Danbury's Kamil Stephens qualifies for state

Kamil Stephens double-bogeyed her final hole of the district tournament, and to make matters worse, there were still a lot of golfers on the course. The Danbury senior had to sit and wait, hoping that she hadn't knocked herself out of contention. But she couldn't sit still, and she couldn't look at the leaderboard. Her teammates and coach kept her informed as Stephens wandered around the clubhouse area at Sycamore Springs Golf Course in Findlay on Monday. "It was so hard, butterflies were in my stomach," Stephens said. The wait was worth it. Stephens qualified for the state tournament. Her 85 was barely enough. She secured the fourth and final individual qualifying spot at that D-II district tournament site. But the frustration of shooting that number was less bothersome once that number was good enough to extend Stephens' Lakers career by a week and a half. "It still feels unreal," Stephens said. Everything Stephens did in the last year built toward this day. She had collapsed late in the district tournament as a junior, and it ate at her, serving as motivation. Already one of the most powerful drivers in the area, Stephens worked to improve the rest of her game. This time of year, it's the chips and the putts that can make the difference. Stephens may have been more locked in a week ago when she shot an 80 to earn sectional medalist honors and lead Danbury as a team into district, but she had to find a way Monday. "The speed of the greens, they were like lightning," Danbury coach Bryan Dudash said. "They had a couple tough pin placements right on the edges of the greens, so if you hit your putt a foot too long, you were rolling off the green. Everybody had some difficulty with those." Stephens went out with a 42 on the back nine, and beforehand, she figured she probably needed an 81 or 82 on the par-72 course to have a chance. That got tricky when she put up a double bogey and three more bogeys on the first six holes of the front nine She'd need a par-par-par finish, Dudash figured, and Stephens put up pars on Nos. 7 and 8. But her drive and her short game both let her down on No. 9 for the double bogey. "When I came in with an 85, I wasn't hopeful," Stephens said. "... I knew we were neck and neck." Four teams and four individuals not on qualifying teams would advance to Ohio State for the state tournament on Oct. 14 and 15. A lot of what happened came down to getting the teams with the best individual scores through as teams so that Stephens had a chance as an individual. Van Buren, Colonel Crawford, Hopewell-Loudon and Tiffin Calvert got through as teams. That took care of a 78 (H-L's Marissa Cline) and an 82 (Van Buren's Joslyn Hunt). Upper Sandusky's Liv Gier shot an 82 to advance. Lima Central Catholic's Bridget Mulcahy had an 83. Stephens started to prepare for an on-course playoff for the fourth and final spot, but the next two scores were 85s — Hicksville's Kenzie Schroeder and Stephens. They took the third and fourth spots, technically with Schroeder in third with a scorecard tiebreaker. "Once they finally put my name there, I looked at my coach and was like, this doesn't feel real," Stephens said. "I didn't think I was gonna make it." As Stephens headed home Monday night, it still hadn't sunk in yet. But she had a little bit of time for it to become reality. After all, Stephens' high school golf career hadn't ended in Findlay, like her season had in 2021. Instead, she had become the first Danbury girls golfer to make it this far. "We're gonna definitely go to the range," Stephens said with a laugh. "Fix my drives, fix my short game. But I'm glad I still have the week and a half left." Beverick shoots 87; Opfer, Millis conclude careers at district Perkins' Kylie Beverick was only two shots out of state, and as a junior, she'll get another crack at it. She finished with an 87 at Sycamore Springs, with her 40 on the back nine not quite enough to make up for a 47 on the front. Margaretta senior Jamie Opfer concluded her high school career with a 94. She birdied the par-3 12th hole. Opfer will graduate as the Polar Bears' 18-hole record-holder after shooting an 83 earlier this season. St. Mary Central Catholic's Amanda Millis, also a senior, shot a 95. She, too, is the 18-hole record holder for SMCC after firing an 86 this fall. Edison 5th, Danbury 6th as teams Edison just missed going to state as a team, coming in fifth with a 401 team score. Calvert, in fourth place, shot 397. Mallory Meister led the Chargers with a 91. Meredith Unger came in with a 100, followed by Elena McCord's 104 and Madison Butler's 106. Danbury was just behind as a team with a 402 to place sixth. Behind Stephens' 85 were Alexis Wunder's 102, Michaela Harris' 104 and Katelynne Bergman's 111.