NORTH PLATTE — Wayne High’s golfers provided some heart-stopping moments as the Class C State Girls Golf Championships drew to a close late Tuesday afternoon.
Trailing favored Minden by six shots after the first day Monday, Wayne rallied and built a 13-shot advantage midway through the final round, only to see that slowly fade down to a single shot.
With senior Joslyn Johnson and junior Carli Canham in the final two threesomes, it came down to how both would finish as to whether or not the Blue Devils could hang on to that slimmest of margins and claim the school’s first state title since 2000.
Johnson did her part, mixing a birdie on the par-three 17th with three pars on the final four holes. Her two-putt for par on 18 drew a loud cheer that could be heard by the trialing group, which had just completed the 17th hole.
Canham reached the green in two and just needed a bogey to secure the title. She left her birdie putt about eight feet short, then saw her par putt slide a little to the left before tapping in for the bogey that secured the title for the Wayne High girls.
As the ball fell in the cup, the cheering section off the green exploded in yells and screams of joy that finished off a wild 36 holes that saw the underdog Blue Devils edge the favored Lady Whippets, 696-697, to claim the Class C state title.
“I’ll sleep way better tonight than I did last night,” a relieved coach Josh Johnson said after the scores were confirmed. “Evidently the girls must have slept well, because they came out like gangbusters and played well all day long in some tough conditions.”
The Blue Devils set the stage for their second-day comeback on Monday with a solid round of 346, putting them six shots behind the Lady Whippets. Johnson knew his team had a tall order ahead of them, but the Blue Devils came ready to play on Tuesday and turned a six-shot deficit into a 13-stroke advantage as the top players made their way to the back nine.
“After that first day, you see where you’re at and we knew where we were and we’d have to battle, and we did,” Johnson said. “Minden is an unbelievably talented team and our girls just played lights out to catch them.”
While Canham and Johnson’s daughter led the way on Monday with rounds of 78 and 84, respectively, it was the other three on the Blue Devil varsity who lit the rocket that fueled the comeback.
Charli Sievers, who struggled to a round of 98 on Monday, came out strong and shot a 39 on the front nine, leading her to a round of 82 that propelled her into the top 15 medalists, where she tied for 13th.
Fellow senior Lindsay Niemann gave the team another boost, saving her final round of high school golf to shoot her personal best with a score of 90.
Hallie Heithold, whose score wasn’t among the four lowest on either day, still shot two good rounds that included a 97, which was the second time in her young career that she came in under 100.
“Everyone played beyond their potential both days, even Hallie,” Johnson said. “That’s a sign of our depth. All five girls were great and it took pressure off everyone because everybody knows they have each others’ backs.”
Johnson struggled on the front nine and shot a 43 before rallying for a 3-over par 39 on the back to finish fifth overall. Canham, who nearly had a hole-in-one on the par-three ninth hole and was only one stroke off the lead Monday, was up-and-down all day on Tuesday. A double-bogey and triple-bogey to open the back nine led to a 47 on the back and a 90 for the second day.
“You just tell the girls one shot at a time and focus on the next shot,” Johnson said. “They make fun of me when I tell them that, but our third, fourth and fifth golfers all put us in a place where we could compete and Carli and Joslyn were able to finish it and get it done.”
Canham said she wasn’t aware of the weight of that final putt until the ball fell in the hole.
“I knew we were close but I didn’t know what I needed,” she said. “I made it and I looked over at the side of the green and everybody was freaking out.”
The win was unexpected, even among the Blue Devil girls themselves, as Minden was touted as the clear favorite going into the tournament.
“Minden has an unbelievable team,” Coach Johnson said. “They were undefeated this year and it’s a testament to these girls being as tough as they are. Charli had a rough round yesterday and was a rock star today, and I’m just so proud of them.”
For the three seniors — Johnson, Niemann and Sievers — they couldn’t think of a better way to end their golfing careers, but even after the win, they still found it hard to believe.
“I thought maybe we’d finish in the top four or five, but to win it is so crazy,” Johnson said. “I absolutely love my team and it was great to have the season we had together. To win it is such a great feeling.”
“Coming out of districts, we were comparing scores and we thought we might be in contention, but to actually win it is such a great feeling,” Sievers added.
“I’ve been with Coach Johnson for four years of golf and four years of bowling, and I couldn’t have asked for a better coach,” Niemann said as tears welled up in her eyes. “It’s just been so much for playing for him and being with Joslyn and all the memories we’ve been able to make.”
The feeling is mutual, their coach added.
“It’s been such a great feeling having these girls and going out on top,” he said. “They have been with me forever and it’s going to be really hard driving home and seeing those seniors in the rear-view mirror for the last time.”
Class C State Girls Golf
Team Standings
Wayne 352-344 — 696
Minden 346-351 — 697
West Holt 376-363 — 739
Columbus Scotus 379-272 — 751
Sutton 376-378 — 754
Holdrege 381-380 — 761
LCC 394-381 — 775
Grand Island CC 398-384 — 782
EMF 396-388 — 784
Chadron 424-392 — 816
Valentine 404-415 — 819
Ogallala 411-423 — 834
Boone Central 426-416 — 842
Omaha Concordia 433-440 — 873
Lincoln Christian 440-435 — 875
State Medalists
1. Kara Suchsland, Minden 77-77 — 154
T2. Mia Hiebner, Heartland 84-72 — 156
T2. KayLynn Jorgensen, Minden 77-79 — 156
4. Julia Messere, GICC 82-76 — 158
5. Joslyn Johnson, Wayne 84-82 — 166
T6. Quinnn VunCannon, Sctus 84-84 — 168
T6. Carli Canham, Wayne 78-90 — 168
8. Daleni Knust, West Holt 88-83 — 171
T9. Molly Custer, Broken Bow 89-85 — 174
T9. Amelia Ptacnik, Holdrege 87-87 — 174
11. Abigail Klooz, EMF 84-93 — 177
12. Tierney Miller, Valentine 93-85 — 178
T13. Charli Sievers, Wayne 98-82 — 180
T13. Reese Ribera, Ogallala 89-91 — 180
15. Abbie Milton, EMF 91-90 — 181
Area Results
WAYNE (696)
Joslyn Johnson 84-82 — 166
Carli Canham 78-90 — 168
Charli Sievers 98-82 — 180
Lindsay Niemann 92-90 — 182
Hallie Heithold 102-97 — 199
LCC (775)
Clara Brummels 91-91 — 182
Holly Patefield 99-93 — 192
Harper Bruning 100-100 — 200
Skylar Swanson 104-97 — 201
Danica Gould 119-120 — 239
