The dynasty is alive and well.<\/p>\n
For the second straight year, the Kansas Class 6A girls\u2019 golf championship trophy is heading to Manhattan High, gleaming once again in MHS blue and red.<\/p>\n
The Indians clinched their second consecutive state title Tuesday at Hesston Golf Course, firing a two-day total of 617 \u2014 12 strokes clear of runner-up Shawnee Mission East.<\/p>\n
The championship marks Manhattan\u2019s 13th state title in program history and second in as many years, reestablishing the Indians as one of Kansas\u2019 high school golf elites.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s always been a motivation, you look and you see all those years that we\u2019ve won the state championship, and it\u2019s really motivating to make it more and want to continue that legacy,” senior Kat Ball said. “I think that definitely has driven us, even after winning last year. We wanted more \u2014 so I\u2019m very glad that we were able to get this for me and a lot of the girls’ last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a 317 on a difficult, gusty opening round left them six shots back, the veteran Manhattan squad responded with the round of the tournament \u2014 a 300 on Tuesday \u2014 to storm past the field and secure another dominant finish.<\/p>\n
Head coach Paige McCarthy said there was calm confidence in the team\u2019s approach heading into the final day.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, going into today, since we were within the six strokes, we just felt pretty calm,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cCoach Kim Crusinberry and I were so confident that these girls, being the chasers, would really be on their game. They started out playing pretty well, and we weren\u2019t making any headway. Shawnee Mission East was staying with us. But then all of a sudden, after about five or six holes, the tide started to turn.\u201d<\/p>\n
That steadiness paid off quickly. As the holes remaining dwindled, Manhattan\u2019s balance and depth began to rise above the rest of the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re just such competitors,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cAlmost all of them have played other sports, or do play other sports, and they just have that drive in them \u2014 they know what it is to compete. We\u2019ve said, everyone just take care of what you can control, and they did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Junior Maddie Myers led Manhattan once again, putting a bow on another remarkable season. She placed second individually with a 7-over-par total of 149 (75\u201374).<\/p>\n
Right alongside her was the senior Ball, who followed closely in third at 150 (76\u201374), giving Manhattan two top-three finishers for the second straight year, with Ball and Myers switching placements.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Myers \u2014 one of the program\u2019s anchor since her freshman year \u2014 the repeat felt even more rewarding than the first.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re so hype,\u201d Myers said. \u201cWe\u2019re so glad we could just do it again. We\u2019ve honestly been thinking of this moment all year. Staying focused was really difficult \u2014 I know we were all pretty nervous going into this, just because we knew what we really wanted. We knew we could do it \u2014 we just knew we had to definitely work for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCarthy called Myers the definition of composure.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s got ice in her veins,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cShe just loves golf, and she doesn\u2019t let anything rattle her. On the 18th hole, she drove to the left and was not far from being out of bounds, and she had to go over some trees and over a bunch of people standing by the green. She didn\u2019t even think twice about it \u2014 she just hit an awesome shot to the fringe, and then she got up and down from there. She just lives for it. She loves golf.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senior Lily Bahr was the consistent presence the title holders needed, tying for eighth with a 156 (79\u201377). McCarthy also praised Bahr\u2019s steady senior leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cLily, I can\u2019t forget her. She was really solid as well,” McCarthy said. “She\u2019s worked so hard, and last year she didn\u2019t play quite as well as her practice showed. I\u2019m just so thrilled for her that she came up big so many times this year and was very consistent for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senior Wrenn Burton surged up the leaderboard on Day 2 with a 75 to place 15th at 165, following a 90 on Monday. Senior Jessica Kim rounded out the scoring in 20th with a 168 (87\u201381).<\/p>\n
Burton and Kim\u2019s second-day rallies helped seal the comeback as Manhattan pulled away late to erase its early deficit.<\/p>\n
\u201cDay 2 Wrenn \u2014 that’s her name. She did that last year too,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cShe had a high first day, and then she just came back with a great score the second round. She didn\u2019t carry anything with her from Day 1 to Day 2. It was just a new beginning, and she didn\u2019t lose confidence in herself.<\/p>\n
“And Jessica \u2014 she just went crazy,” McCarthy continued. “She played so well. I don\u2019t even know if her score counted, but she really contributed. She came up big.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ball said the key to Manhattan\u2019s success wasn\u2019t just talent \u2014 it was trust in the lineup from top to bottom.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis season was literally so amazing \u2014 the joy and fun we have all playing together, but also the competitiveness we bring each other, it\u2019s just something that\u2019s unmatched,\u201d Ball said. \u201cI don\u2019t think any other team has it like us. That\u2019s what makes golf so special \u2014 yes, it\u2019s an individual sport, but it\u2019s also a team sport because we make each other better.\u201d<\/p>\n
The senior also reflected on her bond with Myers, which dates back more than a decade.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie has been my little baby since day one,\u201d Ball said. \u201cWe\u2019ve played golf together since we were five years old, and I wouldn\u2019t change it for the world. It was so bittersweet watching her finish her last hole and knowing this was kind of it for us playing golf together for school. But I\u2019m so grateful for everything Maddie has done for me. We\u2019ve just been very close, and I\u2019m so thankful for everything we\u2019ve done \u2014 and she\u2019s done for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before Tuesday\u2019s final round, Ball said the team gathered for one last meeting \u2014 fittingly, in the weight room of their hotel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just kind of gathered together and were like, what do we need to do?\u201d she said. \u201cAnd really, the conclusion we came to was that we just have to play our own game. Stop worrying about what we should do or what was bad \u2014 just focus on ourselves and every shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The victory capped a historic season for the defending champions, who swept every tournament they entered, including the Centennial League title and regional crown.<\/p>\n
McCarthy\u2019s team continued its signature depth at state \u2014 with all five golfers finishing inside the top 20. Windy, cool conditions at Hesston challenged much of the field across both rounds, but the Indians\u2019 experience and poise again proved the difference.<\/p>\n
Myers and Ball both made a push for the individual lead medalist, but Shawnee Mission East\u2019s Ella Slicker held on late, carding a 148 (70\u201378) for first place at 6-over.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing is, our girls have really become good friends with a lot of them at Shawnee Mission East,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cTheir coach has been very gracious and kind to us and our girls, and has appreciated their work. We just realize how hard all of our girls have worked to get to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shawnee Mission East, last year\u2019s runner-up as well, was the only program to match Manhattan in a tournament this season, tying for first with the Indians at the Firebird Invitational in September. This time, the Indians left no doubt.<\/p>\n
Manhattan will graduate a large core of seniors who contributed to back-to-back state titles, but the foundation remains strong. McCarthy expects the standard to stay high.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the potential to be decent next year and continue the program on its upward swing,\u201d she said. \u201cBut these last two years are going to be hard to beat.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Myers, next year\u2019s lone returning star, the goal is simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really hoping to get my fourth year in a row to win at league individually,\u201d Myers said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m just hoping to put my best foot forward \u2014 scoring-wise \u2014 trying to get the best average that I\u2019ve had in my whole high school career.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manhattan\u2019s dynasty \u2014 13 state titles strong \u2014 now stands as the benchmark for Kansas golf once again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistoric. We have been very careful since the beginning to really appreciate the special group that they are,” McCarthy said. “They\u2019re so self-driven and have so much support from their parents. They\u2019ve worked hard, competed, and put in the time during the summers. I\u2019m so glad for them that it\u2019s paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The dynasty is alive and well. For the second straight year, the Kansas Class 6A girls\u2019 golf championship…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11562,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[4029,2014,75,84,83,9,24,63,9225,9224,319],"class_list":{"0":"post-11561","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manhattan","8":"tag-ball-games","9":"tag-golf","10":"tag-manhattan","11":"tag-manhattan-headlines","12":"tag-manhattan-news","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-city","15":"tag-nyc","16":"tag-outdoor-sports","17":"tag-precision-sports","18":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11561\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}