Lady Orange wins district title

Battling adversity became the theme of the day for the Beatrice Lady Orange golf team Monday during the B-1 District golf tournament at the Beatrice Country Club.

The threat of rain resulted in a format change for the tournament Monday morning with the tournament beginning with a shotgun start and all players completing the front nine holes before moving to the back nine later in the day.

Rain finally moved into the area in the afternoon causing some problems for the golfers.

But those weren’t the only challenges the Lady Orange faced in their quest to return to the state tournament.

Beatrice also had to overcome the disqualification of their No. 2 player and an on-the-course injury to their No. 5 golfer.

In the end, however, the Lady Orange overcame it all and were unchallenged when it came to picking up their fifth straight district golf championship.

Beatrice easily won the B-1 team title with a 387.

Firth Norris finished second at 417, while Ashland-Greenwood/Elmwood-Murdock was third with a 496.

All three of the Top Three teams qualify for the Class B State girls golf tournament, which will be held next week in Grand Island.

The Lady Orange will be making their 13th straight trip to state.

For Norris, it’s the first-time ever the Lady Titans have qualified for state as a team.

Beatrice coach Darrel Hoffman said the Lady Orange were a little “lucky” in the end to claim the team championship.

“We had a very unfortunate disqualification, but that’s why you have five players out there,” Hoffman said.

The Lady Orange’s No. 2 golfer Sydney Moran was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard.

Hoffman said the trouble came with a miscommunication between Moran and the golfer keeping her scorecard, who happened to be an exchange student.

Without Moran’s score, Hoffman said the Lady Orange had to have other golfers “come through.”

That, the coach said, became a “fragile” thing when No. 5 golfer Mariah Ostermann was stung near the eye during the round.

If Ostermann couldn’t have finished playing the 18 holes, carding a 114, Beatrice would have been down to three golfers and out of the team race.

“We would have been three and out,” Hoffman said. “That’s how close it was.”

One of the brightest spots on the day for Beatrice, according to Hoffman, was the play of senior Betsy Havekost.

Havekost easily won the individual championship with an 83.

“Betsy has had a remarkable season,” Hoffman said. “She played the back nine just flawless. She had a little struggle at the start, but then she started paring everything in sight.”

Also medaling for Beatrice were Natalia Kraviec, who was third with a 94; and Ashley Reiter, who was fourth with a 97.

Kraviec and Reiter both did some good things on the course, but both had some trouble at times, too, Hoffman said.

Norris coach Bob Hegler said he’s taught at Norris 38 years and can’t remember a girls golf team ever qualifying for state.

“We’ve never had a girls group going,” Hegler said. “We’ve had a number of individuals in the past, but never a team.”

Hegler said team members “started from the ground up” as freshmen and have steadily improved.

“It’s been a matter of working over the years and making continual improvement,” Hegler said. “It’s been a lot of dedication and a lot of hard work.”

Norris had four individual medalists to go along with its runner-up finish.

Erin Schoenbeck secured her third-straight trip to the Class B State tournament, finishing as the district runner-up with a 93.

Schoenbeck has medaled in every meet she’s participated in the past two seasons, Hegler said.

“She (Schoenbeck) is really our team leader as far as scores go,” Hegler said.

Brittany Blum placed fifth for the Lady Titans with a 104, while Amy Fosler tied for seventh with a 108 and Laura Gratopp was 10th with a 112.

“Brittany plays really well for us,” Hegler said.

Hegler said Norris’ third and fourth golfers, Fosler and Gratopp, also came through Monday.

“They (Fosler and Gratopp) played steady golf for us and played good golf for us,” Hegler said. “They helped us pull it out.”

Also golfing for Norris was Lindsey Egger with a 128.

Fairbury’s Lady Jeffs finished fifth overall in the final team standings with a 540.

The Lady Jeffs were led by Julia Hill with a 122, followed by Kayla Specht, 130; Shalyse Ahl, 142; Karabeth Block, 146; and Rachel Snyder, 153.

B-1 District

Team Standings

1. Beatrice, 387; 2. Firth Norris, 417; 3. Ashland-Greenwood/Elmwood-Murdock, 496; 4. Waverly, 512; 5. Fairbury, 540; 6. Nebraska City, 549; 7. Crete, 553; 8. Seward, 560.

Individual Medal Winners

1. Betsy Havekost, Beatrice, 82; 2. Erin Schoenbeck, Norris, 93; 3. Natalia Kraviec, Beatrice, 94; 4. Ashley Reiter, Beatrice, 97; 5. Brittany Blum, Norris, 104; 6. Anne-Flore Mulliez, Ashland-G/E-M, 106; 7. (tie) Amy Fosler, Norris, and Ashley Vlasin, Crete, 108; 9. Brittany Richtig, Crete, 111; 10. Laura Gratopp, Norris, 112.

Sunland Results

Beatrice: Betsy Havekost, 82; Sydney Moran, DQ; Ashley Reiter, 97; Natalia Kraviec, 94; Mariah Ostermann, 114.

Norris: Erin Schoenbeck, 93; Brittany Blum, 104; Amy Fosler, 108; Laura Gratopp, 112; Lindsey Egger, 128.

Fairbury: Kayla Specht, 130; Julia Hill, 122; Karabeth Block, 146; Shalyse Ahl, 142; Rachel Snyder, 153.