Low scores from the Pleasant Valley High School boys’ golf team this fall are common.
On Monday, the Spartans took it to another level.
Led by senior Ben Livingston’s season-low 6-under 66, PV carded a remarkable 8-under team score of 280 at Emeis Golf Course in Davenport in the Class 4A state qualifier.
“Really good momentum going into state,” said Livingston of Monday’s team effort.
The Spartans will be joined at Hyperion Field Club in Johnston next Monday and Tuesday by two other local teams – both carding scores low enough to raise eyebrows across the state. North Scott finished second with a 286 team score and Bettendorf third with a 296.
“We’ve been close with PV all year, and they’ve obviously had an unbelievable season,” said North Scott coach Mike Wuertz after his squad carded a season-low team score. “… We knew if we played good we’d be close to them. They played awesome today. Shooting 8-under as a team is unbelievable; that’s pretty rare in high school.”
The top two individuals not on an advancing team to make it to the season’s final gathering both came from Central DeWitt. Sabers seniors Max Froeschle (even-par 72) and Lawson Perrone (74) will get to experience this year’s state meet on the other side of Iowa.
While Livingston led the charge with his seven-birdie, one-bogey round (that coming on the par-4 11th with Coach Mike Nedelcoff offering advice on a chip shot, no less), two other Spartans fired under-rounds.
Junior Zander Panek and senior Grant Sherrick carded 2-under 70s. Sherrick had four birdies and two bogeys in his round and Panek offset his one bogey with three birdies.
PV showed tremendous depth, as both senior Charlie Dumas and junior Cole Harris carded 2-over 74s and junior Dylan Everitt a 79.
“To shoot 8-under on a good golf course that 6,250 (yards) is pretty solid golf,” said Nedelcoff, who hosted on the course where the team has a qualifying round every year and not its home course at Hidden Hills. “And it wasn’t just one player, it was multiple players. … This course provided a good test and allowed the best teams to rise to the top.”
Making the game as easy as they could on themselves, Sherrick hit 17 greens in regulation, Livingston 15, and Panek 14.
“It was pretty out in front of me,” said Livingston. “I hit a lot of greens and that gave me a lot of opportunities for birdies.”
PV carded the best score in Monday’s district competitions – the fourth was played Tuesday – by three strokes. Johnston won at Fort Dodge Country Club with a 283 score, and Cedar Rapids Xavier, which fired a 264 team score earlier in the year, carded a winning 291 at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course.
However, Nedelcoff wasn’t putting too much stock in his team’s Monday effort.
“It gets us there,” said Nedelcoff, matter-of-factly. “It was a very solid round by the whole team, but it doesn’t matter for what happens next week.
“We’ll give it our best and see what happens.”
PV finished fourth at state last year, and North Scott tied Waukee for sixth at Briarwood Golf Club in Ankeny.
Both teams take plenty of momentum with them into the 12-team finals.
On Monday, the Lancers and Bulldogs were both led by seniors Vaughn Roseman and Brady Huskey, who carded 4-under 68s and took the other two individual medals that were awarded.
Roseman’s 68 for North Scott was his low of the season. He took advantage of his familiarity with the Emeis layout to birdie seven holes, including a string of five in six holes from 7 through 12.
“I live about 10 minutes from here, so I get out here as much as I can,” said Roseman. “I was happy when I figured out we were having districts here
“It was a really good round for me today, and the rest of the team,” Said Roseman, who had two of his three bogeys on 15 and 16 and the other a three-putt on No. 2. “I finally made some putts. All season, I have just been a little bit off.”
Noth Scott’s other counting scores came from junior Jaxon Adkisson (70), Sophomore Luke Leverenz (72), and freshman Michael Phillips (76). Sophomores Andrew Volbeer had a 77 and Max McClintock a 79.
Huskey, who matched his low for the season for the Bulldogs, carded six birdies that offset bogeys on 11 and 14 after a clean front side.
His day got off to a great start with birdies on 1 and 2 that led to a 3-under 33 on the outward nine.
Bettendorf had three other scores under 80 from seniors Evan Graham shooting a 1-over 73, Miles Miranda a 77 and Nolan Fillion a 78.
Boys golf
Class 4A sub-state
(at par 72 Emeis Golf Course, Davenport)
Team results: 1, Pleasant Valley 280. 2, North Scott 286. 3, Bettendorf 296. 4, Central DeWitt 304. 5, Iowa City Liberty 311. 6, Davenport Assumption 324. 7, Iowa City High 324. 8, Ottumwa 331. 9, Muscatine 343. 10, Davenport North 354. 11, Davenport Central 369. 12, Clinton 381. 13, Davenport West 405. 14, Burlington 405.
Top 5 individuals: 1, Ben Livingston, PV, 66. 2, Brady Husky, Bett, 68. 3, Vaughn Roseman, NS, 68. T4, Jaxon Adkisson, NS, 70. T4, Zander Panek, PV, 70. T4, Grant Sherrick, PV, 70. (Top three earned medals. All ties broken on cardbacks)
PLEASANT VALLEY (280) – 1, Livingston 66. T4, Panek 70. T4, Sherrick 70. T10 Cole Harms 74. T10, Charlie Dumas 74. T21, Dylan Everitt 79.
NORTH SCOTT (286) – 3, Roseman 68. T4, Adkisson 70. T7, Luke Leverenz 72. T15, Michael Phillips 76. T17, Andrew Vollbeer 77. T21, Max McClintock 79.
BETTENDORF (296) – 2, Huskey 68. 9, Evan Graham 73. T17, Miles Miranda 77. 20, Nolan Fillion 78. T30, Roman Johnson 81. T46, Brayden Luchsinger 88.
CENTRAL DEWITT (304) – T9, Max Froeschle 72. T10, Lawson Perrone 74. T21, Ashton Schneider 79. T21, Dawson Petsche 79. 42, Tysen Steffens 86. 63, Colton Penniston 95.
IOWA CITY LIBERTY (311) – T13, Brooks Andersen 75. T13, Kade Baxter 75. T28, Sam Perry 80. T30, Joel Bilskemper 81. 36, Regan Kopecky 83. T37, Will Stoakes 84.
DAVENPORT ASSUMPTION (324) – T21, Jack DiIulio 79. T28, Calen Graw 80. T30, Lincoln Masterson 81. T37, Jake Volquardsen 84. T43, Cole Weiman 87. T50, Max Papish 89.
IOWA CITY HIGH (324) – T15, Will Feagler 76. T30, Henry Birt 81. T34, Jack Rogers 82. T39, Del Brewer 85. T39, Jack Fleming 85. T46, Walker Birt 88.
OTTUMWA (331) – T21, Stephen Brinegar 79. T21, Milo Canny 79. T34, Tate Harness 82. T55, Carter Burton 91. T66, Tucker Long 98. T70, Brock Garcia 101.
MUSCATINE (343) – T17, Will Reynolds 77. T46, Carter Gordon 88. T46, Riley Bebber 88. T52, Payton Strouf 90. T61, Carter Nielsen 94. 75, Noah Wolf 107.
DAVENPORT NORTH (354) – T39, Caleb Hythecker 85. T50, Ben Hyser 89. T52, Zach Weis 90. T52, Alex Petersen 90. T61, Javi Alverado 94. T63, Cael Green 95.
DAVENPORT CENTRAL (369) – T43, Finton Nicholas 87. T43, Bear Casillas 87. T57, Ethan Nguyen 92. T72, Cadyn Delaney 103. 81, Rylan Flaherty 117. 84, Henry Dehner 125.
CLINTON (381) – T57, Scott Pasakarnis 92. 60, Ray Brown 93. 65, Cohen Thorpe 97. T68, Brenner Vance 99. T70, Carter Thorpe 101. 76, Maverick Hensel 109.
DAVENPORT WEST (405) – T55, Cooper Liljequist 91. T64, Brayden Mildren 98. 74, Noah Curtis 104. T78, Dustin Eastwood 112. T78, Jon Benefield 112. 82, Jack Farley 120.
BURLINGTON (405) – T57, Kinnick McVey 92. T68, Shelden Myatt 99. T72, Keaton Lair 103. 77, Radek Paslawski 111. 80, Harrison Benne 115. 83, Logan Stewart 124.
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TJ Johnston
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