Blue Devils share tears, laughs and hugs after rocky final round at state tournament

FORSYTH, Ill. — Laci Novosel didn’t sugarcoat it.

“Oh, it was bad,” she said.

But it wasn’t so bad she couldn’t laugh it off.

“I only cried like twice,” she said with a chuckle.

It was that kind of day for the Quincy High School girls golfers. A few tears accompanied wayward shots and frustration led to exasperated laughter, but in the end, the Blue Devils took stock in the fact they were the first QHS team in 38 years to qualify for a state tournament.

Sitting in sixth after Friday’s first round, the Blue Devils struggled to a 336 on Saturday at Hickory Point Golf Course and finished seventh with a two-day total of 655. Barrington won the state championship with a 595 total.

“We beat a lot of people to be here,” QHS coach Hanlynn Vahlkamp said. “We were coming for a better finish, but we finished with something pretty great. I’m pretty proud.”

That resonated.

“I had fun and I’m so proud of how far we got,” said Novosel, a senior who shot an 83 and finished with a 161 total. “I couldn’t really be disappointed with how it all turned out. We got a lot farther than most teams, so we couldn’t really be upset about anything.”

Quincy junior Saya Geisendorfer and freshman Sophia Gold both shot 8-over 80 and tied with 159 totals. Paige Cain, a senior, posted a 176, while junior Maddie O’Brien finished at 201 and senior Anya Nanjappa carded a 202.

“I think it meant a lot to us that we even got here,” Gold said. “We started as a team and we ended as a team. With the seniors leaving, it’s kind of sad. That’s another reason everyone was a little upset.”