Cheney boys share 3A lead, Cerenzia leads 2A girls | State golf

May 19-Cheney experienced many of the ups and downs that golf is fully capable of dishing out during Tuesday's opening round of the State 3A boys tournament.

The Blackhawks found a way to stay in the state title hunt, earning a share of the lead with Seattle Prep after a 2-over 286 at Indian Canyon.

Gig Harbor is third at 291, followed by Inglemoor and defending champion Mercer Island (293). Central Valley (298) is tied for sixth entering Wednesday's final round.

"Overall it was a good day," Cheney coach Justin Fayant said. "They battled really hard. To be tied for first where I feel like it wasn't our best golf, that's a great place to be going into tomorrow."

Across the state, West Valley senior Melia Cerenzia, pursuing her second individual state championship, grabbed a two-stroke lead with a 1-over 73 in the 2A girls tournament at Riverside Golf Club in Chehalis.

3A boys, girls: Cheney juniors Ryan Howe and Brayden Anderson both shot 2-under 69 - and showed resilience along the way.

Howe reached 3 under after six holes but dropped back to even following a bogey at No. 14. He responded by draining an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 15 and adding another birdie on No. 17.

Howe smashed his drive on the uphill, 449-yard par-5, but missed the green left with his approach from 138 yards out. He coaxed a delicate chip shot to within 7 feet but barely missed his birdie putt.

"I saw quite a few (shots left on the course) and heard about putts that were just on the edge that didn't quite drop," Fayant said. "Golf's a game of inches, so easily there could have been shots taken off, but it goes the other way, too. You get some of those that go in.

"I was really impressed (with Howe and Anderson), as I have been all year."

Anderson bogeyed No. 1 before birdies on three of the next four holes. He pulled his drive left on No. 10 and then called a penalty on himself after moving a pine cone that caused his ball to move "maybe 2 millimeters."

That led to a double bogey, but he got back on track with par saves on 11 and 15 and birdies on 12 and 16.

"It felt good (to bounce back)," he said. "I was kind of discouraged after I went double on 10. I had to get up and down for par on 11 and made a little 5-footer. On 12, I hit a good 6-iron from 215 to 30 feet and two-putted."

Justin Krasselt narrowly missed an 8-foot eagle putt on No. 18, but his birdie capped a 72. Blake Kernen added a 76.

Anderson's hope for Wednesday? "We have to go out and have fun," he said. "Don't let anything affect us too much, smile and just try to play solid."

Central Valley's Chase Sturgis shot a 69 and North Central's Teigen Brill had a 70. Eastside Catholic's Steven Feng, Inglemoor's Nathan Day and Ballard's Lucas Williams are atop a crowded leaderboard at 4-under 67.

Ridgeline (357), Mt. Spokane (377) and Shadle Park (455) didn't finish in the girls' top eight to advance to Wednesday's final round at Deer Park.

2A girls, boys: Cerenzia, the 2024 champ, was steady with 15 pars. She bogeyed the first hole, birdied No. 12 and bogeyed the par-5 16th.

"She seemed pretty satisfied," West Valley coach Ty Brown said. "Aside from a few putts not dropping, she had a solid round. She's a long-ball hitter, and this is a shorter course that requires a good deal of finesse."

Cerenzia is two shots in front of Washougal sophomore Addison Paul and three ahead of Fife's Sofia Nguyen.

West Valley sits in second place, 10 strokes behind Burlington-Edison.

East Valley's Teegan Martinez and Deer Park's Christopher Yohe both shot 76 at Tumwater Valley and are tied for ninth in the boys event.

4A boys, girls: Lewis and Clark, second in last year's boys tournament, has some ground to make up if the Tigers want to win their first state title since 2010.

LC is third after opening with a 19-over 307 at Eagles Pride in DuPont. Skyline (296) is first, followed by defending champion Newport (304).

All five Tigers shot in the mid- to upper 70s, led by Jack Brigham's 75 and 77s by Dylan Masteron and Michael Pirrie.

Mead senior Ben Barrett eagled the first hole en route to a 1-under 71. He's tied for second with Richland's DJ Ramos, one behind Hugo Ramirez of Lake Stevens. Brigham is tied for 15th.

The Gonzaga Prep girls (345) and Lewis and Clark (376) failed to qualify for the final round at Hawks Prairie in Lacey. Gonzaga Prep's Bayler Fix (80) posted the best score among Greater Spokane League participants.

1A girls, 1A boys: Medical Lake's Madison Griffis opened with an 81 at MeadowWood, good for fourth place. Colville is fourth in the team standings.

Almira Coulee-Hartline's Naomi Molitor (77) is in third and Freeman's Lily Knight (79) shares fourth.

The Bush School's Justin Chen fired a 6-under 66 to grab a one-shot lead over Chelan's Carson Clinton.

1B/2B girls, 1B boys, 2B boys: Defending champion Freeman holds the girls' lead with 148 points following the first round at Liberty Lake. Forest Ridge is next with 109.5. Almira Coulee-Hartline's Naomi Molitor (77) is in third and Freeman's Lily Knight (79) shares fourth.

Saint George's Matthew Longstreth is tied for third in 2B boys following a 7-over 77 at Liberty Lake. Freeman's Dawson Burk (80) is tied for sixth.

Riverside Christian's Austin Stephens' 6-over 76 leads the 1B boys.

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 11:51 PM.