State boys golf: Wallis brings ‘better mentality’ for top-5 finish; three 6A stars net inside top 20
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- Bonneville junior Josh Wallis embraces his mother after completing the final round of the 5A boys golf state championships Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, at Glen Eagle Golf Course in Syracuse.
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- Box Elder senior Kimball Shepherd rips his drive on hole No. 12 during the final round of the 5A boys golf state championships Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, at Glen Eagle Golf Course in Syracuse.
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- Northridge senior Caleb Heffener during the final round of the 5A boys golf state championships Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, at Glen Eagle Golf Course in Syracuse.
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- Bonneville junior Josh Wallis eyes the No. 13 hole during the final round of the 5A boys golf state championships Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, at Glen Eagle Golf Course in Syracuse.
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- Box Elder junior Kanyon Deryke walks off the No. 11 green during the final round of the 5A boys golf state championships Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, at Glen Eagle Golf Course in Syracuse.
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- Davis senior Max Landon (left) laughs with Riverton junior Jaxon Erickson after they finished tied for 10th in the 6A state tournament at Riverbend golf course in Riverton on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.
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- Layton sophomore Ryan Liechty (left) shakes hands with Fremont junior Luke Cook after they completed the final round of the 6A state tournament at Riverbend golf course in Riverton on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.
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- Syracuse senior Luke Stanger watches his shot during the final round of the 6A state tournament at Riverbend golf course in Riverton on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.
SYRACUSE — Boys golf season signed off Tuesday with three Northern Utahns shooting inside the top 10 of the 5A and 6A ranks. That exclusive club included a fourth-place individual finish by Bonneville’s Josh Wallis in the 5A championships at Glen Eagle Golf Course.
More than 40 total area golfers qualified for state, with only 10 cut from Tuesday’s final rounds at Glen Eagle and Salt Lake City’s Riverbend Golf Course (6A).
Northridge and Box Elder were the only 5A schools to field full teams at state but missed the team.
In 6A action, Fremont tied Farmington for sixth place ahead of Davis (eighth), Layton (ninth), and Weber (10th); Syracuse did not qualify for a team score.
Skyline raced to a big 5A team win over second-place Woods Cross, with Skyline senior Jackson Shelley shooting 13-under for the individual title.
Third time’s the charm for Bonneville’s Wallis
While many 5A golfers were surrounded by their teammates, Bonneville junior Josh Wallis worked alone in his fourth-place finish Tuesday afternoon — surrounded only by longtime Lakers coach Michael Edwards and a few family members.
Wallis shot three shots lower in the second round to card 7-under across 36 holes. The third-year state qualifier registered seven birdies and just two bogeys.
Edwards, capping his career at 32 years with the season-ending tournament, was one of the first faces greeting Wallis, the lone Laker at this year’s tournament, off the ninth-hole green.
“He taught me to work hard,” Wallis said. “I haven’t had any of his classes, but he’s taught me to work hard and to keep on grinding, and that’s what I’ve done.”
Opening the day on the back nine, Wallis said the curve coming into the front tripped him up when he bogeyed what he considers a very manageable par 4 on the fourth hole. Wallis cleaned up after that hole with consecutive birdies down his final four-hole stretch.
“I just had a better mentality this year,” Wallis said. “You’ve just got to keep grinding and make it to the last hole, you know?”
Wallis said this season is the product of a continued focus to build his game, which started at a young age guided by the hand of his father, Bob. Bob Wallis serves as the head professional at Ogden Golf & Country Club.
“He’s got me out to the golf course onto the golf course to hit some balls,” Wallis said. “It’s been a fun time.”
Wallis is set to return to Bonneville for his senior season.
One last run for Hennefer ends in top 10
Caleb Hennefer played Glen Eagle twice leading up to the state tourney for good measure.
The Northridge senior’s been on this stage before as a two-time qualifier and Tuesday marked the end of his Knights career. Hennefer, shaving six whole strokes off his first-round performance, finished his 36 holes with six birdies and just one bogey.
Fellow Northridge qualifiers Jake Williams (T36) and Austin Young (T67) joined Hennefer in the second-round cut.
Hennefer finished his day shooting 4-under overall and tying for 10th with Olympus’ Sterling Peterson. Down the stretch, Hennefer leaned on a simple piece of encouragement.
“Just end good,” Hennefer said. “Just clean the slate and finish out high school good … I was hoping to shoot good the first day, did alright but didn’t shoot the best so I wanted to come out here and have a good day.”
His final season of prep golf brought about more confidence off the tee, Hennefer said.
“I feel like my tee shots have been a bit better lately,” Hennefer said. “As long as I was in the fairway and safe off the tee I knew I had a chance.”
Hennefer is undecided on his post-high-school plans.
Shepherd carries the Box Elder torch
Kimball Shepherd added a purple flavor to the board, turning in a 12th-place individual finish at Tuesday’s tournament. The Box Elder senior opened the back nine with consecutive birdies and capped his round with the very same on hole No. 18.
Shepherd improved his game by a stroke in the second round to finish 3-under overall and tie for 12th with Highland’s Daniel Holmberg and East’s Darian Robison. Teammate Kanyon DeRyke finished 6-over and tied for 39th individually.
From the outside, one might’ve been unable to tell just how wired the two-time qualifier Shepherd was by the end of his 36 holes Tuesday.
“I was terrified,” Shepherd joked about his final three-hole stretch.
“I started off pretty good and had a rocky patch through the middle. In the end, I just kind of popped off and went under on almost all my three holes … I’ve been working a lot with my long game,” Shepherd said. “Driver, 3-wood — Driver kind of fell apart these last (couple) days but my 3-wood’s kind of carried me.”
Shepherd is considering medical school and an opportunity to play collegiate-level golf.
Three 6A stars crack the top 20
Davis senior Max Landon (T10), Layton junior Chase Randall (17th) and Fremont senior Jace Nielsen (T19) ushered in top 20 finishes at the 6A championships, played at Riverbend in Salt Lake City. Landon led the Northern Utah field shooting 4-under across 36 holes.
Fremont juniors Luke Hadley (T23) and Luke Cook joined Nielsen in the top 30. Syracuse seniors Luke Stanger (T33) and Landen Green (T36) managed top-40 finishes alongside Weber freshman Austin Bybee (T36).
Corner Canyon outpaced Lone Peak and star Kihei Akina for the team 6A title; Akina won individual medalist honors at 17-under.
Full results from the 5A and 6A competitions can be found at uhsaa.org.
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
