by Scott Sacry
A Florence golf team hoisted a state championship trophy for the second straight year. Last year it was the girls; this year it was the boys.
The Florence boys golf team of Ian McLean, Brody Duchien, RJ Moody, Preston Ekstedt, and Easton Anderson, claimed the Class B Golf State Championship title at the Lake Hills Golf Course in Billings on Wednesday, May 20. Florence shot a combined score of 658 (+82) over two rounds to defeat second place Manhattan by four strokes.
“We had a great group of boys this year,” said Florence head golf coach Scott Marsh. “The boys had some early success this season. They stalled a bit midway, but then they turned it on toward the end of season and won divisionals and state.”
“This is the first state trophy for the Florence boys golf program,” said Marsh. “They skipped second and third and went straight for the championship trophy.”
In high school golf, five golfers are allowed to play per team, and the lowest four scores count toward the overall team total.
“The strength of our team was our depth,” said Marsh. “We had three seniors in Duchien, McLean, and Ekstedt, and then two freshmen in Moody and Anderson. Our alternate Oliver Fisher would have been a starter on almost any other team in the state.”
Florence girls state runner-up
The Florence girls won the second place trophy. The team of Kipley Solari, Jordan Kidd, Lacie Ketelhut, Reese Briney, and Lexi Danczyk, put forth a strong effort but fell short of a repeat title. A strong Lone Peak team took first.
“Some would think that the girls getting second place after winning the state championship last year would be disappointing,” said Marsh, “but we actually shot 23 shots better than we did last year when we won. Lone Peak just had an exceptional team this year.”
Marsh highlighted that the MHSA allowed each team to have four coaches on the course this season, and having these extra coaches to help the kids proved invaluable. Marsh gave special thanks to his assistant coaches Kurt Solari, Keri Briney, Bobbie Ketelhut, and Brian Frederick.
This is the third straight season the Florence girls have taken home a state trophy. They placed second in 2024, first in 2025, and now second in 2026. “We’ve had a great run on the girls’ side,” said Marsh. “The core group of girls have one more year left. We sent the senior boys home with a title this year, so we hope to send the girls out with a bang next year.”
Florence boys individual results. Brody Duchien was +13 (75, 82) and tied for fourth. Ian McLean was +17 (82, 79) and took 11th. RJ Moody was +21 (78, 87) and tied for 14th, and both Easton Anderson (92, 88) and Preston Ekstedt (87, 93) were +36 and tied for 46th.
Florence girls individual results. Last year’s state champion Kipley Solari was +20 (82, 82) and finished in fourth. Reese Briney was +43 (88, 99) and tied for 14th. Jordan Kidd was +46 (95, 95) and tied for 21st, Lacie Ketelhut tied for 33rd (100, 96), and Lexi Danczyk tied for 47th (100, 109).
Darby’s 8th grader Bentley Rouse qualified individually for the state tournament and shot a 106 and a 107 to tie for 50th.
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