Jason Carroll said prior to the start of the 2021 Class A State Golf Meet that he expected the greens at Hawktree Golf Club to be in tip-top condition.
Little did the head coach for the Jamestown High School golf squad know there would be a deluge Monday night that would throw a wrench into the schedule of events for the two-day tourney.
Shea Carroll and his fellow senior teammate, Brad Burnham, were the only two members of the Blue Jay boys golf team to qualify for the state meet. Due to inclement weather on Tuesday, the tournament was postponed after two hours of play. Carroll had golfed 10 holes while Burnham was on hole No. 9 when the meet was called.
"I wanted to play more because by the 10th hole I had just birdied two in a row and I was putting the greens pretty well," Carroll said. "Then they canceled it and I was kind of upset but I was ready for (the next round)."
Carroll, along with the other 82 prep golfers, didn't have long to wait to start the next round. The golfers teed off at 7 a.m. in order to ensure there was enough time to complete -- in some cases -- two full rounds.
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"Overall I think it went pretty well," coach Carroll said of the schedule adjustments. "It's tough for kids to play that many holes on a course like that in heat like that.
"I think there were some kids that kind of ran out of steam but there were some kids who played better in that than other times."
With the exception of the 11th hole, Carroll was one of those who seemed to thrive in the heat.
The Blue Jay duo golfed one and a half rounds to conclude the meet Wednesday. After 18 holes Carroll was tied for 12th with a four-over 76 -- the best round of his season.
Burham broke 100 by five strokes in the first go-around. Burnham finished his first and only state appearance with a two-round total of 186, putting him in 75th place. After completing a second lap Carroll ended up 80-even, to bring his two-round total to 156.
Minot's Gavin Argent was crowned state champion shooting a 73-67--140. West Fargo-Sheyenne took the team title with a 302-296--598.
"He said, 'Dad, I have never birdied that many holes in a round,'" coach Carroll said of Carroll. "I am very proud of him for that. He felt pretty good about his score and of course, his coach was very proud and his dad was even prouder."
While Carroll has been a longtime consistent golfer for the Jays, Burnham hadn't golfed with the Blue Jays prior to this season. Coach Carroll said the senior has been consistently rounding out the Jays' top five all season long, regularly shooting in the mid-80s.
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"He did kind of come out of nowhere," coach Carroll said of Burnham. "He's been really solid all year."
Carroll and Burnham qualified to the state meet at the Mandan High School Invitational Golf Tournament on May 11. Burnham missed tying Carroll by one stroke but still shot a year-low round of 81. Burnham scored the team's best score at the West Region Meet on June 1 firing off an 84.
"I think he had fun and enjoyed the round and enjoyed playing with the kids that he played with that second round," coach Carroll said of Burnham's time at State. "He enjoyed the experience and improved on his score the second round so you can't ask for much more than that."
While Wednesday marked the end to Carroll and Burnham's prep golf careers it also brought an end to coach Carroll's inaugural season as head coach.
"I learned a lot, I enjoyed it," he said. "We had a nice mix of golfers. We had a really nice season."
TOP 10 INDIVIDUAL PLACERS (ALL-STATE):
1. Gavin Argent, Minot, 140 *won playoff
2. Zach Hinschberger, Grand Forks Red River, 140
3. Sam Suppes, Fargo Davies, 144
4. Trey Hohbein, Mandan, 145
T5. Gabe Benson, Fargo Davies, 146
T5. Logan Schoepp, Bismarck Century, 146
T5. Jake Skarperud, Fargo Shanley, 146
T5. Saylor Kuenzel, Grand Forks Red River, 146
9. Layton Bartley, West Fargo Sheyenne, 148
T10. Tarin Walker, Bismarck High, 149
T10. Carson Seng, Grand Forks Central, 149
TEAM SCORES
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1, West Fargo Sheyenne, 598. 2, Grand Forks Red River, 601. 3, Fargo Davies, 603. 4, Minot, 611. 5, Bismarck Century, 619. 6, Fargo North, 625. 7, Grand Forks Central, 627. 8, Bismarck High, 669. 9, Bismarck St. Mary’s, 671. 10, West Fargo High, 676. 11, Bismarck Legacy, 685. 12, Dickinson, 700.
