Boys state golf notebook: titles abound

For certain, they understand the concept of team in Coach Ermanno Ritschl’s boys golf camp at Shawnee Mission East High School.

And if any competitor over there did not before, he does now.

All six sets of state-qualifying Lancers hands got exercised in a big way Monday when the squad combined to take home the Class 6A state tournament team title from Alvamar Country Club in Lawrence.

SM East gleaned its second state title in the space of three years after holding off second-place Blue Valley North 315 to 320 – in unlikely fashion, mind you.

On a day when multiple top Lancers performers struggled, the fifth and sixth golfers on the East ladder, Conner Schrock and Zack Kasmiskie, saw each of their scores ultimately figure into the Lancers’ critical top four scorers. Those scores combined to produce the final team score.

And team title.

In the end, all four East golfers who figured into the top-four team scoring further earned medalist honors.

Lancers Ian Boat and Chase Hanna shot a pair of 76s and finished second and third, respectively, behind champion Travis Mays of Blue Valley West. Mays posted a 73. Those totals, combined with Kasmiskie’s 80 and Schrock’s 83, made up the East 315. Kasmiskie tied for 11th, and Shrock tied for 18th.

Rounding out the SM East team finishes were Grant Burnside’s 85 and Henry Simpson’s 86.

“Ian Boat really stepped up after a so-so year last year and was in jeopardy of not making the team, while incoming freshman Chase Hanna made a big impact on the team,” Ritschl said. “Chase turned out to be our No. 1 tournament player, with a stroke average of 75.34, only to beat Ian by .45 of a stroke.

“All of our top six,” the coach noted, “averaged 77.69 for the season, including regional and state, exemplifying our strength – our team depth.”

The nucleus of the team is still young. Senior Boat will head for Hawaii Pacific on a golf scholarship next season, while classmate Burnside will attend Kansas University.

Of course, there was no missing the work of the No. 5 and No. 6 Lancers on a day when it counted most. Not to mention their work leading into state as well.

“Conner Schrock and Zack Kasmiskie made a significant contribution toward the end of the regular season and in post-season play,” Ritschl said. “It was definitely a team effort, as well as a little help from the other teams enabling us to win state this year.”

* * * *

Blue Valley West’s Travis Mays chalked up a convincing victory in the 6A race for top medalist honors Monday at Alvamar Country Club.

Mays nailed down his first individual state championship with a 73, putting him three strokes in front of a pair of SM East golfers, runners-up Ian Boat and Chase Hanna, each of whom carded a 76.

Sophomore Mays’ breakthrough victory also served to keep 6A individualist medalist honors in the Jaguars camp for a third consecutive season. Curtis Yonke, now a freshman golfer for Kansas State University, captured consecutive individual titles for Blue Valley West in 2008 and 2009.

“Many people are surprised by Travis’ win,” Blue Valley West coach Kevin Bandy said. “The course fit well with Travis’ game. He is an excellent putter and hits the ball straight. His goal was to hit to the 150 marker and try to go from there.”

Bandy noted at least a pair of factors that ultimately worked in Mays’ favor on the state’s biggest stage:

“He went out early (he began his day teeing off from the 10th hole at 8:50 a.m.) and got the back out of the way when the conditions were better,” the coach noted. “He also didn’t have the added pressure of competing as a team, as we didn’t qualify out of regionals.

“In addition, I think he got a little lucky with a couple of shots – although in golf, you make your own luck.”

* * * *

Coach Bob Ludwikoski’s St. James Academy squad made school history Monday at Hesston Golf Park.

The Thunder, fresh off winning their Class 4A regional one week earlier at Hiawatha, won the program’s first-ever state team championship with a state lineup of Parker Miller, Jack Ezell, Gill Williams, Ben Maskus, Cody Triggs and Tyler Fortney.

Their inaugural trip into the history books proved a wild one.

When a Topeka-Hayden golfer struggled and triple bogeyed the 18th hole, suddenly the two teams were knotted at 330.

That sent the spotlight squarely to the two teams’ fifth position, where St. James’ Triggs posted an 88 that was two strokes better than his Hayden counterpart and served to break the tie.

State champion: St. James Academy.

Three Thunder performers medaled individually, in Miller (fourth with a 78); Ezell (tied for 11th with an 82) and Williams (tied for 17th with an 84). The fourth score to finalize the team’s 330 was Maskus’ 86.

That set up Triggs’ deciding 88 at the No. 5 spot. Fortney added a 94.

“What a great ending to a great season,” Ludwikoski marveled on how things finally shook out.

“As play neared the end, it shaped up so that we were in need of some providence in order to come out ahead,” he said. “That’s when our team finally stopped making mistakes and started making putts.”

Ludwikoski singled out a couple of those key variables.

“Jack Ezell parred his last five holes after I asked him politely to par out,” Ludwikoski said, “and sophomore Parker Miller made some awesome plays on his last holes to finish at 78. His putt on the 18th green was about 25 feet, and his focus in reading and preparing for that putt was very clear. He sized it up from all angles, hit it firm and found the bottom for the first big crowd reaction of the day. He did the same in his playoff for fourth place.”

* * * *

Kansas City Christian chipped its way into second place in the final team standings at the Class 3A event at Smoky Hills Country Club in Hays.

A pair of Panthers earned medalist honors. Joseph Lambert fired a 76 and finished in second place behind champion Daniel Kunataev of Hillsboro, who ended up one stroke ahead at 75.

KC Christian’s Mark Nichols tied for 11th to medal in carding an 84.

* * * *

St. Thomas Aquinas led the area push in Class 5A Monday at Winfield Country Club.

The Saints finished sixth, with Parker Beck’s 81 leading the way. Beck tied for the 11th spot among medalists.

Bishop Miege, meanwhile, garnered ninth, headed by medalist John Harrison. Harrison shot an 83 and tied for 20th place.

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Write comment