West Valley senior Melia Cerenzia wins Kalispel Championship; Brian McGann scores go-ahead goal for Gonzaga Prep soccer | Prep roundup

TL;DR

West Valley senior Melia Cerenzia won the girls Kalispel Championship with a score of 2-under 71, finishing 10 strokes ahead of her competitors. Gonzaga Prep secured the team title by one stroke over Mead.

Key points

Melia Cerenzia won the girls Kalispel Championship
Cerenzia shot 2-under 71, finishing 10 strokes ahead
Gonzaga Prep won the team event by one stroke
Maryn Langham finished second at 8-over 81
Naomi Molitor and Lily Knight tied for third at 12-over 85

Mentioned in this story

Kalispel Golf and Country Club

Melia CerenziaMaryn LanghamNaomi MolitorLily Knight

May 9—West Valley senior Melia Cerenzia shot 2-under 71 to win the girls Kalispel Championship by 10 strokes at the Kalispel Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

Cerenzia birdied two of the first four holes and cruised from there. She added another birdie on No. 10 but bogeyed the par-5 12th and strung six straight pars to finish the victory.

"I figured there was more out there," she said about the quick start. "The first couple holes, those ones are easy to get pretty low on. So I just was kind of trying to stay consistent through the tough ones."

Mead's Maryn Langham was second at 8-over 81 while Naomi Molitor of Almira/Coulee-Hartline and Lily Knight of Freeman tied for third at 12-over 85. Gonzaga Prep (plus-76) won the team event by one stroke over Mead. West Valley was third at plus-86.

Cerenzia wasn't concerned with scoreboard watching, even with top golfers from all six classifications participating at the unique tournament.

"I think it doesn't really matter," she said. "It's just kind of a game against yourself and seeing how good you can play, especially like giving yourself opportunities (to score)."

Cerenzia had praise for the Kalispel's course.

"The course is always very hard, so it's a fun one. They keep it in great shape, and it's always a perfect tournament."

Cerenzia was the State 2A champion as a sophomore at MeadowWood Golf Course in Liberty Lake and placed fourth last year at Tumwater Golf Club. She feels "pretty good with my swing" heading into districts and state this year.

"It's more just the mental (aspect), making sure I have a good head on my shoulders and keeping it positive."

The girls State 2A tournament this year is at Riverside Golf Club in Chehalis.

Mead senior Ben Barrett shot 1-under 71 to win his third consecutive boys title in the event. He was one stroke ahead of Mt. Spokane's Mason Dietzen, Justin Krasselt of Cheney and Dylan Masterson of Lewis and Clark.

Barrett had two birdies early, but bogeyed No. 14 to fall back to even par. He bounced back to birdie No. 15 and held off the pack.

Lewis and Clark took the team title at plus-14, one stroke ahead of Cheney. Ridgeline and Central Valley tied for third at plus-22.

Baseball

Pasco 2, Mead 0: Max Garcia struck out six over five innings, Seth Laine provided two scoreless innings of relief, and the eighth-seeded Bulldogs (5-17) eliminated the visiting ninth-seeded Panthers (7-15) in a District 6 4A play-in game. Caleb Szendre singled and scored on an error in the third inning and RJ Lopez scored on a wild pitch in the fifth.

Walla Walla 6, Shadle Park 2: Michael Spalding drove in four runs and the visiting ninth-seeded Blue Devils (7-14) eliminated the eighth-seeded Highlanders (6-15) in a District 6 3A play-in game. Roy'al Pierre-Lacy and Drew Sanchez knocked in runs for Shadle. Walla Walla travels to top-seeded University for a first-round game on Saturday.