Perserving amid some tough weather, a pair of Powell High School golfers earned All-State honors at last weekend’s 3A State Golf Tournament in Afton.

Lady Panther Mycah Wainscott, the lone representative for PHS on the girls’ side, had a tournament to remember the Star Valley View Golf Course, shooting 85-95 to finish in a tie for third. Wainscott earned All-State honors for the second straight year.

“Mycah played outstanding golf in the final event of her high school career,” coach Troy Hildebrand said of the PHS senior. “She hung in there and did an excellent job of limiting her big numbers. She hit the ball very well and made a lot of pars and bogeys to stay right near the top throughout both days.”

Hildebrand added that Wainscott’s positive attitude in the face of adverse conditions served her well over the course of the tournament, giving her an advantage.

“She [Wainscott] has a great chance to move on and play golf in college if she would like, and she has left a tremendous mark on our program,” he said.

Lander’s Rachel Stoinski took top honors, carding a 75-77 for the championship. Riverton’s Sierra Brubaker was second, shooting a 87-90.

Meanwhile, for the boys, PHS junior George Higgins followed up his All-Conference performance by earning All State honors. He fired rounds of 79 and 80 for the tournament, despite hitting a rough patch on the back nine during Saturday’s round. He closed out the final round with a birdie to take sixth place.

“George’s rise from beginning golfer two years ago to this point is amazing, and to have him for another year is very exciting for Panther golf,” Hildebrand said. “While many high school players would have folded, the mental toughness and perseverance that George showed to hang in there and start making pars again was remarkable. He worked extremely hard on his game this summer and I was pleased to see him get rewarded for those efforts.”

The Panthers finished 11th out of 13 full teams overall, with their four best scores over the two days totalling 788 strokes. Lander completed a three-peat as state champions, shooting a blistering 601 — post an average score below 74 across their eight best rounds.

“That is the lowest that I have seen in 3A in any of my 19 years as the head coach,” Hildebrand said. Lander’s Jaren Calkins won the event by going 2-under par with rounds of 71 and 67.

For the Panthers, only senior Crandell Sanders and Higgins had played at state before and “that inexperience along with the weather resulted in our scores being a little above where we had been the last few weeks,” Hildebrand said.

Sanders shot an 87 to open the tournament, and was in position for a Top 10 finish with a good round on day two. It wasn’t to be, however, as he wound up with a 101 on Saturday, finishing 34h.

Sanders “ran into a hole where he got every bad break possible,” according to his coach, and “that really took the wind out of his sails.”

“... While he hung in there to put his best foot forward, the weather turned and he had a tough back nine,” Hildebrand said. “While it wasn’t the finish Crandell was hoping for, I will say that his value to our team over the past four years is immeasurable.”

A varsity player since his first tournament as a freshman, Sanders can claim numerous Top 10 finishes over the course of his career, as well as back-to-back All-Conference honors.

“Crandell will be a very tough player to replace in our line-up,” Hildebrand said.

Freshman Steven Stambaugh carded a 107-109 in his first-ever state tournament appearance.

“[Those scores] are a great baseline for him to build off of over the next few years,” Hildebrand said. “It is always nice to have freshmen that can step in and contribute for your team in golf, and that is exactly what Steven did for us this year. He’s a very athletic young man, and I know his best golf is yet to come.”

Sophomore Brandon Wentz shot 114-111.

“Brandon wasn’t able to play a lot of golf this summer, but he truly made the most of our short six-week season to improve as much as he possibly could,” he said. “Brandon has a ton of upside in golf, and it will be exciting to see where he is by this time next fall.”

Junior Yogi Sullivan rounded out the Panther contingent, carding a 114 and 118. Sullivan played some of his best golf of the season in a Thursday practice round, the coach said.

“The poor conditions Friday and Saturday really didn’t allow him to match that in either tournament round, but at least he saw what he was capable of as a player,” Hildebrand said. “It was fun to see him play like that and have the bounce in his step from that experience. Yogi will have some positive experiences to draw on ...”

Hildebrand said he’s “very pleased” to have four of the five boys back next year.

“Crandell [Sanders] has been a fantastic leader for this team all year,” the coach said, “and while we will miss him next fall, he has helped build a nice foundation for our team.”