The boys golf team’s incredible run toward state came up a bit short at their district meet in Shellsburg. The team shot 352 in brutal winds, finishing five strokes behind Washington (who advanced to state), and three shots behind Marion. 

The season started out extremely slow. In the first triangular of the season, the team shot 199, which put them nearly 30 strokes behind the winner. 

Freshmen Griffin Lott, Macoy Peyton, and Jack Buesing led the way that night shooting a 42, 50, and 53, respectively. 

Later in the week, they traveled to Tara Hills Golf Course in Van Horne to compete in the Bobcat Invite. Brutal winds and cold temperatures tested the team. They took ninth out of ten teams, shooting 360 with Peyton (9) leading the way with an 87 followed by senior Will Halverson who shot an 88.

High winds were a constant theme throughout the season, both in practice and meets.

A week after the Bobcat Invite, the team shot a blistering 163 in a triangular with Benton and Maquoketa. Halverson (12) and Peyton (9) led the way with 40s, which also tied them for runner-up meet medalist. Lott (9) shot 41 and Keevan Hauschild (10) a 42 to round out the top four. Those four also placed in the top five on the night. 

Coach Christi Imsland praised her team following that night.

“The way our guys played at Benton made me extremely proud, especially with how we started the season,” Imsland said. 

Following that night, the team started to catch a little fire. They placed fifth at the Hawk Invite, took down Mount Vernon in a home dual, won the Maquoketa Invite, shot a season-low 162 in a dual at CPU, and placed third at the WaMaC East Divisional meet.

To finish out the conference season, the team placed sixth out of thirteen teams at the WaMaC Supermeet, where Halverson and Peyton earned second-team all-conference honors.

The team opened up postseason play with sectionals at Pin Oak. They fired a 341 to be crowned sectional champions and move on to districts. Lott led the way for the Hawks with an 83, which put him in fourth place. Peyton followed up Lott’s 83 with an 84, which put him in a tie for fifth. Halverson finished in a tie for seventh with an 85, followed by Hauschild who finished in a tie for fifteenth with an 89. 

Heading into districts, four guys were fighting for the final varsity spot. A two-day qualifier was held for the four guys. Freshman Aidan Zirtzman took the spot, despite not playing all year due to a wrist injury.

The team was as young as ever at the district meet. At districts, the team consisted of four freshmen (Buesing, Lott, Peyton, and Zirtzman), one sophomore (Hauschild), and one senior (Halverson). That group of guys put together a 352, which put them five shots out of advancing to state.

Zirtzman knew the district meet was a big one. He was expecting nerves on the first tee, but they weren’t there.

“It was difficult with all the wind, and I would get frustrated at some points in the round,” Zirtzman said. “I thought I played bad, but everyone said I played good, even though I was only back playing for a week.” 

Coach Harry Athas said the guys put in a lot of hard work throughout the season.

“From how we started the season out, it was amazing to see how hard our guys were working to get to this point,” Athas said. “Our putting wasn’t the best today, and our guys know where they could’ve made up shots.”

Next year, the team will return seven guys with varsity experience, with a few talented eighth-graders coming up.