Hawks soar to state golf meet

WAVERLY - They are not positive because they are good, but they are good because they are positive.

The optimism and stream of good thoughts paid dividends for the West Delaware boys' golf team because the Hawks are positively state meet bound.

West Delaware captured the team championship at the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A district meet Friday at Waverly Municipal Golf Course. The Hawks shot 299, powered by medalist Clayton Larsen's even-par 70, beating Clear Lake by a stroke. Both teams advance to the 3A state meet May 30-31 at Ames Golf and Country Club.

They overcame the same foes on the same course where they came up short a year ago.

'It's a good feeling,” Larsen said. 'We got beat a little bit last year, but we still had the goal we wanted to get to the state tournament this year. It's nice to accomplish that.”

West Delaware Coach Tom Fetter talked to his golfers last night, allowing them to clear their minds and focus on play. They subscribe to the 'See it. Feel it. Trust it.” adage from the golf movie, 'Seven Days in Utopia.” The 'SFT” embroidered on their shirt serves as a reminder. The Hawks succeeded in Fetter's four basics of golf.

'The number one thing was a positive attitude,” Fetter said. 'Number two is to get our emotions out, talk about and deal with them. Number three was to make sure everybody had the simple swing we teach and they practice, and then we did a lot of short-game work the last couple days.”

Larsen, a sophomore, was consistent, shooting par on 14 holes and carding a pair of birdies. He had one on the par-4, No. 1 hole and then on No. 17 with help of his putter. He benefitted from some luck after the turn.

'I caught a break on No. 11 and that was kind of a big turning point,” Larsen said. 'It hit the tree and knocked straight down, instead of going out.

'Then I made a pretty big putt on No. 17 as well, which really put me in a good position for 18.”

Larsen has won most of the Hawks meets this season and the only individuals to beat him have been teammates. The Hawks had another balanced effort, receiving praise from Fetter. Harrison Guetzko finished third, firing a 73. Bryce Frick, who won Wamac competitions, just missed the top-five with a 75. Jake Gritzner rounded out the scores with an 81. They push each other to new heights, which now includes the state meet.

'Each one of us can get hot and do something good,” Larsen said. 'Everybody played well. It's nice to be on a team where everybody is going to compete against you every day.”

West Delaware will make its first state golf appearance in eight years. Fetter said the Hawks have had capable teams but were denied by Clear Lake and Decorah. They turned the tables in a highly competitive team race, figuring out the Waverly course.

'It's a good feeling,” Fetter said. 'It's been since 2006, so it's been a few years.”

Decorah's Sam Sacquitne provided some enjoyment, securing one of the individual state berths. He was the runner-up medalist with a 72. He will get the chance to improve last year's finish when he tied for 12th at state. Bryce Pierce and Reese Drenth shot 76 apiece, and Connor Gossman added 77 for the Vikings, who shot an impressive 301.

Clear Lake's feat was especially sweet for the Lions, whose state champion head coach Eric Perry had to step away this year, suffering a fracture skull after an accidental fall during vacation. Bart Smith took over for this season. Dane Waldron and Jon Carew led the Lions, tying for fourth with 74.

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