Cedar Rapids Xavier, Harrison Hartke thrive on home course, claims Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division meet

SHELLSBURG – Home sweet home.

Cedar Rapids Xavier boys’ golf team thrived on familiar turf.

The Saints recorded 293 and easily won by 11 strokes at the Mississippi Valley Conference Mississippi Division meet Monday at Wildcat Golf Course. Freshman Harrison Hartke made it a Xavier sweep, winning medalist honors with 3-under 67.

“We have the advantage of knowing where to hit the ball and confidence to be aggressive where needed,” Saints Coach Brandon Schiltz said. “It paid off for some of our boys but it can also open the door if we misstep. Overall, the boys played smart and scored well.”

  Buy Photo

The Saints won the MVC Super Meet to start the season, setting a team scoring record. They have won four total competitions, including three of the last four. Xavier placed four in the top 12, including 74 from Logan Otting, 75 from Jack Pauly and 77 from Pranay Monga.

“The boys have really dialed in their practice and have been more disciplined,” Schiltz said. “We’ve taken the mental and emotional game seriously, stayed patient and humble and all of this combined pays dividends.”

Hartke was hot around the green. He credited a strong putter for his low round, beating Dubuque Senior runner-up Colton McCollaugh by four.

“The putter caught fire,” Hartke said. “I made three birdies in a row. It felt really great to make those.”

The round opened with five straight pars but the string of birdies began on hole No. 4. The stretch provided a boost and a 32 on the front. Hartke was composed the rest of the round, adding a birdie on the par-3 14 th.

“I felt confident after those birdies,” Hartke said. “It gave me some good vibes the rest of the way so I could stay strong.”

Hartke also mastered the par-3 holes. He shot 3-under and didn’t card anything more than a par on the shortest holes.

“Most of it is distance control but it’s also committing to the shot and trusting the swing,” said Hartke, who had 13 pars and only one bogey during the round. “When you put things together, it pretty much works out.”

After the round, Hartke went right back to work. He was still on the practice green, working on his putting long after other golfers had left. Hartke said he wanted to practice more to keep his stroke fresh and make more putts in the upcoming meets.

“I am very proud of Harrison,” Schiltz said. “He has done an outstanding job staying calm under pressure and is fearless on the course. His dedication to the game is what sets him apart, which is something all of our boys do extremely well.”

  Buy Photo

Linn-Mar shot 304 as a team to finish second. Trevor Denny led the Lions with 72. Linn-Mar is second in the overall standing, trailing Xavier, 582-600, before the final divisional Sept. 29 at Ellis Golf Course. Two divisional rounds and the MVC Super Meet are totaled to determine divisional team champions and all-conference honors.

C.R. PRAIRIE CLAIMS MVC VALLEY

Cedar Rapids Prairie captured the team title at the MVC Valley divisional Monday at Twin Pines. The Hawks fired 271, topping runner-up Dubuque Wahlert by two strokes.

Prairie leads Wahlert by eight strokes through two of three rounds. The Hawks are in position to claim their first MVC divisional boys’ golf title.

Henry Sobaski and Emmett Stockdale paced Prairie. They both shot 7-under 65. Tony Boelter shot 70 and Connor Keenan added 71 to round out the Hawks scores.

Cedar Falls’ Drew Larimer was medalist with 62. He also leads the Player of the Year race with a two-round total of 130. Sobaski is second with 136, while Stockdale is tied for third at 168.

Iowa City High’s Jack Rogers shot 3-under 68 to tie for fifth Monday.

  Buy Photo

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY CONFERENCE

MISSISSIPPI DIVISION

At Shellsburg

(Wildcat Golf Course, par 70)

Teams – 1. C.R. Xavier 293, 2. Linn-Mar 304, 3. Dubuque Senior 305, 4. Iowa City Liberty 313, 5. Iowa City West 321, 6. Western Dubuque 333, 7. C.R. Kennedy 337.

Individuals – 1. Harrison Hartke (CRX), 67, 2. Colton McCollaugh (DS), 71, 3. Trevor Denny (LM), 72, 4. Joel Bilskemper (ICL), 73, 5. (tie) Logan Otting (CRX) and Quintin Hirsch (DS), 74.

XAVIER (293): Hartke 67, Otting 74, Jack Pauly 75, Pranay Monga 77.

LINN-MAR (304): Denny 72, Christian Cloyd 76, Parker Ridgway 77, Kael Smith 79.

I.C. LIBERTY (312): Bilskemper 73, Will Stoakes 79, Jones Andersen 80, Brooks Andersen 81.

I.C. WEST (321): Maddox Smith 78, Tate Genkinger 80, Gage Brownlee 81, Pierce Hribar 82.

KENNEDY (337): Leo Koester 76, Easton Swanson 76, Hunter Freeze 92, Kael Haugen 93.

MISSISSIPPI DIVISION LEADERS

(Through two rounds)

Teams – 1. C.R. Xavier 582, 2. Linn-Mar 600, 3. Dubuque Senior 616, 4. Iowa City Liberty 624, 5. Iowa City West 632, 6. Western Dubuque 669, 7. C.R. Kennedy 670.

Individuals – 1. Hartke (CRX), 140, 2. Otting (CRX), 143, 3. Cloyd (LM), 146, 4. Pauly (CRX), 147, 5. Bilskemper (ICL), 148.

MVC VALLEY DIVISION

At Twin Pines

(Par 72)

Teams – 1. C.R. Prairie 271, 2. Dubuque Wahlert 273, 3. Cedar Falls 284, 4. Iowa City High 286, 5. Waterloo West 289, 6. Dubuque Hempstead 297, 7. C.R. Washington 299, 8. C.R. Jefferson 349.

Individuals – 1. Drew Larimer (CF), 62, 2. (tie) Henry Sobaski (CRP), Emmett Stockdale (CRP) and Connor Walsh (DW), 65, 5. (tie) Jack Rogers (ICH) and Jay McCausland (WW), 68.

PRAIRIE (271): Sobaski 65, Stockdale 65, Tony Boelter 70, Connor Keenan 71.

CITY HIGH (286): Rogers 68, Henry Birt 70, Jack Fleming 73, Will Feagler 75, Walker Birt 75.

WASHINGTON (299): Bjorn White 71, Cal Slessor 74, Todd Barker Jr. 75, Daniel Holladay 79, Holden Smith 79.

JEFFERSON (349): Colton Fee 80, Cole Fisher 88, Carter Davis 89, Maddux Armstrong 92.

VALLEY DIVISION LEADERS

(Through two rounds)

Teams – 1. C.R. Prairie 563, 2. Dubuque Wahlert 571, 3. Cedar Falls 581, 4. Iowa City High 602, 5. Waterloo West 609, 6. C.R. Washington 611, 7. Dubuque Hempstead 617, 8. C.R. Jefferson 736.

Individuals – 1. Larimer (CF), 130, 2. Sobaski (CRP), 136, 3. (tie) Stockdale (CRP) and Jackson Stanford (WW), 138, 5. Henry Their (DW), 140.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com