Many of the teams competing in the CIML Conference meet on Wednesday at Otter Creek could be headed to the boys’ Class 4A state golf meet next week at Briarwood Golf Club.
The nine-team CIML boasts eight of the top 15 squads in the Class 4A rankings. As many as seven of them could qualify for state, because they’ll be spread across three different district sites on Monday.
“We have one of the toughest conferences around this year which contains many of the top teams in the state,” said Ankeny coach Mike Weddingfeld. “So I was very happy with today’s team finish.”
The 15th-ranked Hawks shot a 306 on their home course to earn a fifth-place finish. They defeated three higher-ranked teams, including No. 6 Southeast Polk and No. 8 Dowling Catholic.
“I think today gives us some momentum going into districts,” Weddingfeld said. “We beat some quality teams today that we have been trading wins with this season, and we were right in the mix score-wise with some of the top teams in the state so we hope that propels us through districts and on to state.”
Ankeny also finished ahead of No. 14 Ankeny Centennial for the fifth time in eight head-to-head meetings this season. The Jaguars placed seventh with a 312 total, but finished one stroke ahead of Dowling–one of the teams they may have to beat on Monday in order to qualify for state.
“Everyone played just kind of ok,” said Centennial coach Andrew Reedy. “Nobody had what they would call their best stuff today. And to have five of six scores in the 70s, with the sixth score being an 80, is a positive in my mind. It wasn’t long ago that some of these kids would consider these numbers tolerable to good, so to play what we would call poorly and be able to do that speaks to the hard work they have put in for the last year or so.”
No. 13 Waukee shot a 294 to capture the team title by two strokes over No. 2 Johnston, the two-time defending champion. No. 1 Valley was third with a 299, followed by No. 3 Waukee Northwest with a 302.
Waukee’s Jonathan Ward carded a 5-under-par 66 to earn medalist honors by four shots over teammate Canon Carlson. Ward had a 4-under 31 on the back nine.
Ankeny placed three golfers among the top 18 finishers. Duncan Beelner took sixth with a 73, Caden Weddingfeld was 13th with a 76, and Evan Hodapp finished 18th with a 77.
“Duncan, Caden and Evan posted three solid rounds for us today, and we just missed getting that fourth score in the 70s but I thought 306 was a respectable score with the windy conditions,” Weddingfeld said. “Once the wind started to blow I thought the scores may be higher than normal, and I was right looking at the team and individual scores.
“Duncan played a great 2-over-par round–he had two swings that cost him by going out of bounds, but he played very solid otherwise. Caden also played a lot of quality holes of golf; he did have two double (bogeys) on his card but played the other 16 holes in 1-over and in this wind that is fantastic. Evan really played much better than even his score showed as he only had one hole where he hit two shots out of bounds off the tee and made an 8 so the other 17 holes were fantastic,” he added.
Ryan Constable fired an 80 for the Hawks. Gavin Ross had an 81, and Sam Ortega added an 86.
“Ryan and Gavin both had really solid scores on the back nine, but just had a few too many mistakes on the front,” Weddingfeld said. “Golf is like that–one or two swings can be the difference between 72 and 76, and golf is not a game of perfection so keeping those mistakes to a minimum is what it is all about and we are doing much better at that.”
Centennial was led by Jett Lovanh. He shot a 77 to place 16th.
“Jett was struggling early, so to have him hang in there and post a 77 is great,” Reedy said. “The belief he can do that will serve him well moving forward.”
Nathan Boehlert and Charlie Morrissey each carded a 78 for the Jaguars. McCoy Miller and Jackson Lewis each had a 79, and Tiernan Logan finished with an 80.
“A couple guys had it going pretty good at one point,” Reedy said. “Nathan was 2-under through seven holes and then had some mishaps. Jackson played really nicely today. He didn’t finish the way he wanted, but he was swinging it as confidently as I have seen him swing it all year. He has had some tough moments this season, and it was nice to see him in control of his game and having a great attitude today.”
Ankeny is headed to the district meet at the Ottumwa Golf and Social Club. Southeast Polk and Defending Class 4A champion Valley will be among the teams in the field.
Centennial, meanwhile, will compete in the meet at Bent Tree Golf Club in Council Bluffs. Dowling and both Waukee schools will be in the field.
The Hawks and Jaguars are both seeking a second straight trip to the state meet, which will be played on Centennial’s home course.
“We head over to Council Bluffs on Sunday,” Reedy said. “We will play a practice round on Sunday and be ready to go for the tournament on Monday. The next few days will be about preparing for Monday. I am excited for the opportunities that lie ahead of us.”