HUDSON, Wis. — It wasn’t always flashy, but the Stillwater boys golf team avoided any pitfalls throughout the season to lock up an improbable Suburban East Conference championship on Wednesday, May 22 at Troy Burns Golf Club.
The Ponies placed third in the conference tournament with a total of 315. It was an exciting conclusion with Cretin-Derham Hall finishing at 302 to place first for the fourth time in six conference events. Park slipped into second in the finale at 314, one shot ahead of the Ponies, while White Bear Lake landed fourth just two shots behind Stillwater with a score of 317.
With double points at stake for the SEC Tournament, a first- or second-place finish by the Bears would have been enough to overtake Stillwater for the overall conference title.
This is the first conference title for the Ponies since 2019 when they capped a run of three in a row. Stillwater has placed third in the SEC each of the previous three seasons.
Stillwater finished with 55 points to hold off Cretin-Derham Hall (52) while White Bear Lake (50) and Park (46) completed the top four.
“If White Bear Lake was four shots better they would have won,” Ponies coach John Scanlon said. “Every shot was key.
“You think about the number of shots in a match or season — it’s 1,500 shots or something like that, and it really came down to four shots.”
Cretin-Derham Hall has been ranked among the top five in the state by the Minnesota Golf Association and was a strong favorite in the SEC coming into the season. The Raiders featured four of the top seven players in the conference based on scoring average. The Ponies, meanwhile, were more understated with six players ranked between 9th and 18th.
But the Raiders were hindered greatly after some disqualifications led to an incomplete score and zero points in a conference event at StoneRidge midway through the season.
“It’s a strange thing,” Scanlon said. “I feel bad for Cretin. It was a rule that cost them the title, because they would have easily won it, but it is what it is. We had to take it from there.”
Behind individual medalist Michael Markley, who shot a 73 in tough scoring conditions, the Raiders placed three individuals among the top six in the conference tourney.
Zeke Roberts led the Ponies in a tie for sixth place with a 76. Dane Berggren was next for Stillwater with a 78, one shot ahead of Ryan Stanek (79). Teammates Parker Trobec and Brendon Rickheim were next for the Ponies with matching 82s.
“Ryan had a good day,” Scanlon said. “It was rough day with the wind, but he got up and down on the 15th hole for par and made par on the 18th to solidify the win.
“He shot all of his rounds in the 70s. He is playing on a bad left ankle and really gutted it out.”
Stillwater’s path to the league title was at risk midway through the round after a sluggish start. A brief storm disrupted play for 30 minutes or so and the delay seemed to help the Ponies regroup.
“I think it did,” Scanlon said. “We were in the hole. White Bear Lake was winning, Cretin-Derham Hall was second and Park was in there. It was a cell that covered the whole course and there was lightning and thunder. Afterward, it was pretty nice and the wind died down.”
The players also remained positive on Wednesday, even when things weren’t going so well.
“I think it’s just resilience,” Scanlon said. “They never stopped. They always fought. I tell them I never want to see your chin down and be positive and I think that’s why we played well on the back nine. We always hung in there and stayed positive.”
Depth and balance has been an important contributor to Stillwater’s success all season and that was also on display in the conference tourney.
“It’s neat to see all six of the guys make all-conference,” Scanlon said. “They weren’t the best players in the conference and they all had ups and downs, but they all contributed.
“It’s really a hard-working team. They practice all the time. Zeke, Dane and Brendon, they’re just really hard practicers and they earned everything they got.”
The Ponies are scheduled to compete in the Section 4AAA Tournament on May 28-29 at Bunker Hills Golf Course.
Team standings
1. Cretin-Derham Hall 302; 2. Park 314; 3. Stillwater 315; 4. White Bear Lake 317; 5. Woodbury 323; 6. Mounds View 326; 7. East Ridge 335; 8. Roseville 342; 9. Forest Lake 350; 10. Irondale 362.
Stillwater results (par 72)
T6. Zeke Roberts 76; T9. Dane Berggren 78; T12. Ryan Stanek 79; 21, tie, Parker Trobec 82 and Brendon Rickheim 82; 48. Luke Myers 90. Medalist — 1. Michael Markley (C-DH) 73.
Final SEC standings
1. Stillwater 55; 2. Cretin-Derham Hall 52; 3. White Bear Lake 50; 4. Park 46; 5, tie, Mounds View 27 and East Ridge 27; 7. Woodbury 22; 8. Irondale 14; 9. Forest Lake 12; 10. Roseville 9.
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