Humboldt sophomore Connor Newman captured his second consecutive Tri-Valley League championship, besting his nearest competition by seven strokes Monday at the Allen County Country Club.
Humboldt finished third as a team. Humboldt junior Layne Ellison placed seventh, sophomore Blayden McGuire, 12th, and junior Thatcher Mueller, 25th.
“We played down here for the Buck Quincy, and all four improved upon their scores from then,” Humboldt coach Bret Hauser said. “I’m glad Connor brought down the championship and all four of them brought home some hardware. This is something we’ve worked for all year, and hopefully we can segue this into regionals next week.”
Newman shot a 74 on the par 72 course, shooting 38 on the front nine, and 36 on the back nine. That score bested his earlier performance by one stroke.
“I’d got back-to-back second-place finishes, so I wouldn’t say it’s been a sophomore slump, but it was nice to come out here, play mentally free and just get it done,” Newman said. “I feel great and hopefully can ride this success into the postseason. There will be some new challenges there, but I’m ready for it. It’s time to kick it in gear.”
Ellison was three strokes from a top five finish, carding a 96 for 24 over par. Shooting a 47 on the front nine, he remained resilient with a 49 on the back nine and unmoored himself from a potential four-way tie for eighth place with a trio of Neodesha competitors.
“I made some mistakes but rode it out and it got me into the top 10,” Ellison said. “It felt pretty good. I was in the top eight at Iola and seventh this time. I’m climbing the ladder. Everything is coming together at the right time.”
McGuire carded a 102, shooting a 51 on the front and back nine for 30 over par.
Mueller, making only his fourth appearance this season, finished in the top 25. Monday was his first time on the recently renovated course.
Humboldt returns to the links on the Crestwood Country Club May 18 for the Class 2A Sub-State Tournament. 
Layne Ellison, Humboldt senior, tees off while taking seventh in Monday’s Tri-Valley League championship at the links of the Allen County Country Club.
The Cubs enter the tournament as the 20th ranked 2A program.
They face an uphill battle to the state championship with second-ranked Trinity Hutchinson, eighth-ranked Colgan and 18th-ranked Erie in attendance.
“It gives us some momentum next week, and Caney Valley is 3A not 2A, so we will face some different competition,” Coach Hauser said.
“We’re going to have at least three of the top 12 teams there, so we’re going to go out and give it our all and see what we can do.”
