LINCOLN - Too bad John Hurley can't get an endorsement while playing high school golf.

Even if Powerade isn't paying him, the O'Neill St. Mary's sophomore didn't waste any time in giving the sports drink some of the credit after he won the Class B state title here Wednesday at Holmes Golf Course.

He shot 72s both days for a two-day score of 144 and won with a 33 on his last nine holes.

"This is total excitement. Four birdies in a row to start my back nine was something else," Hurley said. "I was disappointed in my 39, but I just had to regroup, get a Powerade and think about what I had to do on the back nine."

Hurley, who golfs for O'Neill High School through a cooperative arrangement with St. Mary's High School, was in a tie for the lead with Lexington's Nathan Jaeger after the first round Tuesday. Jaeger, who finished runner-up to Hurley, had a two-stroke lead at the turn Wednesday afternoon, but that was when Powerade kicked in for Hurley.

With four staring birdies on the back nine, the two-stroke lead quickly jumped from Jaeeger's bag to Hurley's.

Hurley said he felt more confident after the first two birdies, but the momentum didn't really swing until his tee shot on No. 12. The ball landed three feet from the flag, giving Hurley an easy birdie on the 188-yard par-3 hole, not to mention his first lead of the day.

"That really got me moving and took the pressure off," he said. "It put the pressure on the other guys. After that third birdie, I knew things were going my way."

Hurley looked like a different player on the back nine. Though he continued to outdrive his competition by about 50yards per hole, he also seemed to have more confidence with every step and kept his head held just a little bit higher on his final nine holes.

Still, with a three-putt bogey on No. 16, the state champion said he could have shot better. But at least he was more consistent that last year when he finished seventh.

"I knew last year after I shot a 78 on the first day and blew myself out of it, I had to come in here with different expectations and had to keep it around par on the first day," he said. "You can't win it the first day, but you can definitely lose it. That's what I did last year, and this year I kept myself in it."

If Hurley didn't have enough to celebrate, the sophomore turned 17 on Thursday. But his parents, Jack and Sue Hurley, actually have him his present a little early.

"This is a great birthday present," he said of the state championship. "My parents gave me new irons a couple months ago and said they were my birthday present. I've been using them all season, and it's paying off."

Also medaling in Class B was Wayne senior Trevor Krugman, who shot a 77 on Tuesday and 79 on Wednesday for a 156. Krugman tied with five others for 10th place.

"This is pretty exciting," Krugman said. "Last year I came down kind of on a wild card and didn't do so well. This year, I really wanted to medal."

Krugman said he tried to take it one hole at a time and not worry about how many strokes he was over. That took the pressure off and kept his focus on the shot at hand.

The team title went to McCook with a 620 for the Bison's second straight Class B title. Finishing second and third were Gering and Scottsbluff, respectively with a627 and 637. All three teams came from the same district. Wayne finished eight with a 652.