BRYCE BADSKY, SILVER LAKE

Badsky won four tournaments last year as a junior, including the Mid-East League meet for the second straight year and a Class 3A regional championship. He qualified for state for the third straight year and captured a medal for the third straight year as well, finishing 16^th at the state meet last year after taking 13^th as a freshman and 10^th as a sophomore. He’s improved his scoring average by nearly 10 strokes from his freshman to his junior year, holding a 77.9 average last year. Badsky was second-team All-Class 3A last year and has eight career victories.
 

DREW BUCHMAN, COUNCIL GROVE

Coming off a stellar debut freshman season in 2022 where he finished fifth at the Class 3A state tournament, Buchman put together an outstanding sophomore season to back it up. Buchman won all but two of his seven regular-season tournaments, finishing runner-up in his only non-wins to eventual Class 3A state champion Lane Workman. He was the Flint Hills League champion and a regional champion with a 71, one shot off his career-best of a 70. Coming into this season he holds a scoring average of 75.7. Buchman finished 13^th at last year’s state meet and was a first-team All-Class 3A selection.
 

DYLAN ESCH, SOUTHEAST OF SALINE

Esch earned first-team All-Class 3A honors last year after a solid junior season saw him qualify for state for the third straight year. Esch finished fourth at the Class 3A state tournament last spring, shooting a two-day total of 148 at Dodge City’s Mariah Hills Golf Course, leaving him six shots out of first but just two behind state runner-up Owen Evans of Heritage Christian. Esch has been a three-year first-team All-North Central Activities Association performer and was in the 70s for all but one of last year’s tournaments with a season-low of 71 at the Hesston Invitational. He won the Marion Invitational with a 75 and the Chapman Invitational with a 74.
 

ALEX GALLEGOS, ST. MARYS

After showing some potential his freshman year, Gallegos fulfilled on some of it last year in a breakout sophomore year for the Bears. He won the Perry-Lecompton Invitational early in the season on a rainy day and then saved his best for the last as he shot a two-day total of 153 to tie for fourth at the Class 2A state tournament in Hesston. Gallegos finished the season with seven top-10 finishes in nine tourneys and was the Mid-East League runner-up. His strong season has created a buzz for the program, which saw its number increase immensely this spring.
 

JONATHAN HART, ROSSVILLE

Hart had a breakout sophomore season for the Bulldawgs last year, helping them claim the Mid-East League title and finish runner-up at regionals and fifth at the Class 3A state tournament in Dodge City. Hart was the highest-finishing sophomore at last year’s state tournament, placing fifth with a two-day total of 150, which including his season-low round of 71 on the second day of the tourney. Hart was the Mid-East League runner-up individually and had four other top-five finishes including a victory at the Silver Lake Invitational early in the season where he shot a 76. He finished with an 82 stroke average.
 

 
KORY MEIREIS, KINGMAN
 
Meireis landed a spot on the Kansas Golf Coaches Association’s All-Class 3A first team after winning three tournaments and finishing second in four others last season. The Eagle junior won the Kingman Invitational and Central Plains League tournament on his home course and set the Pretty Prairie tournament scoring record with a 71. Meireis, a two-time state qualifier, was fourth at the Hesston regional and finished 13^th in the Class 3A tournament at Dodge City’s Mariah Hills. Meireis, who has seven career victories, posted a 76.33 scoring average in 2023.

 

COLE NIEDERKLEIN, FRONTENAC

Niederklein has qualified for state in each of his first three high school seasons with a top-20 finish in both of the last two seasons, including a top-10 finish as a sophomore in 2022. In that state tournament, Niederklein scored an 80 on Day 1 to land in an eight-way tie for 10th before Day 2 was canceled due to weather. After becoming a sophomore sensation, Niederklein had one of those less-discussed junior slumps, at least in terms of where he stacked up on the leaderboards. He matched his two wins from the year before, but had just six top-10 finishes after achieving that in 23 tournaments the year before. He still averaged 80 last year with a low round of 72 at Fort Scott Invitational. Even before his state medalist finishes, Niederklein made some noise during his first state tournament as a sophomore when he hit a hole in one on the 13th hole during the second day of that year’s state tournament.
 

JACKSON RUMFORD, SCOTT CITY

Over his first two high school seasons, Rumford led the Beavers to two consecutive state tournaments for the first time in 50 years for the program. He won three tournaments as a sophomore, posting an average score of 79. Rumford has a pair of top-20 finishes at state, taking 14th last year with a 156. Regional assignments had not yet been released at the time of player to watch selections but there is a strong chance Scott City will move up to 4A this season.

 

 

CULLEN WIKLE, SABETHA

Wikle earned second-team All-Class 3A honors last year as a junior for the Bluejays after improving his stroke average to an 81.2. He posted six top-10 finishes a year ago, including a runner-up finish at his Class 3A regional meet. Wikle rode that momentum to a tie for seventh at the Class 3A state tournament during which he posted his career-low round with a 73 on the second day of the tourney. Wikle also finished third at the Big Seven League meet.
 

LANE WORKMAN, SANTA FE TRAIL