Snake River boys golf team brings home back-to-back state trophies for the first time ever

Even Jeb Harrison didn’t realize it.

The Snake River High School head golf coach took a moment before it finally dawned on him that history had indeed been made.

The boys team brought home back-to-back state trophies for the first time in program history with its fourth-place finish Tuesday at the Class 3A State Tournament on the Twin Lakes Village Golf Course in Rathdrum.

“That is cool,” Snake River head coach Jeb Harrison said. “I had never thought of that.

“But going into it, we were kind of hoping that we could do better than fourth place. So it’s kind of disappointing, but we’re happy that we’re at least getting a trophy.”

Especially after day one on Monday.

Snake River, which took third place a year ago, started the day in fifth − one stroke back of Kimberly − after beginning the tournament with an uncharacteristic 76-over par. But it was a much different story Tuesday.

The team of Easton Bruderer, Crew Albertson, Brogan Katseanes, Boeden Burke and Hunter Lee combined to shed 19 strokes off their game on the final day of competition. It resulted in them carding a 57-over par for a total score of +133 − 12 strokes better than the next closest team in Sugar-Salem.

“I think the first day we kind of let our emotions get control of us because this course is a super frustrating course. And I think we kind of let the course play us on day one,” Harrison said. “And on day two it was, ‘Hey, we’re gonna play the course and not let the course play us.’

“Three of our kids are sophomores and one is a freshman and they all played better on the second day. So it’s really exciting for the future that we have four kids who have two years of tournament experience where we did trophy both years.”

Albertson, a sophomore, had the best individual showing at 29-over par for a 15th-place outing. Only the top-10 finishers place at state.

Kimberly’s Wyatt Williams won the state championship on a second hole playoff over Filer’s Hudson Reinke. Filer claimed the team title at 90-over par.

Snake River finished last on the girls’ side at +409. Brighton VanOrden was its best placer (16th) at 75-over par.

Bonners Ferry’s Braylyn Bayer took home the state title by winning a second hole playoff against Kimberly’s Ellyce Simmons. Kimberly walked away with its second team championship in three years at 102-over par.