Multifaceted course awaits young Andover Central team at Class 4A golf

Many sporting events are made up of two halves, but those sports don’t totally change the playing terrain at halftime.

In Monday’s Class 4A boys golf championship at Wamego Country Club, the front nine and the back nine will be vastly different, Andover Central coach Doug Snyder said.

On the front nine, which encompasses the course used for the annual Class 4A, 2A and 1A boys and girls cross country races, the course has more hills, Snyder said.

The Wamego back nine, he said, poses a different challenge.

“It’s more like courses in Missouri with lots of trees.”

All six golfers from Andover Central, runner-up to Trinity Academy in last Monday’s regional at Tallgrass Country Club, will start on the back nine.

“I’m not sure if that’s good or bad,” Snyder said. “It’s tighter on the back, so when we get to the front, we’ll try for birdies and good scores.

“We’re going to have to hit it straight – especially off the tee.”

Many in the Jaguars’ contingent are underclassmen, with Jacob Meeker the lone senior. He tied for 18th at the regional. Meeker and sophomore Davis Joseph are both standour soccer players. .

Certainly, athleticism like this helps. But results are also good, Snyder said. And to have three sophomores and a freshman among your six men bodes well for the future.

“Cooper Schultz won two tournaments,” Snyder said of the freshman who tied for sixth at regional with sophomore teammate Keegan Ellington. “He can play at a high level.”

Peyton Wilson is the third sophomore. All he did at regional was shoot a 75 and finish second to Rose Hill’s Peyton Austin. Junior Jacob Wagner, 13th at regional, fills out the state roster.

It is results like these that fill Snyder with optimism heading into state.

“I think we have a shot, I really do,” he said. “If you have talent, get them in the mindset of winning championships, playing as a team and putting the team first, not yourself.”

Trinity’s regional champions will try to add a state title and are led by sophomores Caden Vanlandingham and Sam Majors, who each had a 77 at regional. The Knights also have junior Nicholas Epperson, senior Jonathan Loon, sophomore Stephen Radley and freshman Davis Sawyers.

This story was originally published May 21, 2017 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Multifaceted course awaits young Andover Central team at Class 4A golf."