Hazen's defending Class B state champion boys and girls golf teams are anxious to get outside and get ready for what is expected to be another stellar season.

However, Mother Nature is keeping them cooped up inside - them and every other golfer in Region 5. And it's anybody's guess as to how long it will be before any of them can start practicing on a course.

The Hazen Golf Course was already soggy from a heavy dose of winter snow. Then last week the Knife River - which runs through the middle of the course - overflowed, causing extensive flooding. A storm early this week dropped an additional five to six inches of snow on the area.

"The course is a mess. A great big mess," said Hazen boys coach Darrell Berglund. "Before last week, we sort of knew (the course) wouldn't be ready on time, but all of the flooding and the snow set us back even more. And there's a possibility of even more flooding once everything starts to thaw again.

"We started practice inside, which is fine, but the kids want to get outside," Berglund continued. "The same can be said of the other kids in our region."

Other courses in the region are in rough shape as well. Those in Beulah, Beach, Bowman, Center, Dickinson, Elgin, Flasher, Glen Ullin, Mott, New Salem, South Heart and Washburn are either under water or several inches of snow. Mandan's Prairie West and Municipal courses, which have hosted regional tournaments in the past, also have water and snow issues.

Most coaches and athletic directors from the region don't expect their courses to be ready until late April or early May. However, it's going to take warm and dry conditions over the next few weeks for that to happen.

"We'll have to count on the weather to cooperate," said New Salem boys and girls golf coach Dale Beckman, two days after 16 inches of snow fell on the area. "You never can tell. It could change for the better, but then it could stay cold and wet. We'll just have to wait and see."

Terry Bentz, athletic director at Elgin-New Leipzig school, said it might take more than a month of favorable conditions to get the Elgin course in playing shape. More than a foot of snow fell on Elgin and neighboring Flasher on Sunday and Monday.

"We've got 10-foot drifts in some places," he said. "It's looking like we might not host a single tournament this spring. And right now we're wondering where the kids are going to practice, other than inside."

Killdeer escaped much of Mother Nature's wrath early this week, getting "only" three to five inches of new snow, according to boys golf coach Steve Quintus. However, the opening of the Killdeer course will be delayed because of maintenance.

"There's some sodding and maybe some seeding that has to be done on some of the greens. Once they're through with that, we'll have to wait two weeks or so before the course is ready," Quintus said. "I think we're in better shape than most, but we're not going to be able to start any time soon."

The Region 5 season was to open at Killdeer on April 18.

Quintus said coaches from the region and other parts of the state affected by storms and flooding are looking at options to salvage as much of the season as they can. They're considering asking the North Dakota High School Activities Association to extend the season by at least a week.

The Region 5 coaches are also looking into the possibility of using facilities outside of the region, such as those in Watford City, New Town or Williston.

"Those places weren't hit as hard, I hear. They'll probably be ready before any of us," Quintus said. "But can those places fit us all in is the big question. They're going to be busy the way it is."

Berglund doubts that the region will play out full regular-season schedules for boys and girls.

"It's going to be really tough," he said. "If we start in say, late April, it means we would have to put in at least two tournaments a week to get most of them in. Another issue is school absences. We can't take kids out of school so many times in such a short time."

In the meantime, golfers are biding their time, trying to make the best of what has been a frustrating situation.

"We're still able to work on things indoors, like our putting and short games. And we're hitting against a curtain," said Berglund, who returns the top four scorers from last season's state champion team. "But that gets old."

Berglund said there are other concerns that far outweigh the fate of a high school golf season.

"The flooding and all … people around here and in other places were hit pretty hard," he said. "That's what we're thinking about most."

The Hazen girls, coached by Kathy Berglund, also welcome back their top four state-tournament scorers from last season.

Region 8 baseball coaches are dealing with snow-covered diamonds in Steele (Kidder County), Medina (Central Prairie), Mandan (Shiloh Christian) and Washburn (Washburn-Wilton-Center-Stanton).

Kidder County, the three-time defending region champion, was to start its season Thursday with a game against LaMoure, but that contest was postponed. Games against Velva today, and Carrington on Monday were also called off. The next home game for the Pirates is scheduled for April 14 against Central Prairie.

"It was looking promising here until we got about 15 inches of snow this week," Kidder County coach Dave Silbernagel said. "Now we're indoors, waiting it out like everybody else. If we can get going by mid-April, we can still get in a lot of our games."

Most track and field facilities in the area are covered in water or snow as well. Hazen, home of the two-time defending boys state champions, is one site.

"We can see some of the track now, but I'm not sure when we'll be able to have our first meet," Hazen boys coach Randy Johnson said Thursday. "If the weather warms up and stays dry, it shouldn't be too long. We're taking it one day at a time."