The Ankeny boys’ golf team is hoping to play the course at Briarwood Golf Club two more times during the 2024 season.
The Hawks shot a 296 on Monday to win the Jesse Peck Invitational at Briarwood, which will also host the Class 4A state meet on Oct. 11-12.
“I’m really proud of the team,” said Ankeny senior Evan Hodapp, who was one of the Hawks’ two top-five finishers. “We’ve been working really hard in the offseason, and it’s exciting to see results so early in the season.”
Ankeny edged defending Class 4A state champion Valley by one stroke for the team title. The Hawks posted four scores in the 70s.
“I was impressed with our top four guys today and how they battled,” said Ankeny coach Mike Weddingfeld. “Briarwood has its share of out of bounds and with the wind blowing a bit today, it made some of the holes a bit more challenging so shooting a 296 I thought would be competitive. (Assistant coach) Curt (Ingham) and I were talking as the scores were coming in, and we felt that we had a good chance of finishing high with our team total and we were extremely happy to edge out that first-place spot.”
Centennial placed third in the eight-team field with a 301. The Jaguars, playing on their home course, had three individuals in the top 10.
“We shot a 301 with not our best stuff,” said Centennial coach Andrew Reedy. “The message to my kids was that while we don’t feel we played our best, our score of 301 was still better than any score we shot all last year. Our goals are to get better each day and to be playing our best when the postseason arrives. We are making some mistakes that are mental/course management related and those are avoidable errors that we can clean up fairly easily.”
Valley’s Braeden Nelson, the two-time defending state runner-up, carded a 3-under-par 69 to earn medalist honors. He made four birdies on the back nine.
Three golfers tied for second at 1-under 71, including Duncan Beelner of Ankeny. But Tyler Santi of Indianola captured runner-up honors on a cardoff.
Beelner settled for a fourth-place finish. After making an eagle on the par-5, No. 12 hole, he then birdied two of the next five holes before a bogey on No. 18 prevented him from matching the 70 that he shot on Thursday at River Valley Golf Course in Adel.
Hodapp, meanwhile, placed fifth with a 72. He had three birdies on the day.
“I’m very happy with my round,” Hodapp said. “I gave up a couple strokes in the last couple holes, but for the most part I’m pretty happy with my round. What I’m more happy about is our team put together a 296 to edge out a win.”
Ankeny’s Kyler Crimmins carded a 76, while Gavin Ross fired a 77. Breck Hughes had an 83, and Caden Weddingfeld added an 88.
“We knew after our last meet that we needed to get down below 300 to be competitive for that top spot and having four scores in the 70s is huge with all of the talented teams that we face all year,” coach Weddingfeld said. “It was a great first invite for us, and it always feels good to come out on top.”
Centennial’s McCoy Miller and Nathan Boehlert each shot a 74, placing sixth and seventh, respectively. Teammate Jett Lovanh took 10th with a 76.
Boehlert had two birdies on the back nine to offset a double bogey on No. 18, which was the first hole he played.
“Nathan has been exactly what we are asking him to be, a leader that has the consistency to compete in every event,” Reedy said. “Today was an example of turning a round that can get away from you and end up with a score in the 80s into a solid number that helps our team. He started on 18 and made a 6 right out of the gate. A lot of kids would let that snowball and not be able to recover, but he came right back with a birdie on No. 1. He had some other mishaps throughout his round, but recovered nicely each time.
“And McCoy had another solid round, too. He finds himself scrambling some due to some loose swings off the tee, but other than that he has been rock solid. My hope is that his confidence is starting to grow, and we’ll see him settle into a belief in himself that matches my belief in him.”
Lovanh won a five-way cardoff for 10th place. Charlie Morrissey had a 77 for the Jaguars, Jackson Lewis shot an 80, and Tiernan Logan finished with an 82.
“Jackson and Tiernan are both in a place so far this season that they play super solid golf for 12 to 14 holes, but they have some big numbers that inflate their scores,” Reedy said. “If I believed that these scores were the best we can expect from them, that would be concerning for our team. But I have a belief in them both to address their weaknesses and contribute to this team. They are both guys that can shoot scores that will help us as the season progresses.”
The top three teams will collide again on Wednesday in a CIML Conference triangular meet at Otter Creek.
“A win today certainly gives us some momentum,” Hodapp said. “We get to face off with Valley and Centennial again at our home course and hopefully we can continue to play competitive and edge out another team win.”
