Warriors, West’s Goodfellow capture CRANDIC titles

MARION - The performances were impressive.

Cedar Rapids Washington showed its depth and J.D. Goodfellow proved he wasn't limited by par.

The Warriors had five golfers in the top 10 to capture the team title and Goodfellow fired a 2-under 70 for medalist honors at the CRANDIC boys meet Tuesday at Gardner Golf Course.

Washington shot 295, topping runner-up Linn-Mar by eight strokes. All six golfers shot 78 or better. Each Warrior would have scored for the other seven teams and 78 would have been the best round on three other squads.

'We have great depth,” Washington Coach Dennis Goettel said. 'I couldn't be happier with our guys. They have all put a lot of time into it and it's paying off.”

All six Warriors were with six shots of each other. Frank Lindwall, who had an eagle, and Jabe Gonder shot even-par 72 to lead the way. Logan Bracey added 75. Connor Neighbors and Joe Slattery, who filled the Nos. 5 and 6 spots in the lineup, tied with 76.

Washington wanted to capitalize on the advantage of being home.

'You want to be home course,” Goettel said. 'We knew we were going to be up against a lot of good competition. This is a strong field.”

The balance has a dual purpose for the team. The Warriors can relax during their round, knowing they don't have to press to shoot low and can rely on teammates to pick up the slack.

'It does at times,” Gonder said. 'Also, we're fighting for spots and trying to be in the top four every single day. It provides motivation instead of complacency.”

Gonder cemented his place in the lineup, carding four birdies and shooting 1-under 35 on the back nine holes. He was consistent throughout the round, which was indicative of the entire Washington group.

He said he hit 11 fairways and 12 greens in regulation. Putting was average, but he made enough to tie Lindwall for third.

'I stayed levelheaded through the round,” Gonder said. 'I just stuck with it and kept grinding.”

Goodfellow notched another big tournament win to go along with his Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet victory. He was able to get in the groove after a frustrating start that included a tee shot into a hazard and a missed short putt for birdie.

'I'm a streaky player,” Goodfellow said. 'I like to get in a rhythm. I like to feel my swing and it was feeling really good on the front nine.”

On the front nine, Goodfellow had three birdies over a five-hole stretch. He had consecutive birdies on the par-4 second and par-5 No. 3. Goodfellow had confidence in his iron play and his driver was adequate. Putting has been a focus that is improving for Goodfellow.

'I've been working on my putting a lot,” Goodfellow said. 'I finally made a few putts.”

Putting was enough to help him edge Linn-Mar's Jordan Bohanon. The Lions senior, who has announced he will play basketball at the University of Iowa, paced the Lions with a 1-under 71.

Bohanon finished with a 2-under 34 on the front, getting birdies on the second and sixth holes. He added two more birdies on the back nine as runner-up. Linn-Mar's Max Thrune and Jake Sevcik both had 77, while Brent Larson and Ben Greif posted 78 apiece.

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