VIRGINIA - Last year was a shock.

This year was an expectation.

Both years will end in the same place: the state tournament.

Handling its role as favorite, earned by winning last year’s title, the North Woods girls did it again at the Section 7A tournament on Wednesday - Thursday in Virginia.

The Grizzlies kept within striking distance as they weathered a strong start by their competitors on day one, then pulled away down the stretch for a 52-stroke victory over runner-up Braham.

“They did a great job both days,” North Woods head coach Kandi Olson said. “After the first nine holes, they had fallen behind a few of the teams, but they maintained their composure and put together two solid nine-hole rounds to take the lead.

“I think that on day two they knew that they just had to stay calm and play their regular game and they would be OK. They really pulled together as a team to finish strong.”

All five Grizzlies finished in the top 18 individually, led by Nicole Olson and Kristen Lilya in a tie for second place with two-day scores of 174.

Kylie Parson finished in 10th place with a score of 200, Kate Beaudry placed 12th with a total of 204 and Ashley Vito took 18th with a total of 217.

“Last year was such a shock to the girls,” coach Olson said. “I think this year they knew what to expect and they knew what they had to do to win.

“I have to commend the other teams in our section - they all started strong, but in the end it was their strong start that motivated us to finish strong. There were fewer nerves and more determination this year.”

The Grizzlies also proved the most adept at handling much tougher conditions on day two, following a day one total of 368 with a solid second round total of 384.

“The weather was similar to what we’ve played in all year, except on day two it was unbelievably windy,” coach Olson said. “It definitely made the course more challenging.”

North Woods now advances to the Class A state tournament on June 13 - 14 in Becker.

BOYS GOLF

VIRGINIA - Tate Olson clinched his fourth state tournament appearance in convincing fashion, winning the Section 7A individual championship on Wednesday - Thursday in Virginia.

Teammate Chase Kleppe earned his first-ever state berth.

North Woods finished in second place as a team, as Mesabi East overcame a four-stroke deficit to thwart the Grizzlies’ bid for a team title by a 16-shot margin.

Olson started strong and never wavered, building a six-stroke lead with a day one score of 74 and winning by the same margin with a two-day total of 154.

Chase Kleppe earned eighth place to snatch the final individual spot by one stroke, using consistent play to deliver rounds of 87 and 88 for a total of 175.

Sam Frazee and Ian Olson finished in a tie for 11th place with scores of 181, while Blake Scofield and Davis Kleppe tied for 17th place with scores of 192.

“Anytime you can shoot well enough to qualify you are playing pretty well,” North Woods head coach Will Kleppe said. “Tate garnered both conference and section honors as the top golfer, so that is a credit to his hard work and talent. This is Tate’s fourth trip to state and Chase’s first, so we look forward to a fun and rewarding state experience.”