Baker boys win Ontario Invitational behind Eli Long's medalist round

Baker’s boys golf team left Payette with more than another trophy. The Bulldogs beat La Grande by three strokes to win the Ontario Invitational at Scotch Pines Golf Course, and Eli Long’s even-par 72 gave Baker the medalist and team centerpiece it needed.

Long won individual honors by four strokes over La Grande’s Brody Miller, and Baker’s top four scores added up to 330. Burns finished third at 351, which made the margin feel tight throughout the lineup rather than the work of one low round alone. Baker had to count every stroke carefully, but the Bulldogs had enough answers to stay ahead of two of the region’s stronger programs.

Jace Whitford gave Baker a major lift with an 81, good for third place individually. Hunter Hill added an 85 to finish fifth, while Dixon Dommeyer shot 92, Jacob Christensen 94, Ben Nudd 103, Cedar Hassmiller 103 and Ambrose Rexroad 104. The spread showed both the strength at the top and the room still left to tighten the scoring pack as the season moves deeper into the postseason stretch.

The win also fit a bigger pattern for Baker. Long had already delivered a 2-under-par 68 at the Baker Invitational on April 27 at Quail Ridge Golf Course, winning by nine strokes and helping the Bulldogs post a season-low 329, 12 shots clear of Pendleton and Burns. The Ontario result showed that performance was not a one-day spike. Baker is producing low scores on different courses and still winning when the pressure rises.

That matters because Baker has spent the past three seasons stacking results that point to sustained contention. The Bulldogs won the 2023 state title, finished second in 2024 and placed fourth in 2025. Long has been part of that climb all the way through, finishing sixth at the 2023 state tournament, tying for seventh in 2024 and taking fifth in 2025. His medalist finish at Ontario reinforced his role as the player most likely to change a team race while also leading it.

Baker also got a girls result out of the Ontario trip, with Alsitie Elizondo placing fifth at 111. But the bigger takeaway came from the boys side: Baker did not just win once at a local event. It traveled, handled a regional field and proved it can still separate itself from La Grande and Burns when the scores tighten.