The Baker boys golf team, led by medalist Eli Long and second-place Isaiah Jones, won the team title at the Wine Valley Invitational near Walla Walla, Washington, on March 26.

Long, a sophomore, shot a round of 72, while Jones, a junior, was three strokes back at 75.

Senior Kaden Conklin was fifth overall with a round of 83. Freshman Jace Whitford carded a round of 96, and junior Grant Gambleton was a stroke back at 97.

Sophomore Xander Rexroad finished with a 127.

Junior Lily Wilson, who also plays softball, was Baker’s lone player in the girls tournament, with a 9-hole round of 55.

Coach Mike Long said official results aren’t yet available.

“Some of these tournaments are just basically practice,” Long said. “It is a tournament but a lot of it is to get kids to Wine Valley, it’s a really nice golf course. I had 11 kids that wanted to go and took a bunch of JV kids to play nine holes.”

Two varsity boys players, juniors Palmer Chandler and Jaxon Logsdon, were playing with the Baker baseball team in Arizona.

Coach Long said that despite gusty winds, Baker, the defending Class 4A state boys champion, had a composite score (top four players) of 326 strokes, one shot better than their total in finishing second in a season-opening 10-team tournament earlier on March 21 at Eagle Crest near Redmond.

“That’s pretty tough to be able to score in those conditions,” Long said. “There were years we’d shoot over 350.”

Baker will host a girls tournament at Quail Ridge Golf Course in Baker City on April 15, with a boys invitational on April 22.