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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW Higher water brings more boating obstacles ... Rob Patridge among 3 finalists for Medford city manager ... Medford pot grow bans will go to voters ... Higher water brings more boating obstacles ... Rob Patridge among 3 finalists for Medford city manager ... Medford pot grow bans will go to voters ... PREP BOYS GOLF Title Town Medford's Fisher, Wu win state titles; Challengers defend 3A/2A/1A crown Comment By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted May. 18, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted May. 18, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Social News South Medford junior Reese Fisher and St. Mary’s senior Josh Wu were each able to live out every teenage golfer’s dream Tuesday and the Cascade Christian boys golf team continued a dominant showing to highlight an impressive run at their respective boys golf state tournaments. Fisher and Wu each drained crucial 5-foot putts on their 36th and final holes to clinch individual state championships by one stroke apiece, Fisher at the Class 6A level with a two-day total of 142 (69-73) and Wu in the 3A/2A/1A tourney with a 146 (72-74). For Fisher, his is the first state title earned by a South Medford High boys golfer in school history and the first large-school title out of Medford since Mike Barry won the 4A title in 2005 at North Medford High. “Always since I was a little kid I’ve thought about it and my dreams and goals have been to win state and it feels amazing,” said Fisher. “There’s relief that it’s kind of over but there’s also so much happiness and excitement for me, it’s hard to put into words.” That sense of relief also translated well to Wu, who secured his first state title and the fourth straight by a member of his family after holding off a valiant late charge from Cascade Christian senior Max Davis. Older brother Dylan Wu won in 2013 and ‘14 and twin brother Jeremy Wu set an 18-hole record en route to earning his title in 2015. “It was awesome and definitely a fun way to end your senior year, especially knowing I’m the last Wu completing the dynasty,” said Josh Wu, who shared the Day 1 lead and was in control of his destiny until a nerve-wracking back nine at Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell. Cascade Christian snapped a streak of four straight state titles by St. Mary’s one year ago and led from start to finish to win a second crown in a row in decisive fashion. The Challengers, who saw Davis place second overall with a 147 (76-71), posted a team score of 646 to finish 24 strokes ahead of runner-up Regis and 25 in front of the third-place Crusaders. “I’m just super proud of my guys because they had a goal to win the state championship from Day 1 and they just worked so hard at it that it came true for them,” said Cascade Christian head coach Jerry Johnson. Junior Ben Quast tied for seventh place at 156 (76-80) and Max Valle placed 13th at 167 (79-88) to help the Challengers repeat as champions. Nash O’Hara scored an 89 on Monday and fellow junior Ryan Collom posted an 87 Tuesday to round out the scoring. For Fisher, who tied for eighth last year, the pressure was steady throughout play at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis. Monday’s top-five finishers were separated by only three strokes and no one seemed willing to give ground during Tuesday’s 18 holes. Fortunately, Fisher found himself in a foursome that included opening-round leader Brock Anderson of Lake Oswego and Sam Pyon of Clackamas, who had tied Fisher with a Day 1 69 to fall one shot back of Anderson. “Yesterday I just tried to go out and put a good number up and give myself a chance to put a run on it and I did that,” said Fisher. “It was still a little stressful today though because I’ve never been in this situation.” Fisher found himself two strokes back of Anderson with nine holes to play but remained focused on the task at hand and rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt from off the green on the par-4 11th hole to close the gap. When the senior Anderson bogeyed the 12th hole and Fisher made par, the leaders were all square with six deciding holes remaining. “I tried to not pay much attention to the other guys but when it got down to the last four or five holes it was hard to not pay attention to Brock because it was just down to us,” said Fisher. A par on the 16th hole by Fisher and ensuing bogey by Anderson gave the South Medford standout a one-shot lead that only served to make his knees knock even more down the stretch. “Those last two holes were pretty stressful for me but I got it done,” he said. Facing a 5-foot putt to close out his win on the 18th hole, Fisher somehow mustered the courage to send in his final shot for a 1-under 35 on the back nine. Anderson then made his putt to finish second at 143 (68-75) and give Lake Oswego a one-shot win in the team race over Jesuit. “I was pretty much shaking by the time I got up there for my putt because I knew I was leading by one going into the last hole,” admitted Fisher. “It was just cool standing over my 5-footer thinking, ‘If I make this I win,’ and I put a good stroke on it and it went in.” The final moment proved similar for Josh Wu, although getting to that point was different than Fisher’s experience. The Air Force-bound senior opened a five-shot lead through 27 holes but couldn’t help but get distracted by the opportunity ahead of him and saw that edge erased by Davis by hole No. 15 on the back nine. Wu bogeyed four of his first six holes on the final nine and Davis caught fire with three birdies against one bogey to nab a one-shot advantage. With his back against the wall, Wu responded by chipping in from 30 yards out for a birdie on the 16th hole to pull even with Davis and, after both lipped out par putts on No. 17, the Medford teens moved to the final hole with the title on the line. Davis’ approach shot from 100 yards out was “perfect,” according to Wu, and left him with a 10-foot uphill birdie attempt. Wu answered with a 25-yard chip that landed 5 feet above the hole. After Davis saw another putt lip out, Wu gave himself a pep talk and rolled his putt in for victory. “Luckily the past three weeks I’ve been grinding every night waiting for this opportunity,” said Wu. “I knew I was a good enough player to win, I just needed to stay confident. I just told myself let’s just go and do it and reminded myself to keep my head down and struck it pure right in the heart.” The winning birdie putt sparked a scream in celebration by Wu, who gained a lot of self-satisfaction from staving off a strong surge by Davis. “I’m glad it ended up that way,” Wu said of being taken to the wire. “Max played really well and they’re entire team played great. I’m really proud of myself for being able to hold on because it’s tough knowing your opponent and friend you’re playing against is really playing well and has all the momentum and you don’t.” Defending champion Jeremy Wu tied for seventh at 156 (77-79) for St. Mary’s. With a win by Rogue River’s Kevin Murphy in 2012, the Rogue Valley has now produced the last five state champions at the 3A/2A/1A level. Class 6A TEAM SCORES: Lake Oswego 300-297—597, Jesuit 299-299—598, Lincoln 306-301—607, Clackamas 303-313—616, Sunset 309-310—619, West Albany 307-312—619, Tualatin 327-309—636, McNary 311-325—636, West Linn 317-321—638, West Salem 320-320—640, Grants Pass 318-323—641, Westview 332-326—658. INDIVIDUAL SCORES (Top 5): 1, Reese Fisher, South Medford, 69-73—142; 2, Brock Anderson, Lake Oswego, 68-75—143; 3, Richie Mikesell, West Albany, 70-74—144; 4, Nathaniel Stember, Lincoln, 73-73—146; T5, Sam Pyon, Clackamas, 69-78—147, and Nick Timm, Jesuit, 74-73—147, and Joe Torkelson, Lake Oswego, 72-75—147. GRANTS PASS (641): T30, Tannon Rounsaville, 80-75—155; T38, Jackson Bartow, 74-83—157; T60, Tanner Smith 82-82—164; T63, Taylor Anderson, 82-83—165. Class 3A/2A/1A TEAM SCORES: Cascade Christian 320-326—646, Regis 333-337—670, St. Mary’s 330-341—671, Oregon Episcopal 361-354—715, Oakridge 356-368—724, Portland Adventist 371-369—740, Blanchet Catholic 374-375—749, Taft 366-384—750, Westside Christian 383-401—784, Heppner/Ione 394-408—802, Burns 409-404—813, Vale 423-399—822, Nixyaawii 428-403—831. INDIVIDUAL SCORES (Top 5): 1, Josh Wu, St. Mary’s, 72-74—146; 2, Max Davis, Cascade Christian, 76-71—147; 3, Dayne Miller, Creswell, 72-77—149; T4, Kyle Humphreys, Regis, 78-76—154, and Joel Snyder, Oakridge, 73-81—154, and Tate Lightle, Lakeview, 75-79—154. CASCADE CHRISTIAN (646): 2, Max Davis, 76-71—147; T7, Ben Quast, 76-80—156; 13, Max Valle, 79-88—167; T22, Ryan Collom, 91-87—178; 30, Nash O’Hara 89-93—182. ST. MARY’S (671): 1, Josh Wu, 72-74—146; T7, Jeremy Wu, 77-79—156; T22, Max Lewis, 86-92—178; T40, Reese Lam, 95-96—191, and Kodiak Yaeger, 95-96—191. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected], www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted May. 18, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Challengers make it back on top in softball Winning the Southern Cascade League title seemed like a pretty bold goal this spring considering the recent history of the Cascade Christian... Varsity 541 Photos 6A-6 SWC District Championships 5A-3 Midwestern League Districts - Day 1 Grants Pass Rotary Invitational Crater Classic Ashland vs. Eagle Point Track South vs. Grants Pass » More Photo Galleries Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications | Contact Us | Advertise | © Copyright Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.