CLASS 1A BOYS GOLFERS TO WATCH IN 2025
 

SAWYER CAMPBELL, KIOWA COUNTY

Campbell was a top-five state placer last year, tying for fifth with Elkhart’s Bodie Higgins. He shot an 82 in the opening round but shaved off 10 strokes on Day 2 to card a 154 total. Campbell won the Mavericks’ home tournament, carding a 78 at Cannonball Golf Course to win by two strokes. He was fifth at the regional meet and eighth at the SPIAA Tournament. Campbell, a junior, was named honorable mention on the KGCA All-1A team last year.
 

 
EASTON GLESSNER, CENTRE
 
Glessner saved his best for the last a year ago, capping off his freshman season with a Class 1A state tournament medal. Throughout a brief regular-season schedule that saw him compete in only a handful of meets before the postseason, Glessner’s best round was an 83 at the Council Grove Invitational. Following a seventh-place finish at the Wheat State-Heart of the Plains League Challenge where he shot an 85, Glessner carded a 90 at regionals to earn an individual state berth. He made the most of it, shooting a season-best 82 on the first day of state and then bettering that by three shots with a 79 on day two, posting a 161 total that placed him 12th at state.
 

DAXTON HENDRICKSON, SOUTH GRAY

Hendrickson was a reliable player as a sophomore, helping the Rebels repeat as Class 1A state champs last year. He notched top-10 finishes in all but one of the regular season tournaments. Hendrickson took 15th place at state, giving the Rebels a fourth golfer in the top 15. He finished last season with an average of 81. His best round is a 76. Hendrickson earned honorable mention All-1A honors.
 

BODIE HIGGINS, ELKHART 

Higgins’ junior season was highlighted by his regional title at his home course. In that tournament, Higgins bested eventual state champion Gavin Wahl from South Gray by two strokes with a 73 at Point Rock Golf Course. He followed it up by tying for fifth place at the 1A state tournament in Hesston with a two-day score of 154. Higgins was the Hi-Plains League champion and also won the Syracuse Invitational. Higgins earned first-team All-1A honors last season.
 

JACE HOFFMAN, BISHOP SEABURY
 
Hoffman finished seventh at last year’s state tournament, shooting a 79 on the first day followed by a 77 on the second day. At regionals, Hoffman tied Solomon’s Spencer Coup for the regional title with both golfers posting a 78. As a freshman in 2023, Hoffman took third at regionals behind Coup and Washington County’s Konner Gepner. He had a similar state finish both years, shooting 80-82 for an identical seventh-place finish. The Seahawks finished fifth in 1A that year, but Hoffman was the lone golfer for his team last year following the graduation his five senior teammates from the previous year.
 

JEB KASTENS, RAWLINS COUNTY

Kastens took home a pair of tournament titles last season as a junior and earned a state medal. He placed 11th at the 1A tournament with a two-day score of 160. Kastens took first place at the Wheatland-Grinnell Thunderhawk Invitational and in his home Rawlins County Invitational. He was the runner-up at the Northwest Kansas League meet after winning that tournament as a freshman and sophomore. Kastens produced a 79.3 scoring average last season. His career low round is 74. Kastens earned second-team All-1A honors last season.
 

CORD KELLENBERGER, ASHLAND

Kellenberger, a junior, cracked the top 10 at the 1A tournament at Hesston last season, finishing ninth. He carded rounds of 80 and 78 for a 158 total at state. Kellenberger captured a tournament title at the Kinsley Invitational with a two-over par 146 at the 36-hole tournament. His career-low round is a 72 he shot at the South Gray Invitational. Kellenberger earned second-team All-1A honors last season.   

CAEL KOOIMAN, HUTCHINSON CENTRAL CHRISTIAN

Kooiman was one hole away last spring from replicating the Class 1A individual title his older brother Ry won as a freshman in 2022 at Hesston Municipal. But South Gray’s Gavin Wahl birdied the par-5 closing hole to claim medalist honors, while Kooiman bogeyed to finish second. The golfers’ respective teams finished in the same order at state, and Kooiman played a key role in keeping the Cougars near the top of 1A. Now a sophomore, Kooiman, posted a 78.5 stroke average last season with seven top-3 tournament finishes, including wins at the Larned Invitational and Halstead regional. Kooiman, an All-1A first-team selection, shot a season-low round of 72 at Larned and matched it on the opening day at state.
 

RY KOOIMAN, HUTCHINSON CENTRAL CHRISTIAN
 
Kooiman has been part of an impressive three-year run in Class 1A for the Cougars, leading them to the school’s first state boys team championship in 2022 with a one-shot victory in the individual competition. Central Christian has given way to South Gray the last two seasons, but still managed to finish fourth and second behind two more top-20 performances from Kooiman. He tied for 12^th individually as a sophomore, then tied for 15^th last year at Hesston to cap a junior season in which he posted a 79.8 stroke average. Kooiman posted a career-best 73 at Hesston to lead the Cougars to the Wheat State League/Heart of the Plains League Challenge title.
 

ANDREW NELSON, WICHITA INDEPENDENT
 
A two-time state medal winner in Class 4-1A bowling, Nelson will try to equal that on the golf course this spring. The sophomore tied for 15^th a year ago in the Class 2A state golf tournament, posting scores of 80 and 86 at Dodge City’s Mariah Hills after qualifying with an eighth-place regional finish in Eureka. Nelson’s postseason will be in Class 1A this year, as Independent has dropped down in classification. If he can make it back to state, Mariah Hills is hosting the 1A competition this year, giving Nelson plenty of familiarity and good vibes. Nelson had a solid showing in the 36-hole Marion County Invitational last season, finishing third in the Marion Country Club portion of the event with a 79.
 

NATHAN REED, HUTCHINSON CENTRAL CHRISTIAN
 
Like his classmate Ry Kooiman, Reed has had a big hand in Central Christian’s successful run the last three years in Class 1A. Starting with his freshman year, when he posted a season-best 85 to help the Cougars capture their first state title, Reed has been a key contributor. Reed was Central Christian’s top state finisher as a sophomore, tying for eighth at Emporia Municipal as the Cougars took fourth as a team. Last year at Hesston, Reed matched Ry Kooiman’s 15^th place finish as the duo provided support for Ry’s brother Cael, who took second individually to lead Central Christian to a runner-up finish. Reed posted a stroke average of 85.3 last spring and shot a career-best round of 77 at Hesston during the regular season. Reed has posted regional runner-up finishes each of the last two seasons.
 

 
OAKLEY RITTER, KINSLEY

Ritter made a solid run at a state medal last season as a junior, placing 23rd at the 1A tournament in Hesston. He carded a two-day total of 171 at state. Ritter placed seventh at regionals. His top round of the season was a 78 at his home Kinsley Invitational. Ritter received honorable mention on the All-1A team from KGCA.

 

 
LEVI SCHRAG, GOESSEL
 
Schrag consistently improved throughout the season last spring and wound up with a solid year, finishing in the top 10 at five of the Bluebirds’ seven tournaments. His top finish was a fourth-place showing at the Class 1A regional meet where he carded an 82. Schrag carried that momentum over to the state tournament where he opened with a career-best 78 in the first round. He only managed an 85 on the second day but his 163 total was good enough for a 14th-place state finish, an improvement by 13 spots over his 27th-place finish at state as a freshman in 2023. He’ll no longer have older brother and multi-time state placer Noah around this year after his graduation, but will look to lead Goessel to state as a team for the fourth straight year.
 

 LINCOLN SHAFER, GREELEY COUNTY

Shafer’s junior season was highlighted by his regional title at Atwood. He shot a 79 at the tournament to win by two strokes. Shafer followed it up with a state medal at the 1A tournament in Hesston, placing 15th with a two-day 166 total. Shafer finished the 2024 season with an 82.5 average, earning honorable mention All-1A honors. He is putting the finishing touches on a decorated four-sport career at Greeley County. Shafer helped Greeley County’s basketball team win back-to-back state championships as a freshman and sophomore, hitting the game-winning shot in the title game in 2022.

 

CAMERON WAHL, SOUTH GRAY

Wahl will be counted on as a senior leader for the Rebels, who are aiming for a 3-peat in 1A. Wahl, his younger brother Gavin and the now-graduated Jaxon Koehn formed a tremendous trio to help South Gray put together a dominant season last year. Cameron Wahl took third place at state with a 149, four shots back of Gavin, the individual champion. Cameron and Gavin tied for first at the Ashland Invitational and also tied for second at the regional tournament at Elkhart. Cameron Wahl finished his junior season with a 76 average. His career low round is a 71. Wahl earned first-team All-1A honors last season.


 

GAVIN WAHL, SOUTH GRAY

Wahl was a tournament-winning machine last season as a sophomore. He took first place in all but one of the Rebels’ regular season tournaments. After tying for second at regionals with his brother Cameron, he capped his huge season by winning the 1A state tournament by one shot over Central Christian’s Cael Kooiman. Wahl trailed Kooiman by a shot heading to the 18th before making a birdie putt while Kooiman bogeyed. He recorded a two-round score of 145. Wahl said the difference maker last year was his improved putting and chipping to complement his power off the tee. He finished with a 71 scoring average last season and owns a career-low round of 68. Wahl is also a star basketball player, helping the Rebels win the state title last year as a sophomore.