It looked like Blair High School golf coach Rachel Brown was trying to hide a smile.
Mackenzie Storjohann didn't think she was doing a particularly good job of it either.
Brown had news for the senior Bear and it was very good news. Storjohann, as it turned out, earned 10th on Monday during the Class B District 3 Tournament in York, earning an NSAA Class B State Golf Championships berth.
“I just couldn't believe it,” the BHS qualifier said.
The golfer finished with 96 strokes across 18 holes at York Country Club, securing her district's last qualification spot by three swings. The 96 was her third score in the 90s in recent weeks after never breaking 100 across 3.5 high school golf seasons.
“(Mackenzie) figured out how to enjoy it,” Brown said, noting how the senior began playing without getting in her own way.
Positivity, Storjohann reaffirmed, was key in York. But, so too has been her preparation.
“Just practicing normal, honestly,” she said, noting how she had, perhaps, started taking it a bit more seriously as the end of her senior season loomed.
The Blair standout started Monday's round on hole No. 10 and finished her first nine with 49 strokes. Then, on the front nine holes, she added just 47 swings.
The senior's best hole, however, may have been the 113-yard par-3 No. 16. She had a strong second shot, which set up a 6-foot birdie putt.
“I had to get the angle just right,” Strojohann said hours after sinking it.
The Bear finished three more holes even, while tallying seven bogies and avoiding any major blowups. The effort led BHS to a fourth-place finish — just one out of Brown's desired team qualification.
“They all did great,” the coach said, noting the difficulty of the York course. Grand Island Northwest finished behind champion Gretna East and second-place York, topping the Bears by 10 strokes.
Blair senior Tessa Nicholson finished 12th during the district tourney individually, finishing with 100 swings — just four out of 10th. She hit a birdie shot on No. 12 and finished four holes even.
Macy Schrad, meanwhile, added a 109 strokes in 20th, while Diane Mitchell's 110 was good for 21st. Like Strojohann, Mitchell birdied No. 16, while Sophie Kern — who finished with 111 swings for 23rd — finished 1-under on the par-3 No. 4.
Brown said all of her players competed through the occasional bad hole to succeed on their next.
“I'm so proud,” she said.
Now, though, Storjohann and her coach will focus on what's next. The Class B championships are Monday and Tuesday at Monument Shadows Golf Course in Gering. The tournament begins at 9 a.m. local time both days.
“I just need to practice, practice, practice,” Storjohann said after 96-swing day in York.
CLASS B DISTRICT 3 GOLF TOURNAMENT
Monday at York Country Club, York
Team standings: Gretna East 375 strokes, York 382, Grand Island Northwest 405, Blair 415, Elkhorn 417, Omaha Gross 450, Alliance 461, Hastings 497
Top-10 medalists: 1, Ellie Henn, GE, 83 strokes. 2, Mackenzie Serow, Gross, 87. 3, Josie Rauert, York, 87. 4, Hadley Babe, GE, 88. 5, Ashlyn Walz, York, 89. 6, Annabelle Bang, Elkhorn, 90. 7, Gabriella Jenneman, Northwest, 91. 8, Ruby Lamski, Elkhorn, 92. 9, Elley Malleck, York, 93. 10, Mackenzie Storjohann, Blair, 96.
Blair results: Storjohann 96 strokes, Tessa Nicholson 100, Macy Schrad 109, Diane Mitchell 110, Sophie Kern 111.
