For the last three seasons, Mankato West has been the team to beat in nearly every boys golf match it entered. And most times, West won.

But even though the Scarlets knew it would be tough to get out of the newly aligned Section 2AAA — which featured three of the top teams in Minnesota — it was still somewhat shocking and sad when the string of consecutive state tournament appearances ended abruptly Tuesday at Oakdale Golf Club.

Certainly, West has great tradition in boys golf, with state championships in 1985 and 1996, and four other top-three finishes at that meet, which makes it difficult to evaluate the last three seasons. In that span, the trademark of this team has been depth, usually taking six players capable of being the medalist to every meet.

But this team also lacked a defining player that took it really low in the big meets. When West won in 1985, Steve Chesley and Kirk Viehl finished in the top four. In 1996 and ’97, when the Scarlets had a first- and second-place finish, respectively, it was Kyle Blackman who was battling with the leaders.

The last three seasons of West golf were defined by parity and depth. In 2006, the Scarlets placed eighth at the state meet, not an unexpected result for nervous first-timers, most of whom were just sophomores. Mike Kalinowski, the only senior, had the team’s top finish at 150 for 36 holes, which placed 36th.

Last season, Curtis Gruidl, Alex Klehr, Toby Robinson and Brandon Bohks all played within five strokes of each other at the state tournament, but their average score per 18 holes was 78.6, with the low being a 75 from Gruidl, who tied for 23rd. The team finished sixth.

The 2008 Scarlets were evenly matched, all good players, but champion Chaska had the low individual score — by different players — in both rounds of the Section 2AAA meet. West had three players finish in the top nine, while Chaska had just two, but Chaska’s ability to post low numbers, including a 4-under-par 68 in the first round, was the difference.

West had a tremendous season, having beaten all 60 opponents they encountered in the regular season and winning the Big Nine Conference meet for the third straight year and sixth time in program history. The Scarlets won the Tri-State Invitational, a tournament featuring the best prep teams in Minnesota and adjoining states. Robinson and Bohks will be playing in the state meet next week, and there’s not many teams that get two individuals to that level without winning the section.

Expectations were high for this group of seniors, who would have certainly won another section championship if the sport hadn’t been realigned in the three-class format. Not getting to the state tournament seems to overshadow all of the accomplishments of this group, which isn’t right.

This team has continued the program’s tradition of good play, and even with a talented group of underclassmen coming up next season, it will be tough to match these accomplishments in the future.

It had to end sometime for Gruidl, Klehr, Robinson, Bohks and Corey Leivermann. It’s a bit of a shock when the end comes too early.

Chad Courrier is a Free Press staff writer. To contact him, call (507) 344-6353 or e-mail at ccourrier@mankatofreepress.com.