Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 8, 2004 Ashland girls eye SOC title By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings Last year, the Ashland High girls' golf team took second at the conference championships, but didn't make the state tournament because they finished third in total league standings. This year, things will be different. Buoyed by the all-star play of juniors Stephanie Johns and Elaina and Stephanie Graham, the Grizzlies have won every all-SOC tournament they've played in this season. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland junior golfer stephanie johns will be the heavy favorite to capture the Southern Oregon Conference individual title when the district meet kicks off Monday at Rogue Valley Country Club. "We're beating them by an average of 21 to 25 strokes," said head coach Stephanie Santos. "But Grants Pass and Roseburg will always step up to the competition." If Ashland can pull off the season-sweep of the SOC and move on to state as a team, it will mark the best regular season performance in team history. Santos is optimistic her team will play the season out well. "It's been a fun season," Santos said. "District and state should be really interesting." Ashland's biggest challenge will probably come from Justine Hicks of Grants Pass, who has pushed Johns at every tournament this season. "I want to win," Johns said. "But I'm sure she'll give me a run for it. We're always so close." Even with Hicks threatening for the individual title, the Grizzlies have enough depth to ward off a Caveman takeover. "My top three are solid," Santos said. "In fact, our team goal for district is to go 1-3-4." Although Ashland will rely heavily on its top-three, the sophomores Lauren Down and Risa Barton will also play crucial roles in the team's success. "They've been there most of the season," Santos said of the No. 4 and No. 5 golfers. "Lauren's been solid this whole season. She broke 100 twice with a 96, which is what we need to place well at state." Another plus the Grizzlies carry with them entering the district tournament is a sense of home-course advantage. Johns and the Graham sisters regularly practice at the Rogue Valley Country Club course, where the tournament will be held, because there are better practice facilities and golfers can get through 18 holes. "The girls have been working hard," she said. "They're peaking at the crucial time." Teams qualify to the state tournament through season standings, not the outcome of the district tournament, which means the Grizzlies have basically sewn up a trip to state as a team. What remains to be seen is how good the team is when faced with competition outside of the SOC. Johns has earned individual berths to the state tournament each of the past two years. As a freshman, she finished ninth at state. Last year she was sixth, but she has never been accompanied by the rest of her team. "It'll just be more fun having a team there at state," Johns said. "We're in contention for taking the title." Santos agreed that the Grizzlies look good going into the championship leg of the season. "We could place in the top three at state," she said. But for the time being, it's business as usual. The Grizzlies have another SOC tournament to win - it's just district this time around. 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