High school golf preview: Predicting the Boise area’s district, state title contenders

Treasure Valley golfers dominated the high school state tournaments last fall, sweeping the team and individual awards in the old 5A and 4A classifications.

Idaho may have changed the name of those tournaments to 6A and 5A. But the rest of the state may struggle to change the leaderboard with a host of Division I talent and battle-tested members of the junior circuit returning.

This marks the third year with a fall golf season for the state’s two largest classifications. We broke down the top boys and girls to watch below.

TOP BOYS GOLFERS

Beau Sahr, Eagle

After two top-10 finishes at state, the San Diego State commit broke through for an individual state championship last fall, finishing two days 4-under and edging Boise’s Reid Piron in a playoff. He added a Junior Dropping title and played in the U.S. Junior Amateur over the summer, finishing 69th.

Reid Piron, Boise

A state champion as a freshman, the San Diego commit narrowly missed out on a second crown last fall, falling to Sahr on a fourth playoff hole. He remains one of the favorites for another title after a summer that saw him take second at the Junior Dropping and eighth at the men’s state amateur.

Ryan Shepherd, Timberline

The Boise State commit has one top-10 finish at district and state each under his belt. But he showed everyone what he’s capable of last year in Lewiston, firing 5-under 67 on the second day — the second-best round of the state tournament — to finish eighth.

Aidan Szentanai, Bishop Kelly

A breakout freshman season saw him capture a 4A district title with a 7-under 66 and finish fourth at state. The 15-year-old followed that up with a junior state amateur title earlier this month, a 20th-place finish at the men’s state amateur and an invite to the PGA’s National High School Golf Invitational, where he finished 97th out of more than 300 entries.

Jack Bureau, Boise

He was often Boise’s top finisher and arguably their best golfer as a freshman last year, Boise coach Jeff Ulrickson said. He started his sophomore season with a bang, firing a 67 to edge Piron for the medalist honors at the season-opening Jack Jones Invite at TimberStone on Tuesday.

Nic Bischoff-Jones, Bishop Kelly

Steady as a metronome, the senior led the Knights to three straight team state championships with a top-10 finish every year. He took sixth as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore and seventh as a junior. He remains a key to BK’s chase for a fourth consecutive title.

Jacob McFarland, Rocky Mountain

Capital’s Trevor Garus dominated the old 5A SIC district tournament for three straight years. His closest competitor in those three years was McFarland, who finished three strokes behind for a district runner-up finish as a sophomore. Add in a ninth-place showing at state, and he’s one of several golfers looking to fill that power vacuum.

TOP GIRLS GOLFERS

Ella Arnzen, Timberline

The Austin Peay commit enters the season as the defending state champ and with a district crown already under her belt (fall 2022). A busy summer saw her play in the Junior Americas Cup, finish second at the state junior amateur and take 11th at the women’s state amateur.

Cara Carter, Bishop Kelly

The junior is quickly building a mile-long list of championships. She won a district championship each of her first two seasons, then cruised to a seven-stroke victory for the state title last season. She added Junior Dropping and junior state amateur titles this summer, and played in the Junior PGA Championship.

Maggie Urian, Rocky Mountain

The Grizzlies’ girls golf team starts the season as the four-time defending state champs, a feat not accomplished since 1993. Urian played a major role in the past two titles, finishing fourth overall in 2023 and eighth in the fall of 2022. She enters the season fresh off a fifth-place finish at the junior state am, and she’s the only returning member of last year’s title squad, leaving her as the leader of a new group.

Maeve Fitzgerald, Bishop Kelly

Carter’s top challenge in the new 5A classification may come from a teammate as Fitzgerald took third at state and fifth at district last fall. Another strong summer that included a trip to the PGA’s National High School Invitational, where she finished 145th out of more than 200 competitors, leaves Bishop Kelly with another deep lineup to defend their team state title.

Claire Hall, Vallivue

Hall broke onto the scene with a district championship as a freshman. She continues to stalk a state tournament championship, finishing inside the top six each year. Her year-round schedule makes her a threat for more hardware again.

Jada Nguyen, Mountain View

The senior remains a quiet leader for the Mavericks, making the state tournament each of the past three seasons, including a 10th-place showing last fall in Lewiston. Her ice-cold nerves keep her even and consistent no matter what the course throws at her, ensuring she and the Mavericks remain in contention.

Eliana Cho, Owyhee

The junior raised the bar for the Storm last year, setting program records with sixth-place finishes at district and state as a sophomore. Look for her to take the next step and contend for bigger trophies and even more history this fall.

TEAM PREVIEWS

Treasure Valley coaches listed the top golfers to watch at each school in the 6A and 5A Southern Idaho Conference below. Note: Caldwell and Capital did not respond to the Statesman’s preseason survey.

6A SIC

Boise: Reid Piron, sr.; Reid Hoppock, jr.; Jack Bureau, so.

Borah: Carson McCarney, sr.; Colton Dennis, sr.; Lucy Johnson, jr.

Centennial: Alexandra Jensen, jr.; Chace Gallegos, jr.

Eagle: Beau Sahr, sr.; Nash Dancer, fr.

Kuna: Roper Allen, so.; Aubri Minnick, jr.; Maddie Hysmith, jr.

Meridian: Brayden Johnson, fr.; Haleigh Thompson, jr.

Mountain View: Kaden Gempler, fr.; Jada Nguyen, sr.; Maci Sutton, so.; Mason McGee, so.

Nampa: Brayden O’Connor, so.

Owyhee: Eliana Cho, jr.; Tucker Dilks, sr.; Caden Hobbs, so.; Addi Stanford, jr.;

Ridgevue: Izzy Ames, sr.; Gracee Hedges, jr.

Rocky Mountain: Chad Gibbs, sr.; Jacob McFarland, jr.; Taig Brar, sr.; Maggie Urian, jr.

Timberline: Ella Arnzen, sr.; Ryan Shepherd, sr.; Josh Theng, jr.

5A SIC

Bishop Kelly: Cara Carter, jr.; Maeve Fitzgerald, sr.; Aidan Szentanai, so.; Will Comstock, sr.; Nic Bischoff-Jones, sr.; Daniel Moodie, so.

Columbia: Blake Hansen, sr.

Emmett: Russell Larson, so.; Brooklin Norella, sr.; Raegan Larson, so.

Middleton: Noah Radford, sr.; Cade Dean, sr.

Skyview: Jhett Morledge, sr.; Nick Ward, fr.; Max Wheeler, fr.

Vallivue: Claire Hall, sr.