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Forest Lake 3rd after Day 2 surge |
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Wednesday, 11 June 2008 |
Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
As it turned out, improved play and lower scores on the second day of the boys state golf tournament weren’t enough for Forest Lake to climb out of the 10-stroke hole it created on Day 1.
By the time the tourney was wrapping up on Wednesday, June 4, the Rangers would jump ahead of Alexandria, White Bear Lake, Chaska and Lakeville North, but have to settle for third-place behind conference rival Park (596) and Edina (604).
Forest Lake would fire a two-day total 605, which was four shots better than top-ranked Chaska, who finished in fourth place at 609.
Rangers head coach John Buck said he was happy his team could mount some sort of second-round come back, but he went in to that day hoping his squad could put together a 288.
“That’s asking a lot,” he admitted, “and it still wouldn’t have been enough. We would have needed to shoot 283 (to overtake Park).”
Just what went wrong on Tuesday will remain the great unknown. Buck had watched his golfers crank out team scores in the 290s leading up to state, but then they opened with a 311 at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids.
“Were they almost too relaxed? I don’t know,” Buck said. “But 311, I was kind of shocked.”
The four Ranger scores that added up to the surprising total were Jeremy Tetrault (75), Peter Follese (76), John Young (79) and either Doug Jeans or Paul Moberg, who shot identical 81s.
With the first day over and done with, Forest Lake returned to the course on Wednesday focused on the difficult task of making up 10 strokes on Park.
Follese (right) came through with a two-under 70, for a round in which Buck said could have easily been a 66.
“He was playing that good. He had 16 pars and two birdies.”
Follese would take seventh overall, and he was followed by John Young (71) in 15th place.
“John was really solid,” Buck said.
Right behind Young was Tetrault in 16th place after picking up a 76, and both Jeans and Moberg knocked four shots off their earlier round and tied again, this time with 77s.
Andrew Kelly completed the Rangers roster, closing out his high school career with a 169 total.
Forest Lake will have Young, Jeans, Moberg and other young talents back in 2009, but they will be without the recently graduated Follese, Tetrault and Kelly. All three plan on golfing for their respective colleges, so a few new players will have some big bags to carry next spring.
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