Drew Hensen and the Ankeny boys’ golf team are on a roll.
Hensen carded a 2-under-par 69 to earn medalist honors in the Joselyn Invitational on Monday at the Fort Dodge Country Club, where he led the Hawks to the team title. He has been the medalist at all four meets this season.
“I’ve tried to not worry too much about the individual side of things,” said Hensen. “I’ve focused more on posting scores that can lead our team to having days like we had today in Fort Dodge.”
Both Ankeny and Dallas Center-Grimes posted a total of 294, but the Hawks won the team crown based on a better fifth score.
“What a day and what a round for both Drew and Duncan (Beelner),” said Ankeny coach Mike Weddingfeld. “Drew continues to play great, and I know I haven’t ever had a player be medalist four times in a row. He continues to play steady and if we can get the rest of the team to step up like Duncan did today, I think we can lower our team score even more. Improvement each day is our goal.”
Ankeny avenged a seven-stroke loss to Dallas Center-Grimes at the season-opening Jesse Peck Invitational on Aug. 14. Waukee Northwest, the defending champion, placed third in the 17-team field with a 306.
Ankeny Centennial and Waukee both shot a 315, but the Warriors won the tiebreaker for sixth place. Thus, the Jaguars finished seventh.
“I have shared with the guys that we absolutely have to get better in order to accomplish the goals they have,” said Centennial coach Andrew Reedy. “They know and understand that. I have also shared with them that I absolutely believe they are capable of doing so!”
Hensen fired a 3-under-par 32 on the front nine. He made an eagle on the par-5, No. 7 hole.
Noah Moberg of Dallas Center-Grimes was the runner-up with a 72. Beelner also fired a 72, but he lost a cardoff for second place.
“Duncan is great at just playing steady and not getting too excited or too down on his game,” Weddingfeld said. “He started out today a little rough on the first five holes, but then really came back making birdies and even chipped in for an eagle (on the par-5, No. 15 hole).”
Kyler Crimmins shot a 76 to place 13th, while Evan Hodapp had a 77 to finish 15th. Nick Meyer carded a 79, and Jacob Adams added an 85.
“Kyler continues to impress me as well as he had not played the course before so for him to shoot 76 was impressive,” Weddingfeld said. “We talked after the round today how it was really a team effort and that you can never give up as it took us five scores in the 70s to win. It was nice to see Nick bounce back after a tough day at Copper (Creek on Thursday) as his score was the tiebreaker for the win. It was a good confidence-booster for the team against some great competition.”
Tate Logan shot a 74 to place sixth for the Jaguars.
“Tate played really solid all day,” Reedy said. “He made just one bad swing that cost him–he hit it out of bounds on 15 and made a double bogey. I have been really happy with how he has responded to losing his spot in the lineup for one event. He has come back stronger and shown some leadership which he has backed up with his play.”
Centennial’s Nathan Boehlert finished 16th with a 77.
“Nathan started with two double bogeys on his first two holes, but was able to get it back to +1 through 16 holes before he made another double and a triple to finish,” Reedy said. “While he struggled on four holes, there were 14 that he played right with the best players in the field. We will try to focus on those 14 holes from a confidence standpoint and use the other four to learn from.”
Zach Hoffman and Kaden Schulz each shot an 82 for the Jaguars. McCoy Miller had an 84, and Charlie Morrissey finished with an 86.
“The other guys all had positive moments, but big numbers and missed opportunities were the story,” Reedy said. “I can say that none of them quit, so they got to grow in that regard. That will serve them in the future in ways they don’t quite understand yet.”
Both teams will compete in the Northwest Invitational on Thursday at The Legacy Golf Club in Norwalk.