RAPID CITY - The state Class AA boys golf tournament may be contested on a West River golf course, but it looks like the team race is going to be an East River affair when the tournament gets underway today at 10 a.m. at Meadowbrook Golf Course.

Yankton, Sioux Falls Washington and Pierre posted the top three scores in regional play and have looked to be the favorites since the beginning of the season.

"I think everyone is chasing Yankton and Sioux Falls Washington," Rapid City Stevens head coach Phil Hunt said before the season ever started, and that prediction seems to have come to fruition.

"I think Yankton and Washington are the two teams on everyone's minds," Sturgis head coach Joe Shetler said. "But Meadowbrook is the kind of course where you can be rolling along and then all of a sudden have a triple bogey. Aberdeen Central hasn't played its best tournament yet this year and Pierre is right there and of course, Stevens is at home and they're due. Us and Central have kind of been sneaking up on Stevens, but they're due to play well. I just feel like because of the nature of the course that Meadowbrook is going to bring a lot of teams into it."

Washington won the team title last season at Hillcrest Golf & Country Club in Yankton, 10 shots in front of the host Bucks and last season's individual champion, Marc Gubbels.

"I think that if everyone plays the way they should, Yankton and Washington will be the favorites," Central head coach Jeremy Noyes said. "They just both have so much depth that I think it's going to be hard for anybody to sneak up on them. But Stevens is playing at home and if anybody could do it, it would be them."

Gubbels and the Bucks are back this year with six players who shot 82 or better in their regional tournament, led by Jordan Mueller's 73. Mueller finished in a tie for third place at the 2007 state tournament along with Aberdeen Central's Levi Drube, who is also in this year's field. The runner-up to Gubbels last season, Sioux Falls Washington's Kyle Cooper, will tee off in the first group at 10 a.m. along with Mueller, Pierre's Curry Kuehl - who tied for 7th last year - and Watertown's Eric Junso.

Yankton's Dillon May, Sioux Falls O'Gorman's Max Donohue, Pierre's Seth Stadel and Sioux Falls Washington's Cory Willadsen will follow the first group at 10:10 and Gubbels, Brookings' Chris Holmquist, Pierre's Zach Smalley and Washington's Levi Smith are in the third group.

There are plenty of area players who will also factor heavily in the individual race, including Stevens' Brogan and Josh Pappel and Shane O'Brien, Sturgis' Kyle and Clay Kopplin and Central's Justin Harned and Trevor Kautzman. Spearfish's Nik Graslie struggled a bit in the regional tournament, but has also shown the ability to play well at Meadowbrook earlier this season. Josh Pappel and Clay Kopplin will play together in the 11:30 a.m. group.