Humboldt golfer Connor Newman has done his best to nix the concept of a sophomore slump.
 
Coming off a stellar freshman season for the Cubs that culminated in a runner-up finish at the Class 3A state tournament, Newman won his fifth tournament in as many starts this spring when he fired a 3-over 75 on Monday to earn medalist honors in the Buck Quincy Invitational at Allen County Country Club outside of Iola.
 
Despite hitting out of bounds and making bogey on the 17^th hole, Newman preserved a two-shot victory over Iola senior Brennen Coffield, keeping the Cub standout unbeaten at the midway point of the season.
 
“I’ve really just been keeping my head down and fighting,” said Newman, who preceded Monday’s victory with invitational wins at Caney Valley, Burlington, Erie and Fredonia. “It seems like we haven’t played a tournament that’s been under 30 mile-per-hour wind gusts. I’ve had to battle for some hard-fought victories.”
 
Like he did during the 2025 season when he won seven tournaments, including the Tri-Valley League and Columbus regional titles, Newman has been consistent. Perhaps moreso this season. He shot 73s in the victories at Caney Golf Club and Erie’s Prairie Ridge Golf Course.
 
Newman shot his third 75 in a tournament – and second straight – in his victory at Iola.
 
“He’s maintained that consistency this year,” Humboldt coach Bret Hauser said. “He’s won every tournament by at least two strokes. Monday came down to the last couple holes, but he’s just maintained that consistency and still shooting 2 or 3 over par every time out.
 
“I’m hoping we’ll get a tournament where it’s not blowing 90 to nothing and he’ll be able to start going really low. But I think for now, having to grind out a few holes each round keeps him grounded.”
 
Humboldt dropped from Class 3A to 2A this season, and Newman leads all 2A golfers with an adjusted stroke average of 76.7, according to Kansas Golf Coaches Association rankings. He’ll play one of the Cubs’ new stops on this year’s schedule Thursday in the Labette County Invitational at Oswego Golf Course.
 
The tournament field is made up largely of 4A teams from the Southeast Kansas League.
 
After Thursday’s tournament, Humboldt will host its own invitational at Chanute’s Stone Creek Golf Course as well as the Tri-Valley League meet back at Allen County Country Club. If all goes to plan and Newman qualifies advances to state, the 2A tournament will be a Winfield’s Quail Ridge, a course Newman hasn’t played but is eager to see.
 
“It’s not really a mindset change,” Newman said of playing in a different classification. “You’re still going out there and looking to play good golf. I thought 3A was absolutely one of the loaded and talented classes with the private schools like (Wichita) Collegiate and (Wichita) Trinity. But I know there are really good golfers in 2A as well and I’m looking forward to getting a chance to play against them.”
 

BINGER, MAIZE SOUTH TAKE SECOND IN STATE PREVIEW
 
Maize South senior Joe Binger had an opportunity Monday to earn his first individual victory since last year’s Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I tournament.
 
It didn’t happen, as a late bogey and double bogey left Binger tied for second with a 2-over 73, four shots behind Hays’ Caleb Thompson in the 5A State Preview at Wichita’s Tallgrass Golf Club.
 
But as the tournament’s name suggests, Binger and his Maverick teammates gained something they hope will serve them well next month when Tallgrass hosts the season-ending 5A state tournament.
 
“It gave us a chance to get our minds prepared for what it’s going to be like to compete against a lot of the same kids who are probably going to be at state,” said Binger, who led Maize South to a second-place team finish on Monday, two shots behind reigning 5A state champion St. James Academy.
 
Binger is one of the top returnees this season for Maize South, which finished third at state last May behind record-setting St. James and Eisenhower, which finished two shots ahead of the Mavericks. Binger tied for 12^th individually at the 5A meet, one of two individual medalists who are back for Maize South along with sophomore Conrad Parkhurst, who tied for sixth.
 
The Mavericks graduated a past state runner-up last season in Laken Matthews. But four of the six golfers who competed at state last year were in Maize South’s lineup on Monday. The Mavs shot a four-man score of 314, tying Bishop Carroll. Senior Travis Black’s fifth-man score of 85 gave South the tiebreaker.
 
“You always want to compete,” Binger said of the Mavs’ approach to the tournament. “But it’s just good to see the course as much as possible and get used to the conditions.”
 
Maize South opened its season with a victory at the Eisenhower Invitational, and shot a four-man score of 286 to win the Dodge City Invitational at Mariah Hills. Binger carded his low round this season, a 4-under 68, in a second-place finish to Carroll freshman Kaden Leivian in the Newton Invitational at Sand Creek.
 
Despite a rough finish to his round Monday, Binger is hopeful the Mavericks, perennial contenders in 5A in recent years, can make a run at their first title in late May.
 
“It’s been a really good season,” Binger said. “Our team, and myself, have played really solidly. We’ve just been really consistent.”
 
OTHER BOYS GOLF STANDOUTS

• Valley Center sophomore Christian Fowler’s 2-over 73 helped the Hornets win the Derby Invitational on Monday with a 323 team score. Fowler took second, one shot behind Garden City’s Brayden Walter as both led their teams to identical four-man totals. But the Hornets’ top five golfers finished ahead of Garden City’s fourth score, giving Valley Center the tiebreaker.
• With many of their top players competing in the 5A State Preview, Kapaun Mt. Carmel got a 79 from senior Kyan Jantzen, and the Crusaders shot a 337 team score to defeat runner-up Bishop Carroll by 10 shots in the Greater Wichita Athletic League’s second regular-season meet at Wichita’s Consolver Golf Course. Jantzen took medalist honors by one shot over Corey Jefferson of Wichita Heights.
• Andale, led by individual runner-up Brody Calvert’s 82, placed four golfers in the top eight and won the Clearwater Invitational by nine shots over Rose Hill with a 344 team total Tuesday at Pine Bay. Chaparral senior Jack Walker claimed medalist honors with an 8-over 80.
• Hoisington junior Logan Cossel shot a 6-over 77 Monday to earn medalist honors by three shots in the TMP-Marian Invitational at Hays’ Smoky Hill Country Club. Cossel helped the Cardinals finish second with a 337 team score, three shots behind champion Hill City.
• Stafford sophomore Jace Kreutzer shot an 11-over 83 to win the Pretty Prairie Invitational by five shots on Monday. Host Pretty Prairie, led by third-place finisher Dawson Dick’s 89, posted a four-man score of 378 to edge runner-up Nickerson by four shots.
• Hutchinson Central Christian junior Cael Kooiman won his first tournament of the season Monday, shooting a 7-over 79 to earn medalist honors in the Inman Invitational at Hutchinson’s Crazy Horse Golf Course. Kooiman edged Russell’s Jake Mooney by one shot for the top spot. Hutchinson Trinity won the team title with a four-man score of 341. Third-place individual finisher Tyler Casebolt led four Celtics among the top eight finishers with an 80.

 

BISHOP CARROLL DOUBLES ITS FUN AT COLLEGIATE TOC

Bishop Carroll blew through one of the significant checkpoints of the boys high school tennis season with horns blaring on Saturday.
 
The Golden Eagles’ returning trio of Class 5A state tournament medalists came away big winners at the Wichita Collegiate Tournament of Champions. Competing against some of the state’s top players in multiple classes, Carroll sophomore Brandon Steven captured the TOC singles title, while the doubles team of senior Gabe Weber and sophomore Braeden Dugan also emerged as champions.
 
Steven dealt reigning 5A singles champion Evan Goates of Maize South his first loss of the season, prevailing 8-5 in the singles final. Steven avenged a pair of earlier losses to Goates to improve to 18-2, while Goates dropped to 22-1.
 
Meanwhile, Weber and Dugan, who were fourth-place finishers at state last season, improved to 20-0 after outlasting Collegiate’s doubles team of Charlie Gentile and Maddox Drumright 8-7 (3). Gentile is the reigning 3-1A singles champion, while Drumright won last year’s state doubles title with his now-graduated brother Carter.
 
Carroll finished second to Collegiate in the team competition, as the host Spartans used their doubles runner-up finish, a third-place finish from singles entry Amir Khicha and fifth-place efforts from G Farha in singles and Vihaan Ganganala and James Nolan in doubles to score 138 points, three ahead of the Eagles. But Carroll’s titlists collected several key victories to add to their season resumes.
 
Steven, who also lost to Goates in last year’s state singles semifinals before finishing third, navigated through Hesston’s 4A state placer Janmejay Patwardahan (8-0) and Collegiate’s duo of Farha (8-0) and Khicha (8-5) to reach the final. Khicha was last year’s 3-1A runner-up to Gentile in singles.
 
Weber and Dugan took down Ganganala and Nolan in the quarterfinals before defeating Independence’s Matthew McLenon, a two-time state placer, and Brodie Small 8-3 in the semifinals.
 
Carroll’s runner-up team finish was aided by seniors Henry Husband and Brady Haight, who finished fourth in doubles, and senior Luke Ronsick’s 11^th-place finish in singles.
 
OTHER BOYS TENNIS STANDOUTS

• McPherson’s Cooper Boehme finished third at No. 1 singles and teammates Mason Eisenbarth and Hayden Siemens were third at No. 2 doubles as the Bullpups finished fourth at last week’s Maize Invitational. Eisenbarth teamed with Aaron Winter to take second at No. 2 doubles in the Valley Center Invitational as well.