Even though the high school sports season is officially over, it’s fun to look back at the state tournaments and the teams that represented the area.

The tournament that had by far the most representatives from our area was the state golf tournament. And the two Tomahawk Conference teams that qualified for state represented the conference and area quite well.

The Springfield girls’ golf team, led by Callie Wersal, finished third overall, the best in program history. The Tigers also claim the individual state champion in Wersal, who took home the title with a two-day total of 155. She’s been one of the top golfers in the area for several years and there’s no doubt her presence will be missed next year.

The Sleepy Eye United boys’ team also fared well at the tournament. SEU finished third at state, led by Senior golfer Caleb Christensen and junior Ben Laffen.

Both Christensen and Laffen also finished in the Top 5 individually (Christensen was fifth and Laffen was fourth overall) and Laffen will be chasing that elusive state title next year. He should be a major contender to bring back the trophy.

There were several individuals who also played well at the two-day tournament. Springfield’s Mason Kretsch finished tied for 16th overall. As a freshman, there’s reason to believe that he’s got a lot of competitive golf ahead of him at the state level. Minnesota Valley Lutheran golfers Luke Gartner and Sam Pfingsten, both juniors this year, will be back next year to make the Chargers a threat in the conference along with SEU and Springfield.

The Springfield girls graduate Wersal Shylyn Lothert and Jena Roiger, who finished 13th at state, but there’s enough younger talent for the Tigers to be a favorite in the conference again next year.

Another fun one to watch for a while will be New Ulm Cathedral seventh-grader Kayla Goblirsch, who didn’t seem nervous at all in her debut and finished 38th.

The tournament was once again fun to follow and it should be well-represented by the Tomahawk teams and players next year as well.