Five Albany, Cathedral golfers shoot to state tournament
SARTELL — After the first day of the Section 6-2A boys and girls golf tournament on Monday, Pequot Lakes held a strong lead for the team title for both genders at Blackberry Ridge Golf Club.
The goal for Albany and Cathedral was to chip at the lead for day two. The Huskies and Crusaders girls hit a strong stride, but Pequot Lakes won by 16 strokes.
On the boys side, the team title was up for grabs as Pequot Lakes led by 12 strokes heading into the final day. Cathedral cleared its mind from day one and hit the restart button.
"We figured out how to improve on our rounds and used it today," said Cathedral's Leo Werschay. "Every guy on this team had a great round and made it a close ending."
Werschay was the only golfer left for the Crusaders and Cathedral was tied with Pequot Lakes with two holes left. On the 17th hole, Werschay and Pequot Lakes' Tyler Seeling were neck-and-neck until Seeling drained a lengthy putt to earn a birdie.
Werschay had to chip it onto the green and used two putts to record a bogey on the 17th hole. Heading into the final hole, Pequot Lakes was up by two strokes .
The Cathedral senior stepped up and finished the final hole with a par. Seeling needed a six to tie the team score or a seven to send the Crusaders to state. After missing the green on his approach shot, Seeling was able to chip it onto the green and sink a putt to make it a bogey.
This score gave Pequot Lakes a one-stroke lead to seal the team section title over Cathedral with a 640-641 final score.
Even though no local teams reached state as a team, there were plenty of local golfers that punched their tickets to the state individual tournament next week.
"It's been one heck of a grind for us," said Albany's Zac Kreuzer. "Every shot, you just got to have your mind so focused and it's so hard not to think about the whole picture while you're playing..."
Albany senior Kreuzer will be joined by his teammate, seventh grader Blake Silbernick. Werschay also qualified for state as an individual and Albany's Abby Thelen and Kaitlyn Lahr reached state on the girls side.
Thelen came into the tournament as the reigning section champion.
She was able to finish on top once again in a tie with a Pequot Lakes golfer as Thelen shot a 161. Her teammate, Lahr, finished fifth with a score of 173 and will be heading to state for the first time.
"I'm excited. I mean Abby [Thelen] is a really good golfer, so to have someone to look forward to playing with is really exciting," Lahr said.
Lahr doesn't really know what to expect at state as she's never played the state course, but she knows Thelen will help guide her in the right direction next week. Thelen has played the course multiple times.
This is her third trip to state and she's hoping to make one final push to end her high school career on a high note. She said that she's happy to go with a friend and teammate and she's hoping to continue improving on her season.
"I was just kind of out here playing my game and knowing I did it last year, I knew that I was capable of doing it," Thelen said. "And having about a week and a half off just practicing and preparing and then I came out and just kind of let it happen."
The two Albany girls will have company as Kreuzer and Silbernick will be competing on the boys side. Kreuzer has been the No. 1 golfer for Albany all season and the sophomore has stepped up for the Huskies throughout the spring.
Silbernick has become a No. 3 or No. 4 golfer for Albany as he's continued to improve.
"Today I thought I was doing terrible and then after I got back in, everyone was congratulating me and I didn't know why," Silbernick said with a smile. "I ended up shooting a 78."
Kreuzer finished fourth with a score of 155, while Silbernick ended up sixth overall with a score of 159. Both agreed it will be fun to have another teammate at state.
Albany boys head golf coach Kit Pennie said Kreuzer and Silbernick have a mature poise on the golf course. Especially as a sophomore and seventh grader, Pennie said, it's rare to see that maturity and he's excited to see how they prepare for state.
Werschay will be the only Cathedral boys golfer heading to state, but he's looking forward to ending his high school career with this tournament. The senior ended his two days with a 152 and placed third.
"I'm planning on having some fun and enjoying this last time," Werschay said.
The state tournament will happen next week. The Class 2A state tournament, for both boys and girls, will take place at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.
The three boys will tee off starting at 7:30 a.m., while the two girls start teeing off starting at noon on Tuesday for the first day. The second day will follow the same schedule.
Brian Mozey is the high school sports reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach him at 320-255-8772 or bmozey@stcloudtimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianMozey.
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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Five combined Albany, Cathedral golfers reach state tournament
