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West Branch boys’ fifth out of 10 at Solon Invitational
by Matthew Dickinson, sports editor · Sports · April 10, 2024
The West Branch boys’ golf team gained some valuable experience in a fifth-place finish with 341 strokes at Friday’s Solon Invitational.
The Bears have had a start-and-stop beginning to the year, with poor weather pushing back plenty of competitions and limiting outdoor practice time. Despite the adversity, West Branch still put together a good effort against some good larger schools.
“I guess for us it’s just a good time to get out and play a tournament,” Bears Head Coach Randy Sexton said. “Just kind of let our kids experience what it’s like to walk 18 holes, carrying their bags. It’s good to kind of see what it takes to be competitive for 18 holes. We had some kids really step up, give us a chance to see how they play when the lights are brightest.”
Solon won the tournament with 292, while WIlliamsburg shot a 303 for second. West Delaware had a 310 for third, while Clear Creek-Amana finished nine strokes ahead of the Bears with a 332.
West Branch’s depth showed throughout the day, as the tournament scored based on the best performances on each set of nine holes. The Bears had nearly all of their eight golfers that participated factor into the team scoring at one point in the day, which encouraged Sexton.
Some younger golfers had encouraging cumulative scores. Freshman Bryce Anderson had the lowest score on the team, carding an 82. Fellow freshman Sawyer Jeffries took third on West Branch with an 86.
“Bryce in particular played extremely well,” the coach said of Anderson. “He’s doing a very nice job of keeping the ball in play, hitting greens in regulation. Sawyer [Jeffries] started off really rough, and then after his first few holes he played really solid as well. There’s a lot who showed some promise and did some really good things.”
The Bears’ more experienced golfers had solid rounds as well. Junior Paxton Tisinger shot an 84 to finish two strokes behind Anderson, while seniors Bradyn Sexton and Reece Druecker shot an 89 apiece. Cameron and Reese Gingerich both had 92’s, while Ethan Miller had a 95 to round out the West Branch effort.
“For most of the kids, it was just one or two holes that caused them to blow up,” Sexton said. “And other than that, they played pretty solid. Now’s just a chance to look at what we maybe didn’t do so well and how we can fix that. Just getting a little bit better at managing the course as we move forward, and I think that will help them cut strokes quicker than anything.”
The conditions at Lake Macbride Golf Course were ideal, with sunny skies in the 70-degree range and intermittent winds. The forgiving weather allowed the golfers to focus on handling the course. Sexton said that the course “doesn’t look all that challenging,” but said that trees, blind shots, and difficult putting greens can test golfers. He concluded by saying that the golfers handled themselves well and he was “proud of their effort.”
West Branch will keep plenty busy in the coming week, with three competitions in four days. The Bears will also have to shuffle lineups around as golfers balance duties with the school’s soccer team, which will allow other golfers to get some varsity experience.
“We’ll have a chance to let some different kids have a chance to play different spots,” the coach said, adding that the duals allow for some flexibility at the varsity level to further determine varsity spots.
Team scores: 1. Solon 292 2. Williamsburg 303 3. West Delaware 310 4. Clear Creek-Amana 332 5. West Branch 341 6. West Liberty 346 7. Regina 348 8. Tipton 349 9. Benton 376 10. Durant 436.
West Branch scores: Bryce Anderson 82; Paxton Tisinger 84; Sawyer Jeffries 87; Bradyn Sexton 89; Reece Druecker 89; Cameron Gingerich 92; Reese Gingerich 92; Ethan Miller 95.
West Branch 172, Durant 210
The Bears defeated Durant at Wahkonsa Golf Course on April 8.
Team scores: 1. West Branch 172 2. Durant 210.
West Branch scores: Paxton Tisinger 42; Bryce Anderson 42; Sawyer Jeffries 42; Reece Druecker 46; Bradyn Sexton 48; Tate Frantz 55
Durant scores n/a
West Branch junior varsity scores: McGavin Smith 48; Ethan Miller 49; Reed Brooke 53; Gavin Oxley 56; Garrett Sotzen 57; Dylan Schiele 59.
West Branch extra scores: Nathan Hills 49; Nolan Staker 50; Sullivan Brooke 52; Cole Crosthwaite 53; Ian Nelson 53; Connor Sexton 54; Max Lodge 54; Tate Lynch 55; Jeremy Budreau 56; Mason Pedersen 59; Cael Nelson 63; Bodee Morehead 64.
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