After 35 years of teaching and coaching, Summit High’s Mark Tichenor is finally driving the golf cart off into the sunset.

A high school football, basketball and golf coach over the years — including the past eight in the Storm boys head golf position — Tichenor estimates he has been a part of more than 100 different teams since he began coaching in the late 1970s.

“It’s been unbelievably rewarding,” says Tichenor, whose Storm team will be among the favorites at the Class 5A boys state golf championships this Monday and Tuesday at Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis.

“And a joyful ride. … I’m really thankful I chose the profession I did. It’s amazing how fast those years have gone by.”

Having guided Summit to top-four state finishes in each of the past four seasons, including runner-up trophies in 2010 and 2012, Tichenor’s Storm again expect to be in the title hunt when they tee off on Monday.

“One thing that makes this group scary good is how talented all six (state golfers) are,” Tichenor says. “At districts, on the second day our No. 4 kid (Stephen Drgastin) shot a 73 and our No. 5 (Alex Bowlin) shot a 75. The day before, our No. 3 (Jack Loberg), posted a 73. … Our No. 5 on any given day, can shoot a (low) number.”

Loberg, a freshman, looks to continue a promising postseason for the Storm. He took second at the Class 5A Special District 1 championships a week and a half ago in Eagle Point and this spring has consistently been one of the top golfers in Central Oregon. T.K. Wasserman and Declan Watts, both juniors, are Summit’s only returners from last year’s state squad. The two upperclassmen tied for fifth at districts. Watts finished 21st overall at the 2012 5A state tourney and Wasserman tied for 34th. Tyler Bahn will also make the trip to Corvallis for the Storm.

“Our goal is for one guy to go really low — it could be any one of our five — and get a couple others in the lower to mid-70s,” says Tichenor, whose program is coming off its fourth district title in as many years. “We’ll see how it goes.”

The Bend High boys, who took second to Summit at districts, also hope to finish on the podium at state. Four of the five players the Lava Bears are taking to Trysting Tree — Ryan Crownover, Chapin Pedersen, Jaired Rodmaker and Jack Klar — played in last year’s state tournament and all but Klar posted top-30 finishes. Pedersen enters state with the hot hand, having placed fourth at districts.

“He’s ‘Mr. Steady’,” Lava Bear coach Rusty Clemons says about Pedersen. “He’s not real long off the tee, but his short game is as good as anyone’s in the state.”

Bend shot a 319-316—635 at the district tournament, a score Clemons knows will have to be improved upon if the Bears hope to bring home one of the trophies awarded to the top four teams.

“It’s a six-team race for four trophies,” says Clemons, whose team placed sixth at state a year ago. “If our kids play very well — not just well, but very well — both days, we can trophy. I know we can do it, I’ve seen us do it like (in April) when we shot 305 at Brasada (Canyons Golf Club). If we can do that for two days in a row, we can vie for the title.”

While the Summit boys hope to send Tichenor off in style, the Summit girls look to put their mark on the Oregon high school golf history books at Quail Valley Golf Club in Banks. The Storm, who have claimed state titles in six of the past seven years, rolled through district play, also at Eagle Point, besting runner-up Bend High by 54 strokes, 665-719. Sophomore Madison Odiorne is looking to defend her 2012 individual state title, and Summit teammates Sarah Heinly and Madi Mansberger, both of whom have broken 80 this season, should contend for top-five honors.

“We just want the girls to play as well as each one can,” Summit coach Jerry Hackenbruck says. “When you’re the favorite, you don’t have certain goals, there’s no certain scores, other than the lowest is the best.”

Senior Heidi Froelich leads the Lava Bear girls after taking fifth at state last spring. Froelich, who took second at districts this year behind Summit’s Odiorne, hopes to lead Bend back to the state podium. The Bears placed second at the district tournament in 2012 before finishing second at state to Summit.

“Bend is very capable of finishing in the top four,” Hackenbruck says. “The second-best team in our league could very well be the second-best team in the state again.”

Locally, girls teams from La Pine and Crook County have qualified for the Class 4A/3A/2A/1A state championship at Eagle Crest Resort’s Ridge Course, which will also take place on Monday and Tuesday. Trinity Lutheran sophomore Victoria Sample and Ridgeview freshman Tianna Brown both advanced to the season-ending tournament as individuals.

In the 4A boys tourney at Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell, Sisters High brings back its top three golfers from last year’s sixth-place state team — Nathan Pajutee, Tyler Berg and Nolan Fernwalt — and Ridgeview junior Jimi Seeley will represent the Ravens as an individual.

The 5A boys and girls championships, as well as the 4A boys tournament, begin at 12:15 p.m. on Monday. The 4A/3A/2A/1A girls competition is set to tee off at 8 a.m. the same day. Tuesday’s tee times will start in descending order, with the top individuals in each tournament slated for the last grouping.

Central Oregon looks to be well represented when the final scorecards are turned in, with the Summit and Bend boys and girls teams all eying state trophies, and golfers throughout the region poised for top-10 all-state performances.

“It’s a great challenge to go over and beat a favored team on its home course,” says Tichenor, Summit’s boys coach, referring to West Albany, which won the Mid-Willamette League district tourney at Trysting Tree last week by shooting a 291-290—581. “But our kids are used to medaling — we’ve taken second (at state) two of the last four years. They’re used to stepping on that trophy stand.

“There’s only one (trophy) color we haven’t brought home yet,” Tichenor says, alluding to the blue trophy awarded to state champions. “That’d be a sweet ending.”

State golf championships with Central Oregon participants

BOYS

Class 5A state tournament

When: Monday, 12:15 p.m.; Tuesday, 12:15 p.m.

Where: Trysting Tree Golf Club, Corvallis

Who: Summit team (T.K. Wasserman, Jack Loberg, Declan Watts, Stephen Drgastin, Tyler Bahn, Alex Bowlin); Bend team (Ryan Crownover, Chapin Pedersen, Ryan DeCastilhos, Jack Klar, Jaired Rodmaker)

Class 4A state tournament

When: Monday, 12:15 p.m.; Tuesday, 12:15 p.m.

Where: Emerald Valley Golf and Resort, Creswell

Who: Sisters team (Nate Pajutee, Tyler Berg, Nolan Fernwalt, Jacob Hanson, Jacob Jepsen); Jimi Seeley, Ridgeview

GIRLS

Class 5A state tournament

When: Monday, 12:15 p.m.; Tuesday, 12:15 p.m.

Where: Quail Valley Golf Course, Banks

Who: Summit team (Madison Odiorne, Sarah Heinly, Madi Mansberger, Megan Mitchell, Alyssa Kerry); Bend team (Heidi Froelich, Madeline Rice, Holly Froelich, Maddy Mode, Haley Nichols); Emily Roundtree, Redmond High

Class 4A/3A/2A/1A state tournament

When: Monday, 8 a.m.; Tuesday, 8 a.m.

Where: Eagle Crest Resort Ridge Course, Redmond

Who: La Pine team (Sammie McPherson, Taylor Tavares, Bridget McDonald, Kara Cope, Breanna Cram); Crook County team (Caitlin Dalton, Chelsea Shank, Cora White, Sierra Smith, Maddie Kasberger); Victoria Sample, Trinity Lutheran; Tianna Brown, Ridgeview

• Admission is free for all state golf championships