Murphey earns all-state honors with ninth-place finish at State

[caption id="attachment_9135" align="alignright" width="300"] CJ Murphey[/caption]The Lovell High School golf team traveled to Cody for the 3A State Tournament Friday and Saturday, placing seventh out of 11 teams in the boys division.Lovell shot a 358 the first day and a 369 the second day to place seventh behind Buffalo by five strokes and ahead of Douglas by 21 strokes. They were the top team out of the 3A Northwest Conference, finishing ahead of Lander, Cody and Powell.Pinedale finished at 683, and Torrington was two strokes behind at 685, followed by Wheatland at 687, Jackson 690, Star Valley 719, Buffalo 722, Lovell 727, Douglas 748, Lander 767, Cody 787 and Powell 847.The top scorer for the Bulldogs and earning 3A All-State honors was senior CJ Murphey, who shot an 85 Friday and an 83 Saturday for a two-day total of 168 to place in a three-way tie for ninth place with Michael Schuler of Torrington and Brady Fullmer of Star Valley.“CJ came ready to play and shot two great rounds,” Coach Jason Beal said.Placing second for the Lovell squad was senior McKay Baxendale, who shot an 86 Friday and an 84 Saturday for a total of 170 to place 14^th, just two strokes away from placing in the top 10.“McKay had a great round, shooting a 170, just two strokes behind CJ Murphey,” Beal said.Senior Justin Mickelson placed third for the Bulldogs with a 98-91=189 to place 27^th overall.“Justin shot his best rounds this season at the 3A State Golf Tournament,” Beal said.Sophomore Lane Hoover shot a 114-105=219 for the Bulldogs squad to place 44^th overall.“Lane improved his score to 105 on Saturday from the 114 on Friday,” Beal said.Junior Hunter Tippetts started the first day of the tournament but had to withdraw from the tournament the next day.“Hunter started out well with a 96 Friday, but was unable to compete Saturday due to an illness,” Beal said.Lovell’s lone female golfer, senior Cassie Colvin, shot a 120-124=244 to place 31^st.“Cassie shot two good consistent rounds at State,” Beal said.“The senior leadership played a critical role in the success of the LHS golf team this season,” Beal said. “The seniors were great at representing the school and helping underclassmen throughout the season.”Seniors were Colvin, Murphey, Baxendale and Mickelson.By Sam Smith