Chad Salay said. “It’s pretty close to our average or maybe slightly above. We missed a few shots that we probably normally don’t, but we’re happy to seal the deal with conference and get the win for the day.”

Chad Salay spoke of the change in competition level between this season and the 2020 season, which included the New Richmond Tigers, a team that is one of the best in the state for division one girls golf. Last season, they were in the same conference as Prescott. Chad Salay also spoke of Saint Croix Central giving them a run throughout the season.

“We battled with New Richmond last year and it came down all the way to the end with them,” Chad Salay said. “It looks like they’re going to run away with the Big Rivers Conference. Saint Croix Central gave us a little bit of a run. They had a win at Bristol Ridge, but I think our girls did a good job of not letting up and keeping the pedal to the metal.”

At the conference championship, the top four scores for Prescott included Ava Salay’s 78, Liz Rohl’s 85, Jessica Heinsch’s 85, Maddie Reiter’s 91, as well as Rhi Stutz and Lindsay Olson’s 94.

The player that most consistently performed for Prescott this year was junior Ava Salay, who was selected as the Player of the Year for the Middle Border Conference for the second time in three years.

At Krooked Kreek Ava Salay shot a 78, the secondbest score of the tournament, trailing only Saint Croix Central golfer Sally Vangsness. After the match, Ava Salay provided some analysis on her round.

“I don’t think I played as well as I wanted to play,” Ava Salay said. “My short game was a little off today. I felt like my putting wasn’t as on as it could have been. Last time I played here I shot a 68. It was a different experience than that round, but that’s golf and that is going to happen. In the end, I still won player of the year so that was good.”

Ava Salay earned her first Player of the Year award during the 2019 girls golf season, her freshman year at Prescott. Now, she’s a two-time winner. After the round at Krooked Kreek, Ava Salay spoke about winning for a second time.

“It’s great to win again,” Ava Salay said. “Last year I feel like I didn’t execute all my rounds as well as I could have and this year, I think I played a lot better. It’s really good to have that feeling back again.”

Last season when Prescott won the Middle Border Conference Championship, they carried that momentum through regionals, sectionals and eventually hoisted a state championship trophy. Now, the Cardinals are trying to repeat what they did in the 2020 season.

The first part of that quest begins on Wednesday, Sept. 29, when Prescott and other local teams compete in the regional golf tournament. Fortunately for Prescott, their regional is being played at Clifton Highlands Golf Course in Prescott, their home course for the season. Coach Chad Salay spoke about what it means to host a home regional tournament.

“It’s definitely nice to be at home,” Chad Salay said. “We try to prepare just like we do for any event. We did a practice round last night on the back nine. We’re not as comfortable on the back as we are on the front, but definitely more so than any other team. I think it’s a home course advantage for us. If you’re not used to the greens, you’re going to be in for a challenge.”

The road to another state championship for the Prescott girls golf team begins on Wednesday and if the results are good, will continue next Wednesday at sectionals which are at Pheasant Hills Golf Course in Hammond. The tee times for each of those meets are 9 a.m.

2021 Middle Border All-Conference selections Ava Salay, Prescott, Player of the Year Sally Vangsness, Saint Croix Central, 1st Team All-Conference Liz Rohl, Prescott, 1st Team All-Conference Jessica Heinsch, Prescott, 1st Team All-Conference Ava Pesha, Somerset, 1st Team All-Conference Rhi Stutz, Prescott, 2nd Team All-Conference Maddie Reiter, Prescott, 2nd Team All-Conference Sydney Burgess, Saint Croix Central, 2nd Team All- Conference Sarah McHenry, Saint Croix Central, 2nd Team All-Conference Gil Holme, Saint Croix Central, 2nd Team All-Conference Kaylee Yzermans, Amery, Honorable Mention Finley Magee, Prescott, Honorable Mention Janessa Olson, Saint Croix Central, Honorable Mention Lindsay Olson, Prescott, Honorable Mention Isa Fagan, Somerset, Honorable Mention