Second place team 26 strokes behind Hillsboro

Daniel Kunantaev shot 75 and the Hillsboro High School golf team won the two- and four-man championships at the Sacred Heart Invitational at Salina Municipal Golf Course.

Kunantaev, a former 3A state runner-up, was six strokes ahead of second place Mark Cunningham of Ellsworth.

Two other Trojan golfers placed in the top-four, and a total of four were in the top-10.

“This was by far our best performance as a team,” said HHS Head Coach Scott O’Hare.

Kunantaev, who had been struggling for a player of his caliber lately, “got his game back on track,” according to O’Hare.

It also helped that Thane Hurst, Jake Kenney, and Jared King all shot their lowest scores ever in a tournament.

The freshman Hurst took third in the tournament shooting 83, Kenney was fourth at 84, and King was ninth with 86.

“Hopefully this tournament will serve as a springboard … and give them some confidence heading into the last couple of weeks of the season,” O’Hare said.

Bennington

HHS had two golfers place in the top-10 and the team took third place April 28 at the Bennington invitational at the Elks Country Club in Salina.

It was the first varsity tournament Daniel Dick has been below 90.

Kunantaev shot 86 to take seventh, while Dick was two strokes behind in 10th place.

“I was very proud of Daniel’s performance,” O’Hare said. I believe this will be a big confidence-booster for him.”