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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 12, 2004 Grizzlies wrap up title, Johns finishes second By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings When the two-day Southern Oregon Conference girls' golf district tournament wrapped up on Tuesday afternoon, the first thing the Grizzlies did was take a full-team time-out. Ashland Junior Stephanie Johns drives the ball during Day 2 of the Southern Oregon Conference district girls' golf championships, Tuesday at Rogue Valley Country Club. Johns took second and the Grizzlies won the team title. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings It was just that kind of a day. Although Ashland came out on top of the team scores, giving the team a season sweep of the all-SOC tournaments, the Grizzlies wanted the individual title as well through the skill of junior Stephanie Johns, along with the team championship. Instead, the day belonged to senior three-time state qualifier Melissa Carl of Roseburg. Carl shot a 77, identical to her Day 1 posting, to scoot past Johns and Justine Hix of Grants Pass. "I had some decent drives today," Johns said. "But putting was terrible." Johns fell from a tournament-leading 1-over-par 74 on Monday to a mark of 84 on Tuesday at Rogue Valley Country Club. Carl, the black horse the SOC, seemed to appear from thin air during the last two weeks of conference play. A contender early on in the season and an annual state qualifier, she tied for the win at the all-SOC tournament preceding the district championships, but had not won a title outright all season. Johns, on the other hand, spent the majority of the season dueling with Hix and, at times, the Graham sisters, Elaina and Stephanie, on her own squad. Carl really hadn't hit the radar until she racked up a 39 on the front nine and Johns tallied 43 strokes. "I'm excited," said Carl following her surprise win. "I thought there's no chance I could go four below Stephanie. Stephanie's usually so consistent." The margin would remain. Johns pulled it together toward the end, but still rolled into the clubhouse with a 41 on the back nine that couldn't compete with Carl's 38. Ashland High girls' golf coach Stephanie Santos was stumped by Johns' difficulties during Day 2. "It's hard to tell," Santos said. "Her tee-shots were great, but it happens to the best of them. Everyone's going to have an off-day." Tuesday proved to be a day when all bets were off and the stars toiled as much as the No. 5 golfers. Johns actually finished in a tie for second among the Grizz players' Day 2 marks. Elaina Graham recorded an 83. Coupled with her 84 from the first day, the junior finished fifth individually. Sophomore Lauren Dow came in as another Grizz surprise. The No. 4 golfer improved 11 strokes from her Day 1 performance when she came in at 97. "I'm really happy with how my No. 4 stepped up," Santos said. But the reality is, the Grizzlies expect to have better days ahead of them. "I was hoping to see some better scores from the girls," Santos said. "I think they were, too. But you can't really blame it on anything." The Grizzlies would have appreciated the lower marks as a confidence-booster heading into the state meet, a qualification they had most likely won prior to the close of the district tournament regardless of Tuesday's outcome. Still, Ashland easily took the district tournament title with a combined-team score of 698 to make a clean sweep of every all-SOC tournament this season. "It was great to get first, though," Santos said. "That's more important anyway." Grants Pass finished second, snapping up the second team berth with its 725 overall score. Heading into the state tournament, the Grizzlies hope they will be focused enough to perform well for two full days of golf. "I want to do better than I did last year," Johns said. She finished seventh at state as a sophomore and ninth as a freshman. The opportunity to see different, stronger golfers at state will push the Grizzlies a bit and drive them toward those better marks that eluded the squad on Tuesday. "They'll be ready," Santos said. TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS 1, Melissa Carl, Roseburg, 154; 2, Stephanie Johns, Ashland, 158; 3, Justine Hix, Grants Pass, 159; 4, Helen Blauser, Grants Pass, 171; 5, Elaina Graham, Ashland, 177; 6, Stephanie Graham, Ashland, 178; 7, Anna Wiley, South Medford, 183; 8, Hannah Shorter, Grants Pass, 187; 9, Rachel Barry, North Medford, 191; 10, Ashley Yraguen, Roseburg, 195. Team Scores ASHLAND (698) - Elaina Graham 41-42-83, Stephanie Johns 43-41-84, Stephanie Graham 40-44-84, Lauren Dow 54-46-97. GRANTS PASS (725) - Justin Hix 39-40-79, Hannah Shorter 47-40-87, Helen Blauser 45-43-88, Shauntel Werner 47-57-104. ROSEBURG (769) - Melissa Carl 39-38-77, Ashley Yraguen 52-46-98, Kelly O'Brien 49-49-98, Cassie Van Vleet 60-53-113 NORTH MEDFORD (839) - Rachel Barry 43-47-90, Snow Powers 50-48-98, Christina Thompson 54-51-105, Sheena Knight 67-55-122. SOUTH MEDFORD (909) - Anna Wiley 44-49-93, Calley Duvall 53-57-110, Jordan Sies 59-66-125, Callie Parks 60-53-113. KLAMATH UNION (987) - Ashley Wendt 55-54-109, Holly Brookshire 55-56-111, Jessica Schlyper 57-56-113, Allison Stewart 62-54-116. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams