This season, Rich coach Kam Jarman said his players have practiced in every difficult condition imaginable — rain, snow, hail and wind.
Each of those practices strengthened the resolve of his players, something Jarman said made a big difference during the 1A state tournament this week.
Sitting in second place after Tuesday’s first round, Rich improved by four strokes in the second round on Wednesday as it slowly pulled away to capture its first 1A state championship since 2014.
The Rebels finished with a two-day total of 706, with Wayne in second with a 720 and Valley in third with a 725.
“The weather has just been poor up in Bear Lake. The kids have just battled the weather. I’m just proud of them ‘cause they’ve worked so dang hard,” said Jarman.
Rich had two players finish in the top 10, which was obviously important. Just as important, however, was how Rich’s No. 4 and No. 5 golfers alternated good rounds and poor rounds, which meant the Rebels never had to count a score over 100.
“It’s just the whole team working together. I’m just so happy for them and their hard work,” said Jarman.
Rich’s Noah Parry finished second with a two-day 165, while teammate Jaden Desch tied for seventh with a 172.
Medalist honors went to Wendover senior Trejin Tangaro, who shot an 81 on both days to finish with a 162 and a three-stroke advantage over Parry.
Driver was key for Tangaro, who said he was consistently in the fairway in the second round.
“My driver was always straight and in the fairway. That was probably the best part of my game today. It kept me out of a lot of trouble,” said Tangaro.
He caught a break early in his round on No. 4 as his approach shot hit the flag stick on the fly and dropped down close to the hole, and he made par.
Without the favorable bounce, Tangaro would’ve gone well past the green and been in danger of double-bogeying.
“It was a good thing he hit the flag,” said Tangaro.
A year ago Tangaro finished tied for third at state, and it gave him the confidence that he could get over the hump as a senior.
“When I saw last year how good I did against the 2024 class I knew had a shot so I came into this year knowing I’m not going to let anybody else outwork me. I’m going to do the most I can to win,” said Tangaro.
Behind Tangaro in first and Parry in second, Valley’s Ivan Spencer and Piute’s Swade Olsen tied for third with 167s, followed by Monticello’s Traken Lee in fifth with a 169.
Written by Deseret News sportswriter, James Edward. Posted with permission. Please visit Desert News Sports online, click here.