Kennedy wins third straight district crown

CEDAR RAPIDS – In golf terminology, Cedar Rapids Kennedy has reached the green and is lining up its birdie putt. Now the Cougars are ready to sink it.Top-ranked Kennedy qualified for the Class 4A state tournament, capturing the 4A Iowa High School Athletic Association district meet Tuesday at Ellis Golf Course. The Cougars posted a score of 302 for it's third straight district crown, beating Cedar Falls by nine strokes.The Cougars have been waiting for the postseason, working toward success in championship meets, and once they were here they came through again.“I expected us to come ready to play,” Kennedy junior Cody Bell said. “We've been practicing for this moment all year. It's really good to see all our hard work pay off.”Just like most of the season Kennedy was well represented on the leader board, owning four of the top eight individual spots including three of the five state qualifying berths. Senior Dane Worley led the way, shooting even-par 72 for runner-up medalist honors. Bell and junior Brigham Stewart each shot 76 for the Cougars, tying for fourth. Dan Wasta provided a fourth score in the 70's, carding a 78.Sometimes pressure can affect scores. Kennedy was able to manage the pressure than can come with the end of a season or a career hanging in the balance.“It only takes a couple bad swings,” Kennedy Coach Mark Wilden said. “Fortunately, we minimized our mistakes, capitalized on our opportunities and managed to make it.”Wilden praised the contributions of Bell and Wasta. Bell played well despite suffering from strep throat, and Wasta produced a fourth usable score in his final district competition.“It's nice to see Dan Wasta, he's a senior, who's score counted today,” Wilden said. “That was huge.”Worley, the top-ranked individual in 4A, said he was pleased with his round, despite placing behind Cedar Falls' Jacob Bermel, who was medalist with 3-under 69. Worley overcame some early nerves that led to a bogey and double bogey on consecutive holes.“I was able to bounce back and birdie No. 8 and 9. I kept my head good,” Worley said. “Shooting par is a great thing to do. That's what you're out there to do, shoot par or below. Going into today, I knew if I could shoot that I'd really help my team.”Now, Worley and the Cougars will focus on the state meet. Worley wasn't disappointed with a second-place district finish, because the big prize will be decided Friday and Saturday at The Harvester Golf Club in Rhodes.“I played solid. That;s all I had to do,” said Worley, who placed third at state last year. “I guess, Friday and Saturday are what really counts. Shooting a good round here is great but that's not going to get the state titler trophy in your hands.”Kennedy will contend for a team championship as well. Wilden said the district title was something to build on for state, but he wasn't overlooking the competition since he witnessed one of his state championship caliber team's fall short of state.“It's definitely a steppingstone, but it's huge. It's more like the Great Wall of China,” Wilden said. “You can't emphasize this enough because it's vital. You have to have it.”Bell said Kennedy needs to keep the momentum it's built throughout the season and district to reach its ultimate goal. Improvement still needs to be made from now until this weekend.“We played good but we know we still have a lot to improve on, because there a lot of good teams out there,” Bell said. “They're going to bring their A-Game to state just like we will.”One of those teams is Western Dubuque, which  jumped from 3A to 4A this school year. The Bobcats qualified for the state tournament after just missing out on the 3A meet in the spring. They placed third with 314 and led by Logan Bahl who shot 1-over 73, finishing third individually.“They really hung in there and played their guts out until the end,” said Western Dubuque Coach Steve Weber, in his fifth year as head coach. “I'm really proud of all of them.”Bahl, who was listed as the team's No. 4 golfer, stepped in produced one of his better rounds after struggling part of the season. Weber said he is mentally tough and his round and the 77 posted by the Bobcats' No. 1 golfer Jordan Azbell, who placed fifth individually at the 3A state meet in spring, were important. Tyler McGovern's 81 and John McCoy's 83 rounded out the scorers for Western Dubuque.“For (Bahl) to go out there and shoot 73 today was a big surprise,” Weber said. “He was real key. Jordan Azbell was solid again today.”The feat marked the third time in four years the Bobcats team reached the state meet. They return to the 4A meet after failing to reach the 3A meet in spring.“It's gratifying for the kids,” Weber said. “We had a lot of kids back. I really expected us to play well and compete. Fortunately, they had a good day.”