Ankeny Centennial’s McCoy Miller finished in a tie for 58th place in the boys’ Class 4A state golf meet on Tuesday at Hyperion Field Club in Johnston.
Miller shot an 8-over-par 80 in the final round to post a 36-hole total of 163. He had tied for 27th at last year’s meet with a 157 total.
“At the end of the day I am not happy with how I played, but I was glad to qualify my senior year and any day getting to play golf is a good one,” said Miller. “It was really fun to have the support of my family, teammates, friends, and coach (Andrew) Reedy the past few days, and all throughout my high school golf career.
“I’ll always have great memories of my time as a Jag golfer,” he added.
Miller carded a 1-over 37 Tuesday on the back nine, which he played first. He made a birdie–his second of the day–to get to +12 overall through 27 holes, but then struggled the rest of the way.
Miller had a double bogey on No. 5 and later closed out his tournament with another double bogey on No. 9.
“It really didn’t go as I had planned,” Miller said. “I started off well (Monday) with three pars and again (Tuesday), being -1 after two (holes). I just made some mistakes after that and never really got anything going. The conditions were tough both days and the course was playing tough as well, but that’s to be expected at state and I was really hoping to take more advantage of the tough conditions than I did.”
Only three golfers in the field of 82 players broke par. Reedy said the Hyperion course was playing like a true championship golf course.
“McCoy didn’t play the way he had hoped, but when the sting of that wears off, I hope he can appreciate the season he had and the impact he made on our program,” Reedy said. “There were a lot of underclassmen that came to watch him play at state, and his play this season will certainly be a motivating factor for those kids.”
Miller finished the season with a 73.4 scoring average, the lowest by any Jaguar dating back to at least 2018, according to Reedy. He had seven rounds of 71 or better this season.
“On top of his stellar play, McCoy is a coach’s dream,” Reedy said. “He works hard, is kind and caring, and he responds to failure in a healthy, productive way. McCoy will be greatly missed, and not just for his scores. I am really proud of McCoy.”
Andrew Johannsen of Johnston carded back-to-back rounds of 71 to capture the Class 4A individual crown. He made a birdie on the No. 17 hole to edge Jaxon Adkisson of North Scott and Jonathan Ward of Waukee by one stroke.
Johannsen was the runner-up at last year’s meet, when he lost a two-hole playoff to Anthony Galvin of Cedar Falls.
Fourth-ranked Dowling Catholic claimed the team title with a 598 total. The Maroons finished 10 strokes ahead of No. 3 Johnston, which was seeking its third championship in four years.
“My hope is that McCoy’s success will show the kids we have returning what hard work, dedication to your sport and great character can accomplish,” Reedy said. “We have a lot of returning players next year that have us excited for the future. McCoy and the rest of the graduating class (Tiernan Logan, Jackson Lewis, Cade Miller, Jett Lovanh, Cooper Stork, Ben Ausenhus, Kyler Jones and Preston Carr) were my first class that I had for all three years. They are a special group of kids that did a lot for Centennial golf, and (assistant coach) Dean (Smith) and I will miss them greatly. We want to thank them for their contributions to Jags golf!”
