REDMOND — Each year the mantle becomes heavier and heavier for the Summit boys golf team.

Last spring, the Storm became the first boys program in state history to have two separate state title winning streaks of at least three years. The Storm won three straight in between 2015 and 2017 and have won the past three state titles.

A fourth-straight state title would be the longest streak in program history.

“The pressure is definitely there,” said sophomore Bryden Ditty, who finished ninth last year at the state championships as a freshman. “But it is almost expected at this point to win. We just have to keep grinding throughout the season.”

Here is what is on the line for the Storm golfers on the links this spring: A state title would make them one of eight teams in state history – dating back to 1942 – to win at least seven state titles. Only four teams in state history, in any classification, have four-peated at that state championships.

Junior Bryce Grieb, who finished tied for second at state last year, tries not to let the pressure of keeping the title streak alive get to him.

“We try not to think about it much,” he said. “We just focus on what we know we can do. And we do it.”

And the Storm once again have a talented and deep squad returning. Of the five golfers – all of whom finished in the top 10 individually – that competed at state a year ago, three of them return.

Grieb and Ditty are two of the state’s top golfers and will be in contention to place highly at the state championships at OGA Golf Course in Woodburn in the middle of May. Add in senior Paolo Delia, who tied for ninth last year at the state championships as a junior and the Storm once again have a loaded team.

“With a team with a lot of good players, it is good to have that competition,” Ditty said. “If we can keep competing against one another we will continue to get better and better.”

“When our guys practice, they sharpen each other,” said Summit coach Andy Heinly. “We have seven or eight guys who are strong. They just make each other better, and we have had that for quite a while. The depth that we have over the last few years has been really good.”

Thursday’s Panther Invite was the first meet with all six Intermountain Conference teams. At the Ridge Course at Eagle Crest Golf Course, the Storm won the 10-team tournament by 22 combined strokes. The Storm finished with 315 strokes, followed by Redmond (337) Baker (340) Ridgeview (343) and Bend High (350).

Four of the Storm golfers finished in the top 10 with Grieb and Ditty each shooting 75 (+3) with junior JB Scanion finishing seventh (82, +10) and senior Rooks Maxwell finishing ninth (83, +11).

Ridgeview sophomore Stephen Chapman (79, +7), Bend High senior Gustav Krisofferson (80, +8) and Redmond junior Adam Nye (81, +9) and senior Mason Moore (81, +9) rounding out the top-five finishers.

For the second tournament of the season, it wasn’t a bad show after several months of not being able to regularly play on the courses due to the weather.

“I think we can both say that we left some shots out there,” Grieb said of he and Ditty’s first-place finish. “It is one of the first tournaments of the year. We are just trying to knock the dust off and get a feel for where our games are at this point.”