Hawks win in Seeley Invite

It all comes down to the Western B.

With an optimism based on some fine late-season results from the Seeley-Swan Invitational at Double Arrow Golf Course Thursday, coach Gary Thompson and his Blue Hawk boys and girls were set to play in the Western B (also called Division 3 by the MHSA) tournament at Eagle Bend in Bigfork Wednesday.

Thompson was impressed with how his golfers performed at Double Arrow last week and will be looking for some of that same kind of fine play at Eagle Bend Wednesday. The top four teams and the top 15 single players automatically qualify for the State B tournament, to be played at Eagle Rock Golf Course in Billings May 18-19, and Thompson wants to be one of those four teams with the boys.

If last week's showing is any indication, there could be a lot of Hawk golfers flocking to Billings next week for the State B.

In Seeley, senior Kade Pardee won the individual title with a 79, Tristan Subatch tied for fifth individually with a 91, Cael Thilmony carded 99 and Jesse Claridge 104 as the Hawks posted the low team score of 373. Loyola, at 386, was second.

With the girls, Thompson Falls' sister act of Megan Baxter, a senior, and Ellie Baxter, a sophomore, finished first and second in the race for the singles title, with Megan shooting 94 and Ellie 99. They were the only girls in the tournament to break 100 on the tough Double Arrow course last week.

All of which leads to some unbridled optimism from coach Thompson.

"I am optimistic, our kids have really improved and showed up in a big way in Seeley-Swan," he said. "Now we will see how divisional goes, hopefully we can get the boys in the top four teams and get everybody to state."

The Falls girls will not figure in team scoring at divisional or state but the Baxter girls look to make the Blue Hawks' presence felt on that side as singles entities.

The boys side is going to be competitive Thompson offered as Loyola, Manhattan, Anaconda, Boulder and Townsend will also be in the mix, but he thinks a top four finish is totally possible.

"That's the goal, get the whole team through and then take our chances at state," Thompson said. "The kids have worked hard all year and now is the time to play your best."

Hawk golfers were set to travel to Bigfork Tuesday for a practice round and the Division 3 tournament was then to be played Wednesday.