ly, Cleveland, soph.; 4. Erika Kobayahsi, Sunset, jr.; 5. Kate Lee, Jesuit, jr.; T6. Maya Promwongsa, Tualatin, sr.; T6. Hailey Lim, Lake Oswego, soph.
Notes: The tournament features two of the state's best young players in Cleveland's Ly and Westview freshman Melinee Udom. Ly's sister, Kyra, won the title in 2022, and Udom's cousin, Alexa Udom, was co-champion for Westview in 2018. In the Special District 1 regional at Stone Creek, Ly shot 70 to win by one stroke over Udom. Jesuit, going for its fifth consecutive title, finished second to Sunset in the Metro League and earned a berth at regionals. Jesuit's Lee was the highest placer in a scaled-back 6A State Preview at Trysting Tree, tying a Camas (Wash.) player for first place.
5A, Trysting Tree Golf Club, Corvallis
No. 1 district individuals: Layla Sidhu, Wilsonville, soph.; Francesca Tomp, North Eugene, jr.; Ellie Traeger, Silverton, sr.; Saylor Gillet, Summit, sr.
District qualifying teams: Wilsonville, North Eugene, Silverton, Summit
At-large regional qualifying teams: La Salle Prep, Caldera, Dallas, Crescent Valley
2023 state tournament: Summit 679, Wilsonville 691, La Salle Prep 772, Crescent Valley 780
Top returning state placers: 1. Francesca Tomp, North Eugene, jr.; 3. Evie Dunn, Wilsonville, soph.; T4. Olivia Grandberry, Thurston, sr.; T4. Layla Sidhu, Wilsonville, soph.
Notes: Tomp is going for her third consecutive title, but it won't be easy considering six of the top seven from last year's state tournament are back. She will be pushed by Wilsonville's Sidhu and Dunn, who have dipped into the mid-60s this season, and Thurston's Grandberry, who defeated Tomp in a league tournament. Wilsonville, which won state titles in 2017 and 2022, is looking to take down Summit, which added to its state record with its 11th championship last year. Gillet is Summit's only returning scorer from 2023.
4A/3A/2A/1A, Tokatee Golf Club, McKenzie
No. 1 special district individuals: Madeleine Conser, Valley Catholic, fr.; Ellie Gladow, Salem Academy, fr..; Esha Reddy, Marist Catholic, sr.; Tygh Timinsky, Dufur, soph.
Special district qualifying teams: Crook County, Banks, Valley Catholic, St. Helens, Salem Academy, Blanchet Catholic, North Bend, Marist Catholic, Marshfield, St. Mary's, La Grande, Pendleton/Griswold
2023 state tournament: Crook County 705, Dufur 720, Marist Catholic 742, La Pine 750
Top returning state placers: T4. Esha Reddy, Marist Catholic, sr.; T4. Vishaka Priyan, Catlin Gabel, soph.; 6. Tygh Timinsky, Dufur, soph.; 7. Kylee Smith, La Pine, sr.
Notes: Conser enters state hot after shooting a 3-under 141 to win the Special District 1 tournament at Quail Valley, beating Priyan by 11 strokes. Priyan was the medalist in the 4A/3A/2A/1A State Preview, shooting a 2-under 71 to finish ahead of Reddy (77), Kennon (78) and Conser (80). In the team scores at the Preview, La Grande (384) defeated Marist Catholic (388) and Salem Academy (391) for first place.
