BOYS STATE GOLF STORYLINES

CLASS 6A

At Sand Creek Station Golf Course, Newton
 

DERBY EYES LONGER STATE STAY AFTER REGIONAL WIN
 
The Derby Panthers likely had some expectations coming into the season with five returning players from a state-qualifying team last May.
 
And then junior Jaydon Carruthers fired a 9-under-par 63 in the Panthers’ opener to win the Bishop Carroll Invitational at Wichita’s Rolling Hills.
 
“I definitely didn’t expect to come out and shoot 63,” said Carruthers, who tied for ninth in the 6A state tournament last year. “I don’t think anyone does. It was a really good tone-setter for this year just to know what I can do, to know I had the ability to go low.”
 
Carruthers hasn’t ventured that low since his stellar round on April 3. But he has been a consistent force for the Panthers, leading them to four tournament victories, including the Dodge City regional title last week with a 312 team score. It was Derby’s first regional title in 21 years.
 
Carruthers and fellow junior Cael Asmann will make their third state appearances beginning Monday at Sand Creek, where Carruthers notched another of his four individual victories this season in the Newton Invitational. Seniors Knowlyn Egan and Ty Johnson, and junior Nate Pierce will make their second state appearances. All were part of a squad that shot 336 at state last year at Dodge’s Mariah Hills and did not advance to the second day of the team competition.
 
The Panthers finished fourth behind Class 5A state qualifiers Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Eisenhower and Carroll in their season opener. But the Carruthers-fueled 299 team score – which they later topped with a 295 to win the Derby Invitational – quickly set a promising season in motion.
 
“It showed us where we were at,” said Tim Herrs, Derby’s coach for 18 seasons. “I obviously was not expecting that. But then you kind of get the idea, ‘OK, maybe we have something special here.’ Certainly better than what my expectations were.”
 
The left-handed Carruthers showed a flash of his potential as a sophomore at regionals, firing a 68 and outdueling Garden City’s Maddix Shook in a playoff at Andover’s Terradyne Country Club. Shook flipped the script last week at Mariah Hills, topping Carruthers in a two-man medalist playoff after both carded 72s.
 
This season, Carruthers also shot a 70 to lead Derby to the McPherson Invitational title and a 69 on the day the Panthers shot their season-low four-man score.
 
“I haven’t played competitive golf for that long,” Carruthers said. “But I’ve practiced with more of a purpose than I ever did before. … The way I’ve been able to navigate my way around a course is 10 times better than it was before this year. I have more of a purpose to what I’m doing on every single shot.”
 
The Panthers displayed their depth in claiming six of the top 11 spots at last week’s regional. Egan shot a 78 to finish third, senior Isaak Bowman (80) was fourth, Pierce (82) took eighth, Johnson (83) ninth and Asmann (88) was 11^th.
 
Bowman joined the team for the first time this season. He was a 6A state placer in doubles last season and last weekend.
 
“He gives us that sixth score or sometimes he’s even in the top four,” Herrs said. “We’re a much deeper team having him in that top six.
 
“They’re all very competitive and so they push each other. There’s always something on the line whether they’re playing or practicing. It just kind of permeates everything that they do.”
 
While the Panthers’ regional total wouldn’t have cracked the top three at 6A’s two eastern regionals, it was within striking distance. Couple that with the team’s knowledge of Sand Creek, and Derby is optimistic about posting its highest state finish since taking eighth in 2011.
 
“We’ve talked about this probably for the last three weeks with the boys,” Herrs said. “Three hundred is kind of the target, and if you can get four scores that add up to 300, you can give yourself a shot. Whether it’s four 75s or 72-74-76-78 – just whatever the combo is – we’ve got to figure it out and get it.”

GARDEN CITY'S SHOOK RIDING MOMENTUM INTO STATE 

Garden City’s Maddix Shook nearly captured a regional championship last year as a freshman, outlasted in the fifth hole of a playoff by Derby’s Jaydon Carruthers.

Shook got a rematch in last Monday’s regional tournament at Mariah Hills in Dodge City. 

After ending his round with a double bogey on 18 to finish with a 72, Shook again found himself in a playoff with Carruthers for the regional title. 

“Coming down to 18, I knew where I was at with Jaydon, and I hit one left, then just tried to make the hero shot,” Shook said. “I punched out and then tried to get up and down from there. I made about a 12-footer to save double on 18. 

“Going into the playoff, I was excited because I had the same thing happen last year with Jaydon at Terradyne. Last year, we both shot 68, and he ended up beating me on the fifth hole with an eagle.”

Shook got his revenge, ending the playoff right away with a birdie on the first hole to seal it. 

“It felt good to win this one for sure,” Shook said. “I putted really well. My putter is probably what kept me in it the whole time. I struggled with my driver a little bit, but that course is open enough you can really hit anywhere if you want to.”

Shook will enter the 6A tournament with a season average of 72.1. Other tournament wins include the 36-hole I-135 Shootout at Hesston and Newton, the Bob Blazer/Hays High Invitational, the Garden City Invitational and the Great Bend Invitational. 

“Coming off last year I had some expectations, and I met a lot of my goals this year,” Shook said. “My game’s feeling pretty good right now.

“It was really just (improving) my mental game. It was all about my attitude after struggling and how to rebound.”

Shook, who won two tournaments as a freshman, was Garden City’s only varsity returner from last year. The rest of the varsity lineup is comprised of Keith Burr, who returned to the team after not playing as a junior, and four freshmen – Finn Harris, Simon Biera, Kevin Dreiling and Jalen Jagels. The Buffaloes qualified for state by placing third at the regional. 

Season highlights for Shook included a career-best 65 at Hesston and a 68 at his home course, Buffalo Dunes. 

Shook finished 33rd in the 6A tournament last year at Mariah Hills, carding rounds of 75 and 83 in rough weather conditions. 

“Last year was tough,” Shook said. “It was blowing and raining and sleeting on us the whole time, and that definitely didn’t make it any easier. The second day I really struggled with my putting.”

Shook and the Buffaloes have already played Sand Creek twice this year. He shot a 70 in the I-135 Shootout and a 76 in the season-opening Newton Invitational. 

“I’m really excited,” Shook said. “I like Sand Creek. I just need to be patient. I don’t need to be too aggressive by any means. I just need to make sure I keep the ball in play off the tee.”
 

OLATHE WEST LEADING THE CHARGE OF SUNFLOWER LEAGUE TEAMS LOOKING TO TOOK OVER AT STATE

Olathe West and Shawnee Mission East have battled it out in the Sunflower League this season, but both team’s performances this spring have put them in the conversation as potential state champions.

Shawnee Mission East ran away with first place in the Sunflower League standings, but Olathe West earned a double-digit victory in the third leg, almost as a reminder it was more concerned with peaking in the postseason.

Olathe West head coach Scott Aldrich feels this team could keep making history for the program.

“The team has already broken a few school records this season and hope to be the first team to medal at state,” Aldrich said.

The Owls made a great first step to accomplishing just that by posting the best team score across all the 6A regionals with a 286.

Junior Myles Tarvin tied his school-record 67 during that tournament, leading a group that had four golfers finish in the top 10 with a 75 or less.

Aldrich said that Tarvin has actually won less tournaments than he did a year ago, but he’s delivered clutch performances late in the season.

“Myles obviously has many golf talents, but his mental game is probably his best,” Aldrich said. “(He) never gets up or down and is a fierce competitor.”

Sophomore Parker Boggins, junior Blaine Sullivan and senior Tyler Walker have shown that they can deliver in the very low 70s.

Boggins, who is competing in his first varsity season, has finished top 10 in five tournaments this year. Aldrich said that even in events where Boggins is not striking the ball well, he’s shown a strong ability to scramble and still make par.

“I feel real good about our team going into state,” Aldrich said. “We have a deep team that has pushed kids to play their best at all times.”

Still, the team’s regional finish did not put Olathe West on untouchable ground.

Even with Shawnee Mission East in a different regional, taking first with a 298 in the tourney the Lancers hosted, the Owls had another Sunflower League foe right in their rear-view mirror.

Olathe South finished just four strokes behind at that same Olathe Northwest regional as Olathe West. Falcons head coach Andrew Meile liked what he saw from his group in that tournament.

"Our guys really stepped up in a very difficult regional to make it down to state again and we feel like we are peaking at the right time," Meile said.

Olathe South junior Tyler Strong played his best golf late in the season to lead the Falcons. Strong finished just two strokes behind Tarvin for the top spot at regionals. 

"Tyler Strong has been our top player all season long," Meile said. "He is one of the most mature competitors I've coached in any sport and it shows with how consistent he is."

After strong, the Falcons basically had matching pairs with Olathe West on their next three top finishing golfers, securing four in the top 12. In that group was senior Brooks Guinn shooting a 72 to tie for fourth.

Meile said Guinn has worked his way into that No. 2 spot for the Falcons with top-notch performances down the stretch of his final high school season.

"He hits the ball as far as anyone out there," Meile said. "When he gets his putter rolling well, he can be really tough to beat."

Along with Tyler's twin brother Blake (73, tied for sixth at regionals) and senior Dawson Mitchell give Meile a group he's excited to head with to Newton.

"We knew coming into the season, with the experience we have on this team, that we had a chance to be in the mix each tournament," Meile said.

Shawnee Mission East did not quite have that same level of performance at regionals, but the Lancers feel the same way. The golfers on their team has shown they are always in the mix at the highest levels of competition.

Senior Thomas Gogel has a season-low score of 68 and has shot as low as 66 in his high school career. Freshman Elliott Cowden has matched the 68 and senior Ben Slicker has delivered many low 70s scores over the years.

These teams are primed to turn the 6A state tournament into the Sunflower League Invitational. 

Of course, it would not be smart to doubt the rest of the top 6A teams from around the state, including a Blue Valley West program that always represents the Eastern Kansas League well on the state stage.

CLASS 5A

At Turkey Creek Golf Course, McPherson
 

THE MORE THE MERRIER FOR BISHOP CARROLL
 
Bishop Carroll senior Noah Holtzman cherished the experience of becoming the Golden Eagles’ first state medalist in 19 years last May when he captured the Class 5A title at Winfield’s Quail Ridge.
 
But the University of Kansas signee did so without his entire team along for the ride, and he felt the void.
 
“Obviously winning tournaments as an individual is fun, but I think winning as a team, honestly, is even better,” Holtzman said. “It makes the whole experience a lot better and more fun.”
 
Carroll not only will take its full allotment of six players to McPherson’s Turkey Creek for the 5A state tournament on Monday, but the Eagles head in as one of four regional champions. After edging crosstown rival and two-time reigning 5A champ Kapaun Mt. Carmel by three shots with a school-record 280 total in the Greater Wichita Athletic League tournament, Carroll posted a 287 four-man score Tuesday at Wichita’s Rolling Hills to top Kapaun by five strokes for the regional crown.
 
“You look at all the state championships they’ve won, they have been the bar,” Carroll coach Mark Berger said. “There’s no denying it. They’ve been the bar and we’ve had to try to raise our game to get there.
 
“We’ve beaten them in the past, but a lot of times we would have a really good day and they would have a bad day at the same time. These last few tournaments, I don’t think they’re very happy about losing, but when you shoot 283, you’re usually not to unhappy about that or if you shoot 292 at Rolling Hills, you’re usually not feeling too badly about that. We’ve kind of beaten them at their own game.”
 
Kapaun, led by Wichita State signee Conner Geist and two-time state top-four finisher Asher Whitaker, is still plenty formidable. The Crusaders set their own school record with a scorching, 13-under-par 275 total on May 1 at Wichita’s Consolver Golf Course. But Carroll has risen to the Crusaders’ challenge multiple times this season, thanks to marked improvement by its returning players and the addition of talented freshman Max Farber.
 
While Holtzman carded a 5-under 67 to win the regional, Farber was among five others who finished under par, shooting a 70 to finish fourth.
 
“He came in and filled that gap that we were missing last year, just a consistent player that can shoot around even every time,” Holtzman said. “He’s definitely beyond his years. He’s a great team player, and he’s always there to support and uplift when someone’s not doing well. And he’s there in the highs, too.”
 
Carroll also edged Kapaun by three shots at the GWAL tournament in 2022, but shot 327 the following week in the regional – also at Rolling Hills – and missed qualifying for state as a team by three shots. Now-graduated Jack Stuckey and current senior Pearce Lashley joined Holtzman as individual qualifiers.
 
Carroll’s 40-shot improvement at this year’s regional was largely fueled by senior Luke Shelton. After carding an 87 a year ago, Shelton fired a 72 on Tuesday. Another senior, Colby Hays, shot 78 and matched Holtzman’s nine-stroke improvement on their 2022 regional performances.
 
“Last year, Luke was on the verge of having some good rounds, and he would have a bad hole and just get really down,” Berger said. “He lost confidence and the round would just go to pot. He really worked hard last summer and played in a lot more tournaments. I think he sees now that if he makes one or two mistakes, it doesn’t have to cost him a round.”
 
Holtzman, who earned league medalist with a 66 prior to his regional victory, practices daily in the same group with fellow seniors Shelton, Hays and Lashley. The group is hoping to make up for what they didn’t get to experience at state last May.
 
“We push each other a lot and we’re all super tight,” Holtzman said. “I think those guys are more focused this year mainly on the end goal. They want to win.
 
“Getting to experience winning is really fun and it makes you want to just do it over and over again. So, I think their focus is a lot better this year and everyone’s mental game is just where it needs to be.”
 

ST. JAMES ACADEMY CONFIDENT HEADING INTO STATE AFTER RECORD-BREAKING SEASON FOR PROGRAM

It has been a few years since St. James Academy has found its way to a state team trophy in boys golf.

The program is looking for its first top-3 finish since 2018. But the Thunder are also hoping to win their first state title since 2010.

St. James has broken its team scoring record twice this year, first at 297 before eventually posting a 288.

The Thunder are also finishing strong as they were one of three teams to post a team score below 300 at a 5A regional.

Sophomore Jacob Fratzel delivered the fourth reset of the Thunder individual scoring record this season when he won the individual regional title with his score of 69, which tied him with three other golfers for the second best score across all the 5A regionals. Only Bishop Carroll senior Noah Holtzman delivered a lower regional score with his 67.

“Fratzel has the ability to go low every round,” St. James head coach Michael Consiglio said. “He can score on any course and when he is rolling in putts, he is very entertaining to watch.”

However, Fratzel is just one part of the show. The Thunder had five golfers finish in the top six at regionals. 

Next up on the leaderboard was freshman Darren Powell. He finished third at the regional with a 72.

Consiglio said Powell has been a consistent golfer for the team all season.

“He hits fairways and greens and is a really good putter,” Consiglio said. “Darren makes golf look easy by staying out of trouble.”

To round out the top group at regionals, junior Luke Davis finished fifth with a 77 while junior Jack Alters and senior Zachary Clark tied for sixth with 79s.

Clark finished at the back of that pack, but he’s been one of the top golfers for his team throughout this season.

“Clark is one of the best ball strikers we have had come through St. James,” Consiglio said of the West Point golf commit.

If Clark can get back to delivering low 70s at state, he’ll put his team in a great position to bring home some team hardware.


CLASS 4A

At Quail Ridge Golf Course, Winfield
 

WAMEGO OUT FOR A BIT OF REDEMPTION
 
After posting the lowest regional score of any Class 4A team a year ago, Wamego headed to the Class 4A state tournament with high hopes of delivering the program its first-ever boys state championship.
 
Not only did a title elude Wamego’s grasp, so did a state trophy. The Red Raiders had one of their roughest days of the season and finished with a 342 team score that put them fourth, well behind state champion Bishop Miege (324) and 11 shots out of third.
 
“It left a bad taste in our mouth the way we performed at state last year,” Wamego coach Scott Kitch said. “I don’t know if (the weather) got to us or got in our heads a little bit but we didn’t perform like we expected to last year.”
 
The disappointing showing stoked a fire under the three returning Red Raiders from last year’s state roster, senior Kaleb Winter and juniors Cash Foltz and Talon White. And after a somewhat slow start to the season, Wamego has come on as of late.
 
The Red Raiders posted a season-low team score of 297 at the North Central Kansas League meet two weeks ago and followed it up with a solid 318 at last Monday’s 4A regional meet at Holton Country Club in inclement conditions.
 
In six of their last seven meets, Wamego has posted team scores of 318 or lower, the lone exception coming at the Hutchinson Invitational, one of the largest single-day tournaments in the Midwest.
 
If Wamego can hold to that form, Kitch thinks they’ll be right in the mix this season.
 
“Our goal, with 4A, I always think if you can get under 320, you’re going to have a shot,” he said. “That’s always been our goal all season. As we’ve gotten better, they just keep lowering it a little bit.”
 
Wamego beat defending champion Miege by four shots for the regional title. Only Circle posted a lower regional score with a 307 at the Buhler regional. Clay Center (236), Andale (239), Miege (322) and Independence (324) all were under 330 at their respective regionals as well, making the field of contenders for the title at Quail Ridge Golf Course in Winfield a crowded one.
 
What could set Wamego apart is its depth. Foltz won the regional title after a playoff with Miege’s Jack Winkler and took fifth at state last year. His status for the season was in question after having surgery a month prior to the start of the season to fix a twisted bowel.
 
But he’s come back strong and has shot under 80 in his last seven tournaments with a low round of 71 at league. He shot a 74 at regionals.
 
“We were a little worried there,” Kitch said. “We didn’t know how long he was going to be out. But he’s back at his prime and getting that win at regionals was a big moment for him.”
 
He’s one of five Red Raiders who have shot 76 or better in a tournament this season. White also has a season-best of a 71, while Gannon Couture has a 73, Regan Kueker at 74 and Winter a 76. Spencer Hecht isn’t far behind with a best of 82. Couture, Kueker and Hecht are in their first year as full-time varsity members.
 
“The good thing about our team is we’ve got six guys that can shoot 82 or better,” Kitch said. “Some days our sixth man performs and maybe our third guy doesn’t or something like that. That’s nice.”
 
With Wamego’s girls’ team winning its second straight Class 4A state title in the fall, Kitch also said there’s some extra incentive for the boys to get one of their own.
 
“I think there’s a little bit of competition between the two,” he said. “Seeing what the girls have done, the guys want that too. We’ve got guys who’ve put in the effort and really want it.” 



CLASS 3A

At Mariah Hills Golf Course, Dodge City
 

KINGMAN’S MEIREIS SHARPENS MIND GAME FOR SECOND STATE TRIP
 
One of sport psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella’s many books, “Golf Is Not A Game of Perfect,” has been around almost twice as long as Kingman’s Kory Meireis.
 
But the title has been trendy and applicable for the Eagles’ sophomore standout, who will make his second Class 3A state tournament appearance beginning Monday at Dodge City’s Mariah Hills.
 
Meireis has displayed plenty of skill in his first two high school seasons, winning seven tournaments and finishing second in six. An offseason focus on his mental approach led to greater consistency this spring. Meireis finished in the top three of every tournament before a fourth-place finish at the Hesston regional on Tuesday.
 
“In my first year of playing (Kansas Junior Golf tournaments) and facing that competitive side, you really get a feel on your mental part whether you’re good at it or just really bad,” said Meireis, who has a 76.2 stroke average this season. “With my dad (Kyle) being my coach, he was able to point out that my mental game was way down there. I struggled with it.”
 
Never more so last year than in his state tournament debut at Salina Municipal. Meireis entered the homestretch of his opening round on track for a round in the low-80s. But a triple bogey and double bogey in his final three holes led to an 86 that left him tied for 36^th. Heavy rain across the state washed out the final round.
 
“I watched a lot of videos, trying to find ways to really help the mental game,” Meireis said. “My physical swing has not changed at all. I’ve just done what feels right and the mental improvements have helped me so much.”
 
Committing to his pre-shot routine and “learning to let bad shots go” has worked for Meireis, Kingman’s lone state qualifier. After finishing second in the season-opening Pratt Invitational and dropping a playoff to Ellinwood’s Drew Heinz at the Nickerson Invitational, Meireis reeled off victories in his home tournament and at invitationals hosted by Pretty Prairie and Clearwater. He shot a season-low, 1-under 71 at Pretty Prairie.
 
Meireis added a fourth victory on his home course at the Central Plains League tournament, carding a 74 for a two-shot win.
 
“His biggest deal is his mental maturity,” said Kyle Meireis, Kory’s father and Kingman’s golf coach. “The state tournament last year was devastating to him.
 
“He worked all summer on it. We’ve learned to laugh off mistakes. He’s also learned not to hold it in, and that’s been a big deal. I’m really proud of him.”


CLASS 2A

At Hesston Golf Course
 

SACRED HEART PRIMED FOR EIGHTH STRAIGHT CROWN

What a difference a year makes.
 
When Patrick Newell took over the Sacred Heart golf program prior to the 2021 season, he inherited a monster. The Knights were somewhat fresh off winning a fifth straight state title in 2019 before COVID canceled the 2020 season.
 
With three seniors on his first roster who had been key pieces on that 2019 title team, Newell admitted in 2021, all he had to do was “not get in the way.” He didn’t and Sacred Heart rode the senior trio of Caleb Gillland, Kameron Shaw and Jack Elmore to a dominating title in 2021, the Knights winning by a whopping 63 shots over runner-up Sterling.
 
Year Two was almost completely opposite. Reloading with mostly sophomores and freshmen a year ago, Sacred Heart kept extended its championship run in Class 2A to seven straight. But it was by the slimmest of margins.
 
The Knights posted a 318 team score on the first day of last year’s meet to lead Hoxie by one and settled for that margin of victory when rain canceled the second day of state.
 
“Last year was too close for comfort,” Newell said. “I knew it would be tight and on our first day we didn’t perform our best and Hoxie did. Luckily, we were up one and then it rained. My boys wanted to play the second day and it didn’t work out. We won by one and it was a ‘Whew’ moment.”
 
Newell and the Knights hope this year’s state meet is more like 2021 than 2022, both in getting to play both days of the state tournament and having a little more room to breathe in claiming an eighth straight crown. After graduating only one player off last year’s team, Sacred Heart is the prohibitive favorite again this year.
 
Based off regional scores, it’s trending toward another runaway win. Sacred Heart posted a 288 team score to win its home regional by 81 shots. No team at any other regional was within 30 shots of the Knights with Hill City’s 322 tops among the other three regionals.
 
“We’ve shot some of our best scores here down the stretch,” Newell said. “It’s been going the way we thought it would. We’re older and more mature and we haven’t reached our peak. I’ll do my best to keep them loose because there is some pressure with being the defending champs that builds up.”
 
Michael Matteucci led a 1-2-3-4-5 Knight finish at regionals with a 70, two shots better than fellow juniors Hunter Newell and Walker Tuttle. Sophomore Luke Newell posted a 74 and junior Max Ehrlich carded a 77.
 
That depth has been Sacred Heart’s trademark for years. At state a year ago, Luke Newell and Tuttle tied for third, Hunter Newell tied for 12^th, Matteucci tied for 20^th and Ehrlich tied for 30^th.
 
Four of the five have shot as low at 72 this season.
 
“We’ve got five that are usually in the mix for medalling and any of the five are capable of going out and having their day,” Patrick Newell said. “It’s nice knowing that. Most teams have two or three they can rely on and I have the luxury of having five guys who can step up. They all handle the pressure well.
 
“We’ve played a 5A schedule basically and I do that on purpose. One, it gives us competition, and two, they get used to it. We play the Bishop Carrolls, Kapaun Mt. Carmels, Eisenhowers and hold own own so they’re used to the pressure.”
 
 CLASS 1A

At Emporia Municipal Golf Course
 

SOUTH GRAY LOOKS TO CONTINUE IMPRESSIVE SEASON

South Gray has enjoyed a dominant season, entering state undefeated in its nine tournaments so far. 

The Rebels are led by the trio of Gavin Wahl, Jaxon Koehn and Cameron Wahl. Those three have combined for five tournament wins. 

Koehn won last week’s regional in Tribune and also captured the Rebels' home tournament. Gavin Wahl won the Southwestern Heights and Ashland tournaments, while Cameron Wahl claimed the Hodgeman County Invitational. 

Koehn fired a 71 at the regional, seven strokes better than second-place Landon McPhail from Ashland. 

The Rebels won the regional team title by 11 strokes over Ashland with a 337. 

Koehn has finished in the top five at state in each of the last two years. Gavin Wahl has the best average this season for the Rebels with a 77.9, followed by Koehn (79.6) and Cameron Wahl (80.4). Keegan Loewen and Carter Jantz help provide solid depth for the Rebels. 

Meanwhile, defending 1A champion Hutchinson Central Christian has been equally impressive this season, also winning all of its tournaments so far. 

The Cougars rolled to the regional title by 49 strokes with a 342 at Halstead’s Wedgewood Golf Course.

Central Christian sophomore Ryland Kooiman is the defending Class 1A champion after winning a rain-shortened tournament last year with a round of 76. Sophomore Nathan Reed placed eighth at state last year. 
 
SAND GREENS

At Leonardville Golf Course, Riley
 

LAKESIDE AIMS FOR 3-PEAT 

Despite graduating three key members off last year’s team, the cupboard was far from bare for Lakeside heading into this season. 

The two-time reigning champs lost three top-10 state placers -- 2021 state champion Kylan Cunningham, Cooper Brown and Tyler Schoen. 

However, the Knights were so deep last year that coach Cory Beougher had to leave two solid golfers, Eli Hahn and Ross Hutson, off the five-man lineup for the Sand Greens tournament.

Hahn and Hutson have been key contributors to a team that also returned Terin Winkel and Reid Walsh, who placed sixth and ninth last year at state, respectively. 

“I knew we were still going to be pretty decent and competitive again with what we had coming back,” Beougher said.

The Knights will again enter Monday’s Sand Greens tournament as the team to beat after winning all six of the sand tournaments they have played this season. 

After playing well on the junior varsity level last year as a freshman, sophomore Jace Cunningham has made an immediate impact in his first year on varsity, winning two tournaments. Winkel has three tournament wins. 

The Knights won state by 33 strokes over Beloit-St. John’s last year on their home course in Downs. Beougher said the Bluejays could be the Knights’ toughest competition for a team title. 

“We’ve stayed pretty consistent with what we shoot as a team score throughout the year,” Beougher said. “St. John’s-Beloit had more room for improvement, and they’ve really improved and started to press us a little bit. Instead of winning by 30 strokes, we’re winning by 12 now. So they’ve really cut into us quite a bit. It’s not that we’ve gotten worse, they just had more room for improvement than we did.”

Beougher said the Leonardville Golf Course will provide a challenge. 

“It’s a Par 66, but don’t think that means it’s easy,” Beougher said. “It’s a real tough little course. They’ve got four Par 3s, and three of them are pretty long, and they’re real narrow fairways.”

“I’ve always felt like we’ve had a strong possibility (at winning), you just never know,” Beougher added. “We stress more about playing within themselves, trying to make sure that they don't get totally out of whack. If they shoot like they normally shoot, then we should having a pretty good shot at winning it again. But it’s golf, so you never know. I don’t try to put a lot of pressure on them. We just talk about trying to play smart.”

There will be a new individual Sand Greens champion this year with the graduation of last year’s winner, Sylvan-Lucas’ Zach Rose, who shot a 65 to win by seven strokes at Downs.