All season long, the Ankeny Centennial boys’ golf team was hoping to get a chance to play in the Class 4A state meet on its home course.
The 14th-ranked Jaguars will now get that opportunity.
Centennial placed third among 14 teams in a district meet on Monday at Bent Tree Golf Club in Council Bluffs. The Jaguars shot a 296 and finished three strokes ahead of No. 3 Waukee Northwest for the final qualifying spot.
The Wolves placed sixth at last year’s state meet.
“It is hard to put into words how proud of these boys I am,” said Centennial coach Andrew Reedy, whose team qualified for the second straight year and the eighth time in school history. “They have had the entire range of emotions this year, including some down moments the second half of the season. We continued to preach that their goals were still in front of them, which I believed wholeheartedly–regardless of the fact we weren’t playing our best golf toward the end of the regular season.
“I can tell you that I saw something different from them before this meet. A focus and singleness of purpose. Then they went out and delivered,” he added.
No. 8 Dowling Catholic easily won the team title with a 281. No. 11 Waukee placed second with a 292.
Freshman Jonathan Ward of Waukee fired an 8-under-par 64 to earn medalist honors. He had five birdies on the back nine, including four in a row during one stretch.
Dowling Catholic’s Charlie DePhillips and Sioux City Heelan’s Jack White tied for runner-up honors. They both shot a 68.
Centennial’s Nathan Boehlert tied for fourth with a 70. He had a 2-under 34 on the back nine.
“Nathan especially had a focus to him that was really cool to see,” Reedy said. “He actually had it to 6-under-par through 13 holes. He missed a couple of putts coming in and made a couple of bogeys, but his round was just phenomenal. As a senior that was playing for the opportunity to play state at the course he grew up at, you want to talk about pressure? He was great!”
Jackson Lewis shot a 73 for the Jaguars. He tied for ninth.
Lewis briefly dropped out of the varsity lineup when he was struggling three weeks ago, but has regained his form.
“I am probably more proud of Jackson than any kid I have ever worked with in golf,” Reedy said. “Jackson has had a season that he would have termed ‘disappointing’ until this point. He was in a slump and searching for something to get him going. He worked extremely hard in many different ways, but he especially worked hard on his mental game. So, even after I talked him into being aggressive on his first hole of the day (which led to a penalty stoke) he went out and played an incredible round of golf when he needed to most.
“It could have gone off the rails early after that start. He could have blamed me and let it snowball. Instead, he used the stuff he had learned the couple of weeks from the mental side to stay focused and execute. I’m super proud of him!” he added.
Centennial’s McCoy Miller tied for 12th with a 75. Charlie Morrissey carded a 78, Tiernan Logan had an 82, and Jett Lovanh added an 84.
“All the kids grinded the whole day, even the guys that didn’t score for us,” Reedy said. “Tiernan had quite a bit of trouble on a hole and bounced right back with a birdie on the next. Jett struggled early, but made some birdies coming in and never gave up. McCoy and Charlie both had some hiccups coming in, but they were really good and steady all day!”
Reedy also praised Preston Zinn, who served as the Jaguars’ alternate. He played in two varsity meets last month before Lewis returned to the varsity lineup.
“The way Preston has approached his role has been fantastic,” Reedy said. “(Golf) is a unique sport in that we don’t get to substitute once the round starts. But up until it starts, we have an opportunity for an alternate to play in the place of a kid that is injured or can’t play. Preston has been tasked with staying ready in case we need him, and he has done an amazing job of that. He also did a great job of keeping me semi-calm throughout the day, and that’s a tough chore! But in all seriousness, Preston is everything you want a good teammate to be.”
Centennial will host the state meet next Monday and Tuesday at Briarwood Golf Club.