The Glacier boys and girls head to the State AA golf tournament knowing little about the course and maybe less about the athletes from the other side of Montana. 

But the Wolfpack golfers will be factors at the Butte Country Club on Thursday and Friday. The boys were a close second to Missoula Sentinel at the Western AA Divisional while the girls won decisively.  

Potential problems: The Glacier girls’ score, though at a different course, would have been good for just fourth at the Eastern AA that Bozeman High won; Bozeman’s boys shot not far off Glacier’s 590 last week; and Sentinel’s boys, obviously. 

“I’m optimistic,” Jim Ness, coach of the two-time defending champion Wolfpack boys, said. “Same for the girls: If they play to their potential, they’re going to compete.  

“Sentinel has been our main competition, and they’re loaded up. Deep team, and they always play well. And Bozeman is good and Gallatin (second at the Eastern AA Divisional) is good.” 

Glacier senior Luke Nelson is better than good, coming off his second medalist honors of the year, shooting 6-under to win the two-day Western AA. Torren Murray, a junior, has been medalist once this season was third at divisionals; senior Jonah Wynne shot a hole-in-one while finishing eighth at the Western AA. 

“Obviously Luke played really, really well against a lot of really good competition,” Ness said. “Torren did great. And Jonah finished off well. He had his first career ace on Friday, which was fantastic. 

“I always tell my kids, if we’re playing up to our potential we can compete with anyone in the State.” 

Sentinel is loaded with Hudson Goroski, Willy Nowlen and Jack and Derek Schaefer all bunched pretty tightly. Glacier has Sam Syverson and Elliot Anderson to put pressure on the Spartans.  

Great Falls Russell’s Jack Prinski was the Eastern AA medalist, shooting even-par 144; Gallatin has a pair of top golfers in Ryan Dailey and Benson Lauerman.

Bozeman is led by Will Benne. Billings Skyview’s Isaac Mosser is another top striker — as is Butte’s Chase Choquette, who will have a home course advantage. 

Flathead put two boys into State, Andrew Converse and Trygve Gislason, The Bravettes qualified as a team, finishing fourth at the divisional; Rebecca Schmidt, Hayden Ward, Hadley McDonald, Madeline Matson and Sienne Blanchard all punched tickets to State. 

Glacier won the girls divisional title by 42 shots but its total score — 718 — was 23 off the 695 put up by the Bozeman girls. Likewise, Western AA medalist Zoey Loberg (169) of Missoula Big Sky was 13 strokes off the 156 put up by Eastern AA champion Peyton Tryan of Billings Senior.  

That’s why they play the tournament, which begins at noon with shotgun starts both days. Maggie Mitton, Kendall Tkachyk, Vaida Cole and Abbi Townsend were grouped between second and seventh at divisionals; if that were to happen at State, the Pack would be in business. 

“The girls obviously did fantastic,” Ness said of divisionals. “They’ve been working really, really hard and they’re excited to go compete.” 

Whitefish hits the road 

The Whitefish girls, nipped by five shots at the Western A Divisional, will be among the favorites for a trophy at the State A tournament that goes Friday and Saturday in Sidney. 

Defending champion Billings Central is a decisive team favorite, having shot 339 to win the Eastern A Divisional by 48 strokes.  

That leaves Western A champion Hamilton (372), Whitefish (377), Dillon (386), Livingston (387), Lewistown (397) and perhaps Miles City (400) vying for the other two spots among the top three. 

Central is led by Jordan Nielsen, who shot 79 last week; Livingston’s Anna Lende was the Eastern A medalist at 72; by comparison, Western A girls medalist Cameron Burnett shot 76, seven strokes ahead of Rhylee Scott of Whitefish.  

Whitefish has a solid quartet of scorers in Scott, Karlee Brown, Caroline Owens and Ava Zignego.  

Polson is sending Olivia Cottet to state; Bigfork is sending Keegan Campbell and Jocelyn Holton. 

Corvallis won the Western A boys team title for a third straight season with a 296 score. That matches up nicely with the 311 and 314 shot by Livingston and Billings Central at the Eastern A. 

Whitefish didn’t qualify as a team but is sending Aiden Rickels, Finn Hobart and Colby Minton to State. Ronan also sent a pair of golfers in Oliver Rowe and Kolby Finley. 

Individual boys favorites include Stuart and Sawyer Gentry of Livingston, Caleb Fornshell of Central, Grady Wilder of Laurel, Grady Powell and Tag Jessop of Corvalis and of course, Polson sophomore Max Milton.  

Milton slipped to third at the Western A with a 73 but is the defending state champion and has had a season full of sub-70 scores.