Deacons win first state title in 13 years
FARGO, N.D. (BVM) — As she walked down the 18th hole on day two of the NDHSAA Class A girls golf tournament, Shanley High School head coach Shari McTaggart was approached by her counterpart from Bismarck Century, Jeff Ramussen.
“As we were walking 18, he just walks over, throws his arm around my shoulder and gives me a quick hug,” McTaggart said. “He just said, ‘Way to go coach, you’ve got us by eight now and it’s over.’”
It was the end to two days of competitive golf, during which Shanley worked hard to hold onto its lead.
The Deacons came out strong on day one, leading the pack and fending off a strong showing from Mandan, which had two players shoot personal bests. Mandan was only three strokes behind Shanley going into the second and final day. The Deacons were worried about another team.
“We were more worried about that silent sleeper in third place which was Bismarck Century,” McTaggart said. “We knew if they had a good round and we had a tough round. We had them by nine strokes. Those nine strokes could disappear pretty fast.”
They almost did. Shanley was confident going into day two, but the day did not begin well.
“I could see the nerves there,” McTaggart said. “The emotions started coming to the surface a little bit more than they had all season.”
However, this was when the Deacons’ hard work and practice paid off. Since last year, McTaggart and her assistant coach had been preaching a mentality of always looking forward. To not dwell on anyone one mistake, but to move on to focus on what was next.
“Last year you could kind of see the girls coming around to that idea, but this year you could really see it,” McTaggart said. “That was one of our strengths.”
It was that strength that allowed Shanley to push past a poor start to day two.
“That looking forward conversation that we had really drilled into their heads paid off because they were able to say, ‘OK I need to push forward,’” McTaggart said.
With Century right on their heels, only four strokes back five holes left, the Deacons kept their lead.
The state championship comes after McTaggart’s second season as the head coach and fifth season with Shanley.
“I feel like I’ve known them forever,” McTaggart said. “I had some of these girls as JV players and you could see the talent coming up. It was really fun to watch these girls develop over time.”
It also allowed McTaggart to see the potential that was in the program well before the Deacons made their championship run. Going back a few years, McTaggart and other coaches could see that the young talent that was coming.
Last year was the first sign of what was to come this season. The Deacons went undefeated during the regular season and won the Eastern Dakota Conference (EDC). They then took third at state and ended the season knowing they had the chance to win state this year.
“One or two strokes per player per side and we would be right there for contention,” McTaggart said. “The girls took that to heart.”
They went into the offseason working hard to improve their game. Once COVID-19 hit, it only amplified their intensity. Led by senior Greta McArthur, the team’s No. 1 golfer, the team spent most of its time out on the course once it was opened.
“We knew we had a good shot at winning the title this year,” McTaggart said.
Shanley came out strong to start the season, but it wasn’t until it suffered a loss to conference rival Fargo Davies that the team took its play to another level.
“It was like, ‘Oh wait, they beat us,’” McTaggart said. “That was our worst score of the season and the girls decided that wasn’t going to happen again.”
Two matches later, the girls had their best score of the entire season and didn’t look back.
McArthur won Powerade State Senior Athlete of the Year and the Deacons won state. Although McArthur is graduating and moving to play college golf, McTaggart believes that what the Deacons accomplished this year will set the program up for years to come.
“I’m hoping that this starts a tradition of really focused, good golf from our girls moving forward,” McTaggart said.
