Teams and individuals representing six schools in the KCII listening area are on the course for district tournaments Tuesday, vying for bids to the Class 1A boys state golf tournament.
Three local schools are looking to send full squads to state. Two of those teams travel to Brown Deer Golf Course in Iowa City. The Hillcrest Academy Ravens advanced to districts as a team for the third straight season, scoring a sectional championship at English Valleys last week with their low round 330. The Ravens were led at EV by senior, and last year’s individual state qualifier Jace Rempel, with his 79 for fourth overall. Other Hillcrest scores included Luke Schrock 81, Rowan Miller and Liam Schrock 85, Seth Ours 87 and Josiah Beachy 91. This year Hillcrest has a 323 average per 18-holes, led by Rempel at 79. The Ravens are looking for their first team state trip since 1993. The Ravens are a perfect 34-0 this season and ranked No. 17 in this week’s Varsity Bound power rankings.
Winfield-Mt. Union brings their entire team to the corridor and Brown Deer today. They finished third as a group at the Wapello sectional meet last week at Heritage Oaks, with a team score 367, led by Carter Loyd’s 89 to finish fifth individually. Other cards for the Wolves included Andrew Brown and Nicholas Sparrow with 91s, Jake and Max Edwards with 96s and Konnor Kinneberg 102. This season WMU has an 18-hole average of 376, led by Loyd’s 87. The Wolves are ranked No. 12 in 1A according to the latest poll from the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association. All six individuals are rated in the top 80, led by Loyd 18th. They are 25th in the Varsity Bound power rankings with a 24-24 overall record.
Three individuals will represent area schools today in Iowa City. Sigourney’s Clay Morse is in search of a ticket to state after qualifying individually with an 84 at least week’s sectional at English Valleys. This season the Savage senior has an 18-hole average of 78. Grant Watson from Columbus will play today in search of a state bid. He fired an 87 at the Wapello sectional last week to stay alive. This season he sports an 87 average per 18 holes. Peyton Yeggy is on the course for the Highland Huskies looking to become the program’s first ever representative at state. He got through sectionals at Wapello with a round of 92. This year, his average score per 18 is 93. They are joined today in Iowa City by teams and individuals from No. 44 Belle Plaine, No. 25 BGM, Central City, No. 5 Don Bosco, No. 44 Easton Valley, No. 28 English Valleys, No. 13 Lisbon, Bellevue Marquette Catholic, Midland, No. 29 New London, No. 21 North Cedar, No. 39 North Linn, Iowa City Regina and No. 4 Wapello.
The Keota Eagles will compete at a separate district tournament today, traveling west to CAM Anita and Crestwood Hills Golf Course near Atlantic. The Eagles were sectional champions at North Mahaska last week with their 327 team score, led by individual champion Cole Kindred’s 77. Other cards for the Eagles included Billie Kindred 78, Sawyer Stout 83, Caden Sprouse 89, Carsin Kindred 92, and Aidan Anderson 101. This year, Keota has a 339 team average per 18, paced by Billie Kindred’s 78. The Eagles are 35-10 this year and stand at No. 8 in Class 1A in the Varsity Bound power rankings. They are joined today by teams and individuals from No. 21 South Hamilton, No. 2 CAM Anita, No. 3 Montezuma, No. 15 Mount Ayr, Freemont-Mills, No. 11 Earlham, No. 36 HLV, North Mahaska, No. 50 Bedford, Griswold, Hamburg, No. 36 Lynnville-Sully, Moravia, No. 32 Sidney and No. 38 Wayne. The district team champions and runners-up, and those individuals that finish in the top two, plus ties, not on those teams will advance to the Class 1A State meet at Ames Golf and Country Club next week. Action at both tournament sites starts at 10a.m. and continues this afternoon and evening.