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The Catalina Foothills Girls Golf team has been in the hunt for a state championship since 2003, winning three (2004, 2006 & 2009) and finishing second (2003, 2005, 2007 & 2008) along the way. The school finished in third place in 2001.

The Salpointe girls had a string of second place finishes at the 5A level in the early part of the decade, from 2000-2003, but it is a difficult battle with Xavier winning every state championship since 1998. (Xavier came in second place from 1996-97 but won state championships from 1980-1995, all under coach Sister Lynn Winsor).

Marana does not have a rich history in Golf although their sister school Mountain View was the runner-up in 2008.

Marana’s top golfer, senior Yvette Acedo, has only been playing golf for two years and has a great game for a beginner. Contrast that with Salpointe freshman sensation Krystal Quihuis, who has been playing since she was seven, and you can see the main reason for the success difference.

The Foothills have been so dominant in girls golf that they had a streak of 100 regular season wins in a row against Southern Arizona teams.  Their last loss was September 18, 2003 against none other than Salpointe.  But, like all streaks, it eventually came to an end when Salpointe and Marana came to Dell Urich (Randolph South) to playing Foothills late Wednesday.

Salpointe defeated Foothills 158-162. Marana posted a 255.

Foothills senior Laura Jabczenski posted a 35, edging out Quihuis who had a 36. Salpointe sophomore Brianna Vogel shot a 37 and her teammate Tess Terry had 40.

Foothills senior Erin McClure posted a 41 as did senior Taylor Dunagan. Grace Tooley and Alex Davis each scored 45 while Acedo came in with a 54 for Marana.

The rest of Marana’s scores were Carley Nelson with a 64, Courtney Gourdin with a 67 and Daniella Diaz Jael Espinoza with a 70.

Jabczenski is the defending state champion and she will be playing for Northern Arizona next fall, the same school that signed her older sister Heather. McClure has visited Penn State and will be on her way to visit with Boston University Thursday morning with her mother.

Her exposure on the national level was accelerated due to her summer schedule, a schedule that included a spot at the 62nd U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship where she was seen by college coaches.

“It was an awesome experience,” said McClure. I was lucky enough to qualify and I met a lot of coaches and players.” McClure wants to major in business and Penn State, with their two golf courses, offers plenty for McClure but she will take her time. Her sister Morgan is a sophomore at Louisville.

Joining McClure at the Junior Championship was Quihuis. Not even a month into her freshman year and she has already been promoted to the top spot on Salpointe’s roster. “I feel really excited about it and I’m also very proud of my teammates,” she explained.

Quihuis plays with intensity on the course and seems in complete control of her surroundings. A big difference for her at Junior Championship was the use of a caddy. The USGA provides a caddy and, according to the McClure and Quihuis families, they treated the girls like professionals.

Acedo, as I mentioned before, has only been on the golf course for two years. Going up against two of the best in the state would be difficult for any athlete but she handled it well with a constant smile. “I was kind of nervous but also relaxed,” she said.

“I love golf because its an individual sport and when I watch players I try to pick up driving techniques.”

Foothills played without Brittany McKee because her family moved to Chandler and she now attends state-power Hamilton. McKee was one of their top golfers, often exchanging top spots with McClure and Jabczenski.

“It will harder for us because we lost one of out top players,” said McClure. “All of our girls are working hard to defend our championship.”

Salpointe will be playing in the Antigua Invitational this weekend in Maricopa. Catalina Foothills plays at Rincon on Monday along with St. Gregory while Marana plays at Ironwood Ridge on Monday with Pueblo.

Thanks to Mark Polich for his updates and to Michele Murphy for the scores.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 at 8:31 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.