BUFFS ROUNDUP: Monday, Oct. 14, 2019
Garden City High School had two varsity sports competing on Monday, Oct. 14. Both on the road as the Lady Buffs golf team competed at the Class 6A regional tournament in Wichita while the Buffs’ boys soccer team opened play in the Wichita North Cup.
GIRLS GOLF
Another medalist honor for senior Alyssa McMillen, a runner-up finish from fellow senior Grace Yi, top 10 finishes from Ryann Warren, Rian Linenberger and Emma Kells all spelled a successful day on Monday, Oct. 14, for the Garden City High School Lady Buffaloes golf team.
Those strong efforts propelled the Lady Buffs to a dominating Class 6A regional team title with a four-score total of 359, while Derby finished a distant second at 427, 68 shots behind. Dodge City took third to earn the third team qualifier for the Oct. 21-22 state which will be contested at Carey Park Golf Course in Hutchinson.
McMillen, winning for the sixth time this season, shot an 81, only the second time she’s been out of the 70s this campaign, still was good enough to capture the low round of the day at Macdonald Park Golf Course in Wichita.
Yi, meanwhile, had one of her best days of the year, posting an 86 to edge Wichita East’s Zoey Lee by one shot for the runner-up silver medal. Warren took fourth with a 94, Linenberger sixth with a 98 and Kells 10th with a 103. Allie Sandoval rounded out the scoring with a 110.
The top 3 teams and then the next five lowest scores of non-team qualifiers advance to the state tournament, which will be a 36-hole, two-day event this year after the Kansas State High School Activities Association Board of Directors approved adding a second day of play.
The new format calls for 12 teams competing on the opening day of the state tournament, with a cut being made to the lowest six team scores (counting 4 individual scores). Additionally, the next 18 lowest individual scores will advance to day two, with a final day field comprised of 54 golfers.
When the Lady Buffs competed at the recent Hutchinson Invitational, also at Carey Park, they shot a team score of 346, their lowest of the season, to place first and McMillen’s 1-over-par 73 was good for a runner-up individual finish.
BOYS SOCCER
The Garden City High School boys soccer team continued its late-season struggle scoring, coming up short in a 2-1 loss to Wichita East on Monday, Oct. 14, in the opening game of the Wichita North Cup.
The six-team event, with two pools of three teams, continues Thursday when the Buffaloes face Wichita Trinity Academy at 3:30 p.m. The teams will be seeded after Thursday for the final day’s play on Saturday, Oct. 19, with the fifth-sixth, third-fourth and first-second place games all being played Saturday morning and afternoon.
In Monday’s game, Moses Lares put the Buffs on top with a goal in the 22nd minute for a 1-0 lead that held up until the 39th minute when East got a goal from Abdulla Ahmed to send the game tied into intermission.
Juan Orona broke the deadlock for the Blue Aces when he scored in the 71st minute. The Buffs managed just five shots on goal compared to 12 for East. Chris Barragan recorded five saves in goal for the Buffs. Isac Macias had 2 for East.
The loss dropped the Buffs’ season record to 6-6-1. They have one home date remaining, an Oct. 21 match against Thomas More Prep-Marian of Hays. The pitch will begin at 6 p.m. at Buffalo Stadium and it will be Senior Night.
Garden City High School 