A year ago the Whitefish Bulldogs’ boys golf team fired a 694 and finished a distant fourth to Laurel at the State A meet.

By the end of Friday’s action at the Butte Golf Club, Bulldogs’ coach Bill Kahle hopes for a much lower score.

“I think our goal is to break 600,” he said Wednesday as his teams traveled to Butte. “If the kids play as well as they can, they can certainly be in line to win it.”

Whitefish returned State A medalist Cameron Kahle (Bill’s son) along with Johnny Nix and Bjorn Olson off that team. To that trio they added Texas transfer Billy Smith – he fired a 74 last week to finish two strikes behind Kahle at the Western A Divisional – and Columbia Falls transfer Marcus Kilman.

The result has been a dominant season: Whitefish shot a 308 at Polson Bay Golf Course last week, 24 strokes better than Western power Hamilton.

The Broncs, led by Tanner Hansen, will challenge this week. So will Laurel, led by Carson Hackmann (he lost medalist honors to Kahle in a playoff last October), and Billings Central.

The Rams got a boost, and hurt the Locomotives’ chances, with the transfer of Nick Pasquarello from Laurel. Hackman edged his former teammate for the Eastern A medalist honors.

“Laurel is perennially a powerhouse, as is Billings Central,” Bill Kahle said. “I know our boys see them throughout the summer. They’ve gotten to know each other and that’s the fun of high school golf – they’re not only competing but they’re building great friendships.”

Whitefish is also the girls’ Western A Divisional champion, led by Alayna Cripe, Kendall Reed, Maddie Sramek and Anna Elm. Their recent surge has their coach thinking they could be in the top three this week.

“Heading into (Divisionals) the girls knew they had their work cut out, really, to make state,” said Kahle, noting that Polson and Ronan had taken turns at the top of Valley tournaments.“They buckled down and worked hard and shot a phenomenal score. I could not be prouder of those girls.

“And they’re really, really good karaoke singers. I should also mention that.”

Corvallis has a medalist favorite in Macee Greenwood, who has had a dominant season. Laurel is led by sisters Hannah and Haylee Reed and Breana Jensen.

On the boys’ side, pushing the likes of Cameron Kahle and Smith will be Corvallis golfer Luke Schlimgen, Columbia Falls’ Cody Brothwell and Malachi Stewart of Billings Central. The tournament begins with an 11 a.m. shotgun start on Thursday.