Iowa City Liberty parlays summer work into strong start to boys’ golf season

IOWA CITY — Iowa City Liberty has posted a strong start to the boys’ golf season.

Lightning Coach Sean McCarty isn’t surprised by the early results. After all, he serves as the Head PGA Golf Pro at Brown Deer Golf Club, so he witnessed the players’ daily work during the summer.

“We’ve seen them practicing and playing throughout the summer,” McCarty said. “It’s nice to see them put the effort in without us bugging them to get out and practice.”

Liberty placed third or better in each of the first three large meets of the season, including a third-place finish at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet to open the season earlier this month. The Lightning earned their first team victory, shooting 153 for first place at an MVC quad against Cedar Rapids Washington, Dubuque Hempstead and Waterloo West Wednesday at The Meadows Golf Club in Dubuque.

Liberty also was runner-up at a 14-team meet in Muscatine and third at the Blue Top Ridge Invitational.

“These kids are having fun together,” McCarty said. “They’re a good group. It’s fun to watch them. They push each other and want to win. Realistically, any of the kids on our team could be the medalist any day.”

Early averages support that claim. All six starters are within nine strokes of each other, coming in at 81 or better. J.J. Grimm leads the way with a 72.5 18-hole average. Ryan Schmierer is next at 77, Will Stoakes comes in at 77.5, a half-stroke ahead of Vaughn Tyler and Lanson Peoples shoots 79 per round. Lucas Bartachek rounds out the lineup that is 32-5. All are seniors except for Stoakes, a sophomore.

Tyler captured medalist honors in the nine-hole quad Wednesday. He shot 37. Grimm tied for second with 38 and Stoakes and Schmierer added 39 apiece. They accounted for four of the top six scores and the team won by 14 strokes.

“These kids know it’s their last year,” McCarty said. “I think they’re really motivated to have a successful fall.

“There’s room for improvement. They all know that, so they will keep working.”

Grimm and Schmierer have been the top two among the group for years. They’ve been unofficial captains and filled those leadership roles.

“They’re the kind of kids that want to win all the time,” McCarty said. “They work hard at it and make sure everybody else does.”

McCarty has been familiar with the current Lightning players since they were young, watching them play with his sons, who were standouts for Solon. He realized their potential and experienced their progress.

“I knew what we had coming through the pipeline here,” McCarty said. “It’s been great watching them grow up and keep advancing.”

Again, no surprise to McCarty.

Postseason sites determined

Class 4A district sites have been determined and released by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. The four state qualifying meets will be held Oct. 2.

Liberty will host a district at Brown Deer Golf Club in Coralville. Cedar Falls will hold a district at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course. The other sites are Briarwood Golf Club in Ankeny and Fort Dodge Country Club.

The state tournament is set for Oct. 6-7 at Otter Creek Golf Course in Ankeny.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Reid Hall is the defending individual state medalist. Johnston won the 2022 team title.

Western Dubuque third at home

Western Dubuque finished third at the Bobcat Invitational at Thunder Hills Country Club in Peosta. The Bobcat shot 293 on their home course, coming in four behind team champion Dubuque Wahlert and two back of runner-up Pleasant Valley.

Western Dubuque’s Tyler Skrtich shot 69 to tie for second, individually.

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