High school golf preview: 14 district, state title contenders in the Boise area
Treasure Valley high schools swept the 6A and 5A team golf state titles last fall. And with a host of returning talent, a repeat could be in the cards.
We surveyed coaches in both Boise-area leagues, asking them to identify the top talent on their teams and around the region. They had plenty to pick from as nine of the top 10 finishers from the 6A girls state tournament return. And the field is nearly as deep on the boys side, with seven of the top 10 finishers back.
Below are the top names we heard over and over.
TOP GIRLS GOLFERS
Cara Carter, Bishop Kelly
The senior doesn’t tee it up and come away with anything but a trophy very often. Her high school career already includes back-to-back state championships and three district titles. She set a women’s course record (67) at Nampa’s RedHawk Golf Course during districts last year, and she fell one stroke shy of the course record at Burley’s River’s Edge Golf Club with a 68 during the state tournament. Another district title would make her the first four-time champ in 5A SIC history, and only a single female golfer has ever won three state titles at the 5A level. A busy summer saw her win the Rocky Mountain Section PGA junior title, and she played in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur and the Junior World Golf Championship, where she finished 21st.
Maggie Urian, Rocky Mountain
Fresh off five straight district and state titles, the Grizzlies remain a heavy favorite for more 6A hardware this fall. Urian stands at the top of the list for the reasons why. She already holds three top-10 finishes at state (fourth, fourth and eighth). She added a 10th-place showing at the state junior am earlier this month, then opened the season with a career-low round of 72 to finish second to Carter at the season-opening Middleton Invite.
Natalie Nichenko, Rocky Mountain
The Grizzlies’ loaded lineup doesn’t stop with Urian. All five members of last year’s state championship team were underclassmen, and Nichkenko stands as one of the top returners after taking second at district and seventh at state. Rocky Mountain coach Jonathan Gibbs pointed to her competitive streak and her elite short game as reasons for another decorated season.
Zoe Moore, Rocky Mountain
The loaded Rocky Mountain lineup keeps on rolling with Moore, who took ninth at state and fifth at district last year as a freshman. Gibbs said her accuracy always keeps her in contention, and he pointed to a strong summer as a reason to watch out for her moving up the leaderboard during her sophomore campaign.
Indie Taylor, Eagle
A three-time state qualifier, she broke through and recorded a career-high fourth-place finish at district and a ninth-place finish at state last fall. A busy summer on the junior circuit earned her a trip to the Junior Americas Cup and an eighth-place finish at the state junior am. Look for the senior to keep pushing and threaten Rocky Mountain’s stranglehold on 6A SIC medalist honors.
Anna Li, Boise
The senior provides another contender outside of the Rocky Mountain juggernaut. A two-time state qualifier, she turned in rounds of 79 and 78 at state last fall to finish fifth on the individual leaderboard. That performance followed a fifth-place finish at district, proving she’s no flash in the pan and can contend week after week.
TOP BOYS GOLFERS
Aidan Szentanai, Bishop Kelly
The junior enters the season with a loaded resume. He won a district title in 2023. He captured the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Junior Amateur title earlier this month. He was the runner-up at last month’s state junior amateur. And he played in the U.S. Junior Amateur, where he finished two strokes ahead of Charlie Woods — yes, Tiger’s son. He also led the Knights to back-to-back state team trophies while finishing fourth as a freshman and third as a sophomore. The only trophy missing from his resume is an individual state title.
Jack Bureau, Boise
The junior turns it up when the lights shine their brightest, taking second last year at the 6A state tournament as a sophomore and 16th the year before. If the Brave capture a third straight team championship, it will need the budding college prospect to turn in a few more magical rounds come crunch time.
Reid Hoppock, Boise
The senior provides the two-time defending state team champion another threat atop the leaderboard week after week. He earned his best finish with a runner-up medal at last year’s district tournament. But he also took eighth at state last fall and 11th as a sophomore, and he finished ninth at the junior state amateur earlier this month. More top 10 finishes are surely in order.
Andy Metzler, Timberline
He broke out last year as a freshman, leading after the first day at the 6A state tournament with a 3-under 69 before finishing fourth. The accolades kept rolling in the offseason as he took second at the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Junior Amateur, fifth at the state junior amateur, and placed in the top 10 at multiple national events.
Luke Drescher, Timberline
The senior didn’t qualify for state last year. But the 2023 qualifier showed the rest of Idaho what he’s capable of by winning the Rocky Mountain Section PGA junior tournament by five strokes this summer. The victory sent him to the national Junior PGA Championship and proved he’s capable of contending every time he tees it up.
Brayden Johnson, Meridian
The sophomore proved he belonged among the state’s best by finishing sixth at district and eighth at state as a freshman last fall. He continued adding to his resume with a seventh-place finish at the state junior amateur earlier this month, and a ninth-place finish at the Idaho men’s amateur in July, finishing both tournaments at 2-over. Expect him to see him on leaderboards week after week.
Jacob McFarland, Rocky Mountain
The senior already owns a pair of top 10 finishes at the state tournament, finishing seventh last year and ninth as a sophomore. The 2023 district runner-up remains a threat to fire a round in the low 70s every time he goes out on the course. His consistent ball striking and putting make him a perennial threat, Gibbs said.
Dan Moodie, Bishop Kelly
He won the 5A District Three title last fall with a broken foot. Now the junior returns to defend his crown and pairs with Szentanai as the Knights seek to extend their reign over the 5A classification. He has already earned his bona fides at state, finishing ninth and 11th the past two years. And he earned a spot on Team Idaho for the National High School Invitational at Pinehurst, North Carolina.
TEAM PREVIEWS
We asked coaches of each 6A and 5A SIC program for the top golfers to watch at their school. Below are their answers.
6A SIC
Boise: Jack Bureau, jr.; Reid Hoppock, sr.; Anna Li, sr.
Borah: Lucy Johnson, sr.; Lexi Rice, sr.; Kale Nelson, sr.; Tavis Clements, sr.
Caldwell: Danny Villegas, jr.; Connor Fullerton, jr.
Capital: Ella McFadden, sr.; Ariel Davis, sr.; Carsen Shreve, sr.; George Butler, so.; Maddux Carlson, so.; Tyler Birch, sr.
Centennial: Alexandra Jensen, sr.; Madden Bishop, sr.
Eagle: Nash Dancer, so.; Sam Massie, sr.; Indie Taylor, sr.; Kassidy Schneider, sr.
Kuna: Roper Allen, jr.; Wyat Haskell, jr.; Maddie Hysmith, sr.
Meridian: Brayden Johnson, so.; Brittin Battisti, jr.; Haleigh Thompson, sr.
Mountain View: Kaden Gempler, so.; Mason McGee, jr.; Gavin Mlynarik, jr.; Sara Andrus, sr.; Zoey Nguyen, so.; Madelyn Stephani, so.
Nampa: Dominik Almarez, sr.; Takeo Sanders, sr.; Brayden O’Conner, jr.; Jagger Burke, jr.; Dear Phangon, sr.
Owyhee: Caden Hobbs, jr.; Eliana Cho, sr.
Ridgevue: Autumn Ankenman, fr.
Rocky Mountain: Jacob McFarland, sr.; Aiden Meyer, jr.; Maggie Urian, sr.; Natalie Nichenko, sr.; Zoe Moore, so.; Adel Petersonn, jr.
Timberline: Andy Metzler, so.; Luke Drescher, sr.; Jacob Goodson, so.
5A SIC
Bishop Kelly: Cara Carter, sr.; Sophia Goss, jr.; Madeleine Keller, jr.; Lina Aldape, sr.; Emma Sullivan, sr.; Katelyn Jackson, sr.; Aidan Szentanai, jr.; Dan Moodie, jr.; Charlie Hilvers, jr.; Cal Pape, so.
Columbia: Not provided.
Emmett: Russell Larson, jr.; Cooper Rountree, jr.; Raegan Larson, jr.
Middleton: Not provided.
Skyview: Nicholas Ward, so.; Max Wheeler, so.
Vallivue: Zak Hogg, sr.
This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 4:00 PM.
