2024 BOYS GOLF PREVIEW
 

CLASS 6A
 
2023 State Champion: Shawnee Mission East
 
2023 State Runner-up: Olathe West
 
2023 Individual State Champion: Thomas Gogel, Shawnee Mission East
 
2023 Review: After missing the Day 2 cut at state by a single stroke in 2022, Shawnee Mission East made all the close margins work in its favor to win the Class 6A title at Newton’s Sand Creek. Led by senior individual medalist Thomas Gogel, the Lancers used a fifth-man tiebreaker to edge Olathe West for their first team title in four years after both teams posted 36-hole totals of 575. Gogel also defeated Blue Valley’s Chance Rokol, the 2021 individual medalist, with a par in a one-hole playoff to give the Lancers a title sweep after both matched rounds of 68 and 70 for a 6-under 138 total. Shawnee Mission East started the final round in second, four shots behind Blue Valley Northwest. But the Lancers passed the Huskies with an even-par 284 in the final round, while Olathe West, led by co-fourth-place holders Nick Nickloy and Bennett Warren, pulled even with a 283. The Lancers got solid second-round performances from freshmen and top-20 medalists Wylie Curtis (72) and Elliott Cowden (69) to help make the difference. Blue Valley Northwest finished third with a 578 team score while Blue Valley West, led by newcomer and third-place finisher Parker Bennett’s 5-under 139 total, took fourth in the team race. Olathe Northwest and Manhattan also advanced teams to Day 2.
 
2024 Contenders: Prior to winning last year’s Class 6A title, Shawnee Mission East went back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. A title defense this season at Garden City’s Buffalo Dunes will require replacing three departed seniors, including individual medalist Thomas Gogel. The Lancers return a sophomore trio from the 2023 state roster, including 14^th place finisher Wylie Curtis and Elliott Cowden, who tied for 15^th.  After an agonizing 6A runner-up finish, this could be the year for Olathe West. The Owls return a pair of 2023 top-5 state placers in senior Nick Nickloy and junior Bennett Warren along with experienced seniors Blaine Sullivan and Myles Tarvin. Blue Valley missed a chance to go for a three-peat last year in 6A after finishing fifth at regionals, but the Tigers return a strong 1-2 punch in seniors Chance Rinkol, the state medalist three years ago, and James Ackerman. Both are three-time top-10 finishers. Blue Valley West took fourth at state last season. Despite graduating 2022 6A champion Carson Baker, the Jaguars return two top-20 placers in sophomore Parker Bennett, who was one shot out of a playoff for state medalist last May, and senior Ty Lasley. Manhattan advanced to the second day of state last year with five underclassmen and finished sixth. Jackson Powers tied for 10^th in his state debut. Derby won its first regional title in over two decades last season and brings back senior Jaydon Carruthers, a top-15 state finisher. Blue Valley North sophomore Brady Rapp and Garden City junior Maddix Shook were top-10 finishers who finished under par at state a year ago.
 

CLASS 5A
 
2023 State Champion: Bishop Carroll
 
2023 State Runner-up: Kapaun Mt. Carmel
 
2023 Individual State Champion: Noah Holtzman, Bishop Carroll
 
2023 Review: Last year’s Class 5A state tournament at McPherson’s Turkey Creek was one for the ages as Bishop Carroll delivered record-setting performances – and quite frankly needed to – to win its first team championship. Noah Holtzman, the 2022 state medalist in a rain-shortened tournament at Quail Ridge, capped his high school career with his second straight title, firing a course-record, 9-under 61 in the final round for a blistering 13-under 127 total to separate from runner-up Asher Whitaker of Kapaun Mt. Carmel by seven shots. Newcomer Max Farber tied for third for Carroll after holding the first-round lead and helped fuel the Golden Eagles’ two-day team total of 555 – 5-under par – for the lowest winning score by a Kansas champion in the brief history of the 36-hole state tournaments. After winning the 2021 and 2022 titles, Kapaun, with four top-20 finishers, finished second at 565. Nine golfers shot even or better over 36 holes, including Carson Wright, who led Eisenhower to a third-place finish at 570. No team could match Carroll’s closing-round 275, but St. James Academy posted a 282 to climb into fourth place behind top-20 finishers Jacob Fratzel and Darren Powell. Individually, Hutchinson’s Ty Adkins matched Farber’s 135 total tie for third and Andover Central’s Colt Farrow shot 3-under 137 in his state debut to finish fifth.
 
2024 Contenders: Bishop Carroll’s reign atop Class 5A will be put to the test, as the Golden Eagles graduated four seniors from their title team, including University of Kansas signee and two-time individual medalist Noah Holtzman. Still, Carroll returns a strong anchor in sophomore Max Farber, who led last year’s state tournament at the midway point after carding a 5-under 65. Junior Landon Timmermeyer also returns after firing a pair of 79s at state. For Kapaun Mt. Carmel, senior Asher Whitaker is looking for his third team title and first individual state championship after three top-4 finishes. The Oklahoma signee and fellow senior Noah Pirtle have been part of the Crusaders’ lineup since their freshman seasons. Few teams will be able to match the experience of Eisenhower, which returns its entire state lineup after finishing second and third in 5A the past two seasons. Creighton signee Carson Wright tied for sixth last year at state, while sophomore Jackson Loomis, senior Tyler Hardtarfer and senior Brody Scafe, a Washburn signee, also won individual medals. St. James Academy finished fourth in 5A last May and was led by underclassmen Jacob Fratzel, who took 11^th individually, and Darren Powell (T15). Emporia graduated top-10 state finisher Caden Massey but returns a junior-heavy lineup that includes Hudson Sauder, William Walker and Nolan Jacob, all of whom finished in the top 35. Andover Central sophomore Colt Farrow and Andover junior Aidan Nguyen give each of their teams a solid No. 1 player. Farrow finished fifth in the 5A meet at 3-under 137 while Nguyen earned his second top-20 state medal, tying for sixth. Topeka West senior Myles Alonzo is a two-time state medal winner and has been the Chargers’ top player the last three years.
 

CLASS 4A
 
2023 State Champion: Wamego
 
2023 State Runner-up: Independence
 
2023 Individual State Champion: Anderson Helmer, Circle
 
2023 Review: Inspired by their school’s girls golf team, which won Class 4A titles in 2021 and 2022, Wamego’s boys erased a seven-shot deficit to first-round leader Bishop Miege and captured their first team championship in program history. The Red Raiders posted four-man scores of 320 and 319 – one shot better than runner-up Independence each day – for a two-shot victory at Winfield’s Quail Ridge. Miege, looking for back-to-back team titles after winning the 2022 crown at Newton’s Sand Creek, finished third, three shots back. Circle also experienced a first, as freshman Anderson Helmer shot a two-round total of 5-over 149 to become the Thunderbirds’ first individual champion, one shot ahead of Tonganoxie’s Remi Baldock. Helmer’s finish boosted Circle to fourth place in the team race. Wamego’s victory was fueled by top-10 finishers Talon White, Cash Foltz and Spencer Hecht, the Red Raiders’ sixth man who delivered his best performance of the season. Ethan Small, one of four first-round leaders along with Helmer, Miege’s Jack Winkler and McPherson’s Trakker French, tied for eighth to lead Independence to the runner-up finish. Winkler earned the third top-10 state finish of his career, sharing third place with Pratt’s Grant McAtee.
 
2024 Contenders: As this year’s Class 4A state tournament shifts to McPherson’s Turkey Creek, there’s little to no reason to eliminate Wamego’s possibility of going back to back. The Red Raiders graduated just one senior off their 2023 state roster, and return all three top-10 finishers in seniors Talon White, Cash Foltz and Spencer Hecht. Sophomore Regan Kueker missed a top-20 individual medal by one shot and senior Gannon Couture was two strokes out. Independence lost four seniors off its state runner-up team, but both returnees, sophomore Ethan Small and junior Cameron Mavers, finished in the top 20. Bishop Miege also graduated four golfers off its third-place team, but brings back an individual title hopeful in senior Jack Winkler. Winkler has three top-7 state finishes and led the Stags to the 2022 4A title. Circle had a breakthough season with its fourth-place finish in 2023, setting and resetting team scoring records multiple times. Sophomore Anderson Helmer is the reigning 4A medalist and senior Conner Chadwell made rapid improvement last season to earn a top-20 medal. Hayden reached the second day of the state tournament with four underclassmen. Junior Tagen Rodriguez was the top finisher, missing an individual medal by one stroke. A home course state meet could benefit McPherson senior Blaise Hoover. Hoover missed an individual medal by one spot a year ago, but led the Bullpups to a third-place finish in 2022 with his top-10 showing.
 

CLASS 3A
 
2023 State Champion: Heritage Christian
 
2023 State Runner-up: Sabetha
 
2023 Individual State Champion: Lane Workman, Santa Fe Trail
 
2023 Review: In its third year with a full golf team, Heritage Christian built an 11-shot lead after the first round of the Class 3A state tournament and doubled it on the second day for a 22-shot victory at Dodge City’s Mariah Hills. The Chargers, who were in the hunt for the 2022 title and settled for third after weather wiped out the final round, left no doubt this time. With senior Owen Evans posting a second-place individual finish and his classmate Ashton Albright tying for ninth, Heritage Christian posted a 36-hole team score of 613. Sabetha, led by seventh-place individual finishers Roman Scoby and Cullen Wikle, was the runner-up at 635. Individually, Santa Fe Trail’s Lane Workman completed a stellar junior season, posting scores of 72 and 70 for an even-par 142 to earn medalist honors. Workman, who won eight tournaments last spring, finished four shots ahead of Evans and five clear of Camden Waterson, who led 2022 champion Hesston to a third-place finish. Eleven of the top 15 individual finishers were underclassmen, including Frontenac’s Vinny Pile, who led the Raiders to a fourth-place team finish by taking sixth individually.
 
2024 Contenders: A bit of a reset may be in order for 2023 state champion Heritage Christian, which captured its first team title with four seniors. Junior Lucas Prado tied for ninth for the Chargers, however. The favorite’s role might be inherited by Sabetha, which posted a runner-up finish with six underclassmen. Senior Cullen Wikle delivered a career-best round (73) on the final day at state and tied for seventh individually with teammate Roman Scoby, a junior who carded back-to-back 76s. Senior Dalton Rokey was just outside the top 30. Hesston graduated a talented player in Camden Waterson, but senior Palmer Welsh and junior Grant Waterson weren’t far from individual medal contention and are part of a group of four Swather returnees. Individually, Santa Fe Trail senior Lane Workman will have a shot to repeat as 3A medalist after winning by four shots last year at Mariah Hills. Workman has been solid throughout his career, posting third-place state finishes as a freshman and sophomore. Workman’s top competition could come from Southeast of Saline’s Dylan Esch, a three-time state qualifier who finished fourth last season, or Kingman’s Kory Meireis, who has seven career victories entering his junior campaign. Rossville graduated three seniors from a fifth-place state team, but junior Jonathan Hart and sophomore Jack Donovan were the Bulldawgs’ top two finishers, both earning individual medals.
 

CLASS 2A
 
2023 State Champion: Sacred Heart
 
2023 State Runner-up: Hill City
 
2023 Individual State Champion: Michael Matteucci, Sacred Heart
 
2023 Review: After a close call in the 2022 Class 2A state tournament, Sacred Heart prolonged its dominance with its state-record eighth consecutive team championship, winning by 44 shots over Hill City at Hesston Golf Course. Michael Matteucci added his name to the list of Sacred Heart’s individual champions, posting a two-round total of 3-under 139 to edge Ellinwood’s Drew Heinz by three shots. The Knights’ all-underclassmen lineup claimed five of the top 15 individual spots, with Luke Newell finishing third, Walker Tuttle tying for fourth, Max Ehrlich tying for 12^th and Hunter Newell tying for 15^th. Sacred Heart won by just one shot over Hoxie two years ago in a rain-shortened 2A tournament at Emporia, but the Knights fired a four-man score of 297 on the opening day for an 18-shot lead over the second-place Ringnecks and never looked back, finishing at 597. Hill City was led by top-10 finishers Cooper Bagley and Noah Fry, posted a 641 team score. Hoxie followed the 2022 runner-up finish with a third-place showing, as senior Brady Jones led the way, tying for seventh. Elkhart’s 658 total was four shots behind Hoxie in fourth, with Bodie Higgins leading three Wildcat top-20 finishers.
 
2024 Contenders: The task of unseating Sacred Heart will remain daunting for the 2A field, as the Knights won their eighth consecutive state title last season with an all-underclassmen lineup. Senior Michael Matteucci, a Washburn signee, is the reigning state individual medalist and a three-time top-20 finisher. Junior Luke Newell finished eight shots behind Matteucci’s state-winning, 36-hole total of 139 and took third. Seniors Walker Tuttle, Max Ehrlich and Hunter Newell are also returning individual medal winners from last year’s state team. The top challengers for Sacred Heart the last two seasons have been northwest Kansas neighbors Hill City and Hoxie. Senior Noah Fry is the top returnee for Hill City after tying for ninth. Junior Noah Dowell was one of three top-20 finishers for Hoxie, and is one of three returnees from last year’s state roster. After three top-10 finishes, including back-to-back runner-up showings, could this be the year for Ellinwood’s Drew Heinz? Heinz was one shot out of the lead in the 2022 state tournament when rain washed out the final 18 holes. Last May, his even-par 142 total was three shots behind Matteucci. Heinz and fellow senior Mason Moore will try to help the Eagles improve on a fifth-place team finish.
 

CLASS 1A
 
2023 State Champion: South Gray
 
2023 State Runner-up: Washington County
 
2023 Individual State Champion: Spencer Coup, Solomon
 
2023 Review: South Gray’s five-member team of Jaxon Koehn, Carter Jantz, Keegan Loewen, Cameron Wahl and Gavin Wahl couldn’t be beat in 2023. The Rebels won all 10 of their tournaments, completing their season with a 12-shot victory in the Class 1A state tournament at Emporia Municipal. Koehn led the way with a second-place individual finish, one shot behind medalist Spencer Coup of Solomon, who rebounded from a freakish basketball injury to win the state golf title with a pair of 77s. With Cameron Wahl carding a 79, and Koehn and Gavin Wahl posting 80s, South Gray built a 14-shot lead over Washington County on the tournament’s opening day. Washington County, led by Monte Huckett’s 12^th place finish, posted the low four-man score of the final round, but only cut two shots off the Rebels’ lead. The chase for third was a closer battle, as Ashland, led by top-10 finishes from Landen McPhail and Cord Kellenberger, edged 2022 state champion Hutchinson Central Christian by one shot, 693-694. Ry Kooiman, who led Central Christian to the team title two years ago as 1A medalist, tied for 12^th in his title defense.
 
2024 Contenders: After winning its first team title in program history, South Gray opens its defense with its top three golfers – senior Jaxon Koehn, junior Cameron Wahl and sophomore Gavin Wahl – back in tow. Koehn won a regional title before finishing second at the Class 1A state tournament, one shot behind Solomon’s Spencer Coup. Coup, who missed the early part of his junior season recovering from a broken arm, has posted a runner-up and medalist finish at state the past two seasons. Hutchinson Central Christian followed its 2022 championship with a fourth-place finish and returns a pair of junior standouts in Ry Kooiman and Nate Reed. Kooiman won the 2022 1A individual title at Hesston, while Green was the Cougars’ top state finisher last season, tying for ninth. Ashland has a chance to improve on last year’s third-place finish at state with the return of senior Landen McPhail, who tied for fifth individually, and junior Cord Kellenberger, who was eighth. Goessel’s Noah Schrag would like to cap a standout career with an individual title. The senior placed fourth at the rain-shortened 2022 state tournament and was third last season at Emporia, five shots behind Coup. Kiowa County sophomore Sawyer Campbell made a strong state debut last May, tying for fifth with a 160 total.
 

SAND GREENS
 
2023 State Champion: Lakeside
 
2023 State Runner-up: Beloit-St. John's
 
2023 Individual State Champion: Jace Cunningham, Lakeside
 
2023 Review: Despite having to replace three seniors off its 2022 state championship team, Lakeside coach Corey Beougher was confident in his team’s chances to three-peat in 2023, knowing the Knights’ depth would fill those voids capably. Lakeside delivered just as he anticipated. After winning by 33 strokes in 2022, Lakeside was nearly as dominant in bringing home its third straight state crown. Led by individual champion Jace Cunningham, the Knights finished with a team total of 299 – two strokes better than their 2022 winning score – and beat runner-up Beloit-St. John’s by 25 shots for the title. Cunningham was one of the varsity newcomers in 2023, but came with a strong pedigree winning every single JV tournament in 2022. And while teammate Terin Winkel might have been the individual title favorite, it was Cunningham who took it, shooting a 69 at the Leonardville Golf Course to win by three shots over Winkel. Lakeside placed all five in the top eight with Eli Hahn and Ross Hutson tying for fifth and Reid Walsh placing eighth. In taking second, Beloit-St. John’s put three in the top seven with Luke Bates and Christopher LaRocque tying for third and Cooper Jermark taking seventh. Tipton was a distant third in the team race led by a tie for 13^th from Koevin Schroeder.

 
2024 Contenders: Winners of three straight Sand Greens state titles, Lakeside will have to do some serious reloading to make it four in a row. While individual state champion Jace Cunningham does return to go after a second straight title, he’s the lone Knight back as Lakeside graduated four senior placers off last year’s title team. The good news for Lakeside is most of their top challengers form a year ago also have their fair share of question marks. Beloit-St. John’s looked like it might be in position to dethrone the Knights with three underclassmen on last year’s runner-up team, led by third-place finisher Christopher LaRocque. But the Blujays saw brothers Carter and Chance Jermark transfer during the offseason, leaving LaRocque as the lone returner from last year’s runner-up team. A distant third a year ago, Tipton does return its top state finisher in Koevin Schroeder and 21^st-place finisher Max Ketter, but that’s all. Rock Hills and Pike Valley do have multiple returners as well, including state placers Elijah Field of Pike Valley (T9th) and Ethan Wirth of Rock Hills (20^th), but both finished well back in the team standings last year. With so many unknowns, the chase for this year’s title is shaping up to be a wide-open affair.