Raiders return to state for 4th straight year

WILLIAMSBURG - Fore in golf is bad, but four is welcome by the Williamsburg Raiders.To be more specific, four straight trips to the state golf meet.Williamsburg earned its fourth consecutive state berth, winning its first Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A district meet team crown Friday at Stone Creek Golf Club. The Raiders pulled away from a tight field, posting a 316 and beating runner-up Centerville by 14.  Both teams and third-place DeWitt Central, as well as Maquoketa's runner-up medalist Ty Thede advance to the 3A state meet May 24-25 at Ames Golf and Country Club.The Raiders kept seniors Corbin Blythe and Drew Slings from missing a state golf meets since they entered the program."From day one, in the back of our minds we knew four in a row was the goal," Slings said. "Doing it this year feels special. It was the first district title also, and that means a lot."It's a good feeling. Ti do it by 14 shots when we thought it was going to be a lot closer than that, it was a lot of fun."They were able to punch their ticket at their home course, placing second here last year. Blythe led the way, placing third with 76, and Slings was one spot back with 78. Sophomores Zach Buch and Jackson Subbert rounded out the Raiders' scoring with a 79 and 83, respectively. It was almost a symbolic passing of the torch of leadership in the program."I couldn't be more proud of these guys," Williamsburg Coach Brad Schaefer said. "There was a lot of pressure on this last one for those seniors. Four straight state tournament berths is outstanding."Buch and Subbert actually led Williamsburg in the sectional meet. The Raiders edged DeWitt Central for a sectional title. As much as Blythe and Slings have contributed, the younger golfers' impact have been just as important. They came through again Friday."We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for our sophomores," Slings said. "They carried out team at sectionals to get us here. They have been huge."The team scores were bunched after all front-nine scores were recorded. Only nine strokes separated all four teams. Williamsburg held a one-stroke lead over DeWitt. Centerville, led by defending 3A state medalist and sophomore Alex Moorman, was two back of first. Margin for error was razor thin.Williamsburg pulled away from the field. After a rough front nine, Slings rebounded with a 1-over 36 on the back. Subbert was five strokes better on the back, carding a 39. Only four other golfers broke 40 on the back nine."I struggled a lot on the front and got a couple putts to fall on the back," said Slings, who was praised for is improvement by Schaefer. "I thankfully stepped up on the back."Thede reached the district meet for a third time, but this was his first finish among the leaders. He finally nabbed that elusive state berth, firing a 1-0ver 72 including a 1-under 34 on the back nine. He tied Moorman with the best score after 18 holes."It's been a lot of work over the years," Thede said.Thede was a model of consistency, especially after the turn. He had birdies on the par-5 No. 9 and par-5 18th hole. Thede only had three bogeys, shooting par or better after the sixth."My long game has been good in the past," Thede said. "Today, I got putting to work better. That helped get my score down."Moorman edged him for medalist honors, scoring a birdie in a one-hole playoff. Thede earned par, but he already had what he wanted."Just making state was a big honor," Thede said. "I would have liked to win the playoff, but state was good enough."The Raiders aren't satisfied with just reaching state again. They were seventh last year, but look to do better than another four, which is how they placed in 2011."They talked about playing like champions, getting that first district title," Schaefer said Friday. "They set their goals high. They want to do something (special) at state."

CLASS 3A DISTRICT

At Williamsburg

(Stone Creek Golf Club, par 71)

Teams - 1. *Williamsburg 316, 2. *Centerville 330, 3. *DeWitt Central 332, 4. Fairfield 334.*-State qualifying teams

State qualifying individuals - 1. Alex Moorman (Centerville), 72**, 2. Ty Thede (Maquoketa), 72, 3. Corbin Blythe (Williamsburg), 76, 4. Drew Slings (Williamsburg), 78.**-Won one-hole playoff.

WILLIAMSBURG (316): Blythe 76, Slings 78, Zach Buch 79, Jackson Subbert 83

CENTERVILLE (330): Moorman 72, Logan Dabney 84, Quentin Fowler 85, Blake Dabney 89

DEWITT CENTRAL (332): Trevor Green 82, Brice Bowen 82, Grant Henning 83, Zach Eden 85

FAIRFIELD (333): Matt Carr 81, Joe Hietpas 81, Landon Gamrath 82, Nick Higgins 89, Alex Shier 89

Other area golfers: Dillon de Perrott (Washington, Iowa), 80