Iowa high school boys’ golf: 5 storylines to watch at the state tournament

The Iowa High School Athletic Association state golf tournament begins Tuesday. The Class 3A tournament will be held at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course in Cedar Falls. Waterloo hosts the 2A state meet at Gates Park and the 1A tournament at South Hills Golf Course. Here are 5 storylines to watch for the spring golf state meets.

SOLON’S ISAIAH ZOSKE LOOKS TO IMPROVE RUNNER-UP FINISH

Solon senior Isaiah Zoske is making his fourth appearance at the 3A state golf tournament. He has climbed the ladder each year, placing 10 th as a freshman, eighth as a sophomore and second last season. Zoske became the school’s first state runner-up last season and has a chance at claiming Solon’s first title. He has ranked among the state’s top golfers, regardless of class, all season. Zoske is third with a 74.62 18-hole adjusted average and 37.19 combined adjusted average. He has also been hot in the final stretch of the season. Zoske has earned medalist honors in his last five competitions, including the Wamac Super Meet, sectional and district. Zoske has company again with the Spartans qualifying as a team after a year hiatus. Solon is making its fourth state trip in the last five seasons, placing second in 2021 and 2022. At the beginning of the season, Zoske said he wanted to help the team get back to state as much as he wanted to close with an individual crown.

“We didn’t do that last year,” Zoske said in the preseason. “I was really bummed we couldn’t get the whole team there. This year, we’ve got the depth and a good amount of young people playing that are in contention for varsity. It’s going to be a really fun year.”

NORTH LINN MAKES STATE DEBUT

North Linn advanced to the 1A state tournament for the first time in school history. The Lynx won the district title at Heritage Oaks Golf and Country Club in Wapello last week. North Linn has had a sneaky good season, finishing first or second in every event. The Lynx have lost only one team this year. Not bad for a team that has to travel to Three Elms in Independence for its home course. The senior-laden team is full of multisport performers in other sports, including baseball and basketball. The Lynx have balance with eight golfers all within 2.13 points in combined adjusted average. The top six range from 44.30 to 44.99. Cael Benesh has the best 18-hole average at 85.75. Hayden Schmidt is second with 86.0. Mason Bechen, Mason Zimmerman, Cole Griffith and Cade Garman all come in under 88.5 per round. The state experience may have made an impact in the postseason and could be an asset at state.

WEST LIBERTY MAKES INAUGURAL STATE TRIP

The Comets had a tough road to reach the boys’ state golf tournament for the first time in school history. West Liberty had to survive a sectional that included Solon and Washington (Iowa). Those three were stuffed into a district with West Delaware, Marion and Decorah. West Liberty finished third behind district champion West Delaware and runner-up Solon to reach the 3A field. The Comets are led by seniors Cole and Cael Daufeldt. Cole has a team-best 41.52 combined adjusted average. Cael comes in at 41.57 but owns a 79.43-81.71 edge in 18-hole average over Cole. All six West Liberty starters own a combined adjusted average of 46.32 or better. Reaching state for the first time is a great feat but they won’t be satisfied with just being in the field.

SOUTH WINNESHIEK RETURNS

The Warriors returned everyone from last year’s 1A state tournament. They opened the season with the potential to get back to state. They won the Upper Iowa Conference meet to close the regular season and didn’t slow down for the postseason. South Winn claimed team titles at the sectional and district meet to advance. The Warriors ranked third in 1A in 18-hole adjusted average (333.13) and fourth in both 18-hole average (320.88) and combined adjusted average (166.70). They could make a run at a trophy. Juniors Braiden Todd leads the way with a 79.63 average per round, while Cale Kleppe, Carson Streeter and Matson Winings each come in under 82. Jackson Goltz and Carver Wenthold round out the lineup that will look to improve last season’s eighth-place finish.

THIS AND THAT

West Delaware has been clicking on all cylinders after not making state last season. The Hawks have a 158.25 combined adjusted average, ranking second and trailing only MOC-Floyd Valley. West Delaware is a contender in 3A. … Keep an eye on Oelwein’s Brandon Tournier in 2A. Tournier qualified as an individual. He placed third at state in 2023 and ranks 12 th in combined adjusted average. He is also joined by teammate Ethan Anderson. … Independence could run with the leaders in the 3A field. The Mustangs have a strong 1-2 combination in Ethan Cahalan and Dawson Fuelling. Cahalan was a second-team all-state performer and Fuelling tied for ninth at state last season. They could power Independence to a high finish. … Hillcrest Academy’s Liam Schrock, Sigourney’s Solon Yates and Turkey Valley’s Nicholas Bernhard are in the top 10 of 1A for combined adjusted average. Schrick is seventh at 38.68, Yates is ninth at 39.43 and Bernhard is 10 th with a 39.49. All three could win hardware. Both Hillcrest and Sigourney also advanced as a team.

IHSAA STATE GOLF TOURNAMENTT

May 27-28

Team and individual qualifiers

CLASS 3A

At Cedar Falls (Pheasant Ridge Golf Course)

Teams – Atlantic, Ballard, Gilbert, Independence, Knoxville, MOC-Floyd Valley, Solon, Spencer, Waverly-Shell Rock, Webster City, West Delaware, West Liberty

Individuals – Robbie Allison, sr., Williamsburg; Drew Conrad, jr., Washington (Iowa); Cade Birdsell, soph., Humboldt; Patrick Bishara, sr., Pella; Carson Gallup, sr., Charles City; Cameron Gosselink, soph., Grinnell; Jaizick Miller, soph., Spirit Lake; Parker Rodgers, soph., Nevada; Evan Stanislav, fr., Glenwood

CLASS 2A

At Waterloo (Gates Park Golf Course)

Teams – Aplington-Parkersburg, Carroll Kuemper, Central Lee, East Marshall, Earlham, Grundy Center, MMCRU, Panorama, PCM, Pella Christian, Ridge View, Waterloo Columbus\

Individuals – Ethan Anderson, sr., Oelwein; Gavin Roth, jr., Tipton; McGavin Smith, soph., West Branch; Brandon Tournier, sr., Oelwein; Jake Wegman, soph., Dyersville Beckman; Will Kirk, sr., Westwood; Ethan Laughlin, jr., Shenandoah; Hunter Polley, jr., West Marshall; Austin Stene, sr., Lake Mills; Trey Swanson, soph., Rock Valley; Heath Voigt, sr., Osage

CLASS 1A

At Waterloo (South Hills Golf Course)

Teams – Hillcrest Academy, North Linn, Sigourney, South Winneshiek, Akron-Westfield, Boyden-Hull, CAM, Easton Valley, South Hamilton, West Fork, Woodbine, Woodbury Central

Individuals – Nick Bernhard, soph., Turkey Valley; Gage Heyne, sr., English Valleys; Sawyer Schlee, soph., Starmont; Kaleb Walker, sr., Central City; Lucas Baker, sr., Alta-Aurelia; Owen Demoss, sr., GTRA; Drew Henderson, jr., North Union; Hayden Thompson, sr., Sidney; Keith Thompson, jr., Hamburg

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