![Jade Gruher of Union, the defending state champion, finished a stroke out of a playoff this year. Note the 66 in the first round. Gruher had an eagle and five birdies on Tuesday. Graphic courtesy WIAA](https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WIAA-Golf-Graphic-2023-scaled.jpg)
Jade Gruher officially finished fourth this year, but was just a stroke out of first place; Eli Huntington of Camas finished third in 4A boys
The defending champion from Union had one incredible, memorable day on the golf course, but struggled, by her standards, on the second day.
Jude Gruher, though, can say she put on one heckuva defense of her 2022 state championship in girls golf.
Gruher fired a 6-under par 66 Tuesday, the first day of the Class 4A state girls golf tournament at Indian Canyon Golf Course in Spokane. She followed up with a 76 on Wednesday, finishing a stroke out of a playoff.
Officially, she finished fourth while three other golfers tied for first place after 36 holes.
Amber Li of Newport won the WIAA Class 4A title on the third playoff hole.
Gruher had an eagle and five birdies on her opening round, with just one bogey.
Jacinda Lee of Camas finished in sixth place. Camas finished third in the team standings.
In Class 4A boys, Eli Huntington of Camas finished in a tie for third place.He finished at -4 for the tournament held at Creek at Qualchan in Spokane. The winner, Ryan Takeshita of Sumner, finished at -7.
The Mountain View Thunder finished second in the team standings of Class 3A boys at Indian Summer in Olympia.
Spencer Moody finished in a tie for seventh place, seven strokes behind the champion, Baylor Larrabee of Ferndale. Grady Millar finished in a tie for 11th for Mountain View.
In Class 2A boys, Dane Huddleston of Woodland finished in a tie for eighth place, four strokes off the lead at Liberty Lake Golf Course.
Jack Kendrick finished in 12th place, the top finisher for Columbia River. The Rapids finished second as a team.
Jacob Parker of Seton Catholic finished in a tie for fifth in the 1A boys tournament at Riverside Golf Club in Chehalis.
In 1A girls, Gracie Harlow of King’s Way Christian and Sabrina Joner of La center tied for ninth place, also held at Riverside.
Also read:
- Raptors make a trade, giving them a home game in Ridgefield to celebrate Independence DayClark County’s West Coast League baseball team traded home dates with Corvallis, giving Raptors a home game on the day that the city of Ridgefield holds its annual Fourth of July Celebration, combining the Independence Day with baseball.
- Clark County Today Sports Podcast, July 3, 2024: What are the summer expectations for high school athletes and coaches?The sports administrators and reporter Paul Valencia discuss the expectations of high school athletes and coaches during the summer months, plus we talk about our Fourth of July traditions.
- Video: Children rally to Dash for Cash with the RaptorsThe annual Dash for Cash night, courtesy of iQ Credit Union, was a big success as children from Clark County got to sprint on the Ridgefield Raptors baseball field, looking for cash that was scattered throughout the outfield.
- New football coach: Prairie graduate Junior Miller prepared for job at PrairieJunior Miller is one of several new head football coaches at Southwest Washington high schools, and the 2002 Prairie High School graduate said he is excited to bring a new vibe to his old school.
- Curt Daniels Invitational baseball tournament starts Wednesday, June 26The Clark County baseball community invites baseball standouts from all over the Northwest every summer for a tournament to honor the memory of a teacher and a coach at the Curt Daniels Invitational.