Kansas high school golf: Ranking 50 of the best boys golfers from Wichita-area teams
With the Kansas high school boys golf season underway, The Wichita Eagle set out to recognize some of the best golfers the Wichita area has to offer.
The following is a list of 50 of the top players from the area to watch for this season, as well as team previews.
15 of the best Wichita-area boys golfers
1. Asher Whitaker, Kapaun Mt. Carmel sophomore
Already one of the most accomplished golfers from Wichita on the summer circuit, Whitaker had a dynamic start to his high school career with a postseason that included a City League individual title, a runner-up at regionals and a fourth-place finish at state to lead Kapaun to a sweep of championships. After another superb summer, which included representing the state in the Kansas-Nebraska Cup, Whitaker is off to an even stronger start to his sophomore season with victories at Rolling Hills with a 6-under 66 and at Crestview Country Club with a 4-under 67.
2. Noah Holtzman, Bishop Carroll junior
Another standout on the summer circuit, Holtzman also represented the state along with Whitaker in the Kansas-Nebraska Cup this summer. He notched a 15th-place finish at his first state tournament and a runner-up finish at City League last spring and is off to another strong start this season. After a top-5 finish to start the season at Rolling Hills, Hotlzman recently took home medalist honors at Sand Creek Station with a 2-over 74.
3. Conner Geist, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior
Saw just four starts last season before suffering a season-ending injury, which prevented him from golfing in the postseason. He has since recovered and claimed his spot as one of the top golfers in the state. Geist is off to a strong start to his junior campaign with a runner-up finish at Rolling Hills with an even-par 72 and a top-5 finish at Crestview with a 3-over 74.
4. Ty Adkins, Hutchinson junior
Adkins is another local golfer who has made a name for himself on the regional summer circuit, plus a sixth-place finish at the Class 6A state tournament as a sophomore. He started the 2022 season with two straight individual victories, shooting a 6-under 64 to win in Salina and 3-over 73 to win in McPherson.
5. Deitrek Gill, Wellington senior
The only defending state champion from the area (4A), Gill is back for his senior year. He’s already won once in his first three starts this season, braving the conditions to win at his home course and claiming top-10 finishes in his two other starts.
6. Aiden Nguyen, Andover freshman
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone paying attention to the summer circuit how good Nguyen has been as a freshman. He already has two individual honors in his first four starts, claiming the titles with a 1-over 73 at Crestview and 4-under 67 at Terradyne to go along with a runner-up and sixth-place finish.
7. Kyle Kasitz, Maize South senior
Kasitz is the defending AV-CTL Div. 1 champion who also registered a top-20 finish at the Class 5A state tournament last spring. He has logged two straight top-10 finishes to begin this season, including most recently a 3-over round of 75 to take runner-up at Sand Creek Station.
8. Carson Wright, Eisenhower sophomore
In his debut high school season, Wright was Eisenhower’s best golfer in the postseason: runner-up at league, fifth at regionals and 11th at the Class 5A state tournament. He is part of a stellar sophomore class at Eisenhower, which also includes standouts Tyler Hardtafer, Brody Scafe and Brent Henry. Wright is off to another strong start this season with two straight top-10 finishes.
9. Harrison Middleton, Cheney senior
The three-sport athlete is also an excellent golfer at Cheney in the spring. He finished runner-up to an eventual state champion at league and regionals, then notched a fourth-place overall finish at the Class 3A state tournament last spring. After a rusty debut, Middleton bounced back in a big way this season with a 3-over round of 75 to win the Kingman tournament by nine strokes.
10. James Hill, Andover senior
Andover has one of the best one-two combinations in Class 5A with Nguyen and Hill at the top of its lineup, as either has the potential to win. Hill had a superb postseason last spring, notching top-3 finishes at league and regionals and then a top-15 finish at state last year. He has registered four straight top-5 finishes to start this season, highlighted most recently by a 1-under round of 70 for runner-up honors at Crestview.
11. Taben Armstrong, Maize South senior
It was quite the postseason for Armstrong last spring, as he finished runner-up at league, top-5 at regionals and ninth overall at the Class 5A state tournament. Paired with Kasitz, he gives Maize South the firepower at the top of the lineup to contend for a 5A trophy. He has posted two straight top-10 finishes to begin the season, cracking 80 both times.
12. Emery Kaylor, Eisenhower senior
The senior leader of a young and talented Eisenhower squad, Kaylor has been the No. 1 man early this season after a top-40 finish at the Class 5A state tournament last spring. He has finished in the top-5 of both of his starts, highlighted recently by a 1-under round of 70 to take third at Terradyne.
13. Noah Pirtle, Kapaun Mt. Carmel sophomore
A consistent member of last season’s state championship team at Kapaun, Pirtle was top-10 at league and regionals and then top-20 at the Class 5A state tournament. That consistency has carried over to this season, as Pirtle has logged two straight top-5 finishes, highlighted by a 1-over round of 72 to take fourth at Crestview.
14. Colby Hays, Bishop Carroll junior
After a steady debut high school season that saw him crack 80 in five of his final six rounds of the season, Hays is back as one of the top scorers for another solid Carroll team. He showed his potential with his season-opening 2-over round of 74 to take third in a loaded field at Rolling Hills.
15. Jaydon Carruthers, Derby sophomore
A rising name to watch who appears to be in the midst of a breakout sophomore season, Carruthers has a 76.7 scoring average in his first 52 holes this season after not cracking 80 all of last season. That has translated to three straight top-10 finishes, most prominently a 3-over round of 75 to take fourth in a loaded field at Rolling Hills. Not bad for a player who did not make the cut for the second day of the Class 6A state tournament last season.
35 more Wichita-area boys golfers to watch
Note: The rest of the list is sorted in alphabetical order.
16. Jesus Arguello, North senior
17. Caden Bastian, Valley Center junior
18. Chadd Brown, Augusta senior
19. Vincent Chan, Andover senior
20. Kaden Claassen, Heights senior
21. Jack Elliott, Eisenhower senior
22. Jack Ellison, Heights sophomore
23. Trakker French, McPherson junior
24. Conner Gagnon, Collegiate junior
25. Nick Grabon, Collegiate senior
26. Gabe Grier, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior
27. Tyler Hardtafer, Eisenhower sophomore
28. Brent Henry, Eisenhower sophomore
29. Blaise Hoover, McPherson sophomore
30. Stu Jones, Maize junior
31. Caleb Koontz, Newton senior
32. Pearce Lashley, Bishop Carroll junior
33. Noa Lobera, Sedgwick sophomore
34. Layton Love, Maize South senior
35. Aiden Lynch, Cheney sophomore
36. Kory Meireis, Kingman freshman
37. Quaid Oliver, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior
38. Keegan O’Shea, Cheney senior
39. Gus Ruddle, McPherson senior
40. Brody Scafe, Eisenhower sophomore
41. Cal Schultz, Andover Central sophomore
42. Luke Shelton, Bishop Carroll junior
43. Cale Shorter, Winfield junior
44. Dylen Slusser, Augusta junior
45. Laken Smith, Wellington senior
46. Jack Stuckey, Bishop Carroll senior
47. Zach Surface, Sterling senior
48. Parker Van Campen, McPherson senior
49. Grant Waggoner, Maize South junior
50. Brett Wyckoff, Wellington senior
Wichita-area boys golf season preview
Andale: Isaiah Trujillo, jr.; Andruw Cocking, so.; Tyler Hinton, fr.; Clark Neville, sr.; Braxton Camp, jr.; Wade Strunk, jr.
Andover: Aiden Nguyen, fr.; James Hill, sr.; Vincent Chan, sr.; Cooper Brucker, jr.; Luke James, fr.
Andover Central: Cal Schultz, jr.; Ethan Balke, fr.; Blake Gravatt, sr.; Beck Haenggi, sr.; Mason Holcomb, jr.; Max Holcomb, sr.; Quinn Devlin, jr.
Arkansas City: Braden Norwood, jr.; Easton Sanderholm, jr.; Garrett Griffey, jr.
Augusta: Chadd Brown, sr.; Chance Kohls, sr.; Dylan Slusser, jr.; Brock Hallmark, sr.; Bryce Jackson, sr.; Caden Presnell, sr.; Zack Engelbrecht, sr.; Jake Williams, sr.
Berean Academy: Braeden Templin, jr.; Braden Koontz, fr.; Aiden Brown, so.; Mark Entz, so.
Bishop Carroll: Noah Holtzman, jr.; Colby Hays, jr.; Jack Stuckey, sr.; Pearce Lashley, jr.; Luke Shelton, jr.; Jaden Lara, sr.; Landon Timmermeyer, fr.; Dominic Riopel, so.
Buhler: Logan Day, jr.; Ethan Scwartzkopf, so.; Jaden Kretzer, jr.; Calvin Shank, jr.; Ayden Wyer, sr.; Jace Gladow, sr.
Burrton: Elijah Schmidt, fr.
Campus: V-Thoon Thanasouk, sr.; Brogan Godwin, so.; Laken Herndon, so.; Sean Smith, so.; Ben Pile, jr.; Evan Mann, sr.
Chaparral: Scott Owen, sr.; Brenton Ballard, jr.; Hayden Starks, jr.; Max Goodwin, jr.
Cheney: Harrison Middleton, sr.; Keegan O’Shea, sr.; Aiden Lynch, so.; Owen Ast, sr.; Jenson Hoeme, sr.; Jacob Rohloff, jr.
Circle: Logan Martin, fr.; Conner Chadwell, so.; Luke McGinnis, sr.; Logan Nice, so.; Brenden Galloway, sr.; Logan Pringle, sr.
Classical: Brett Buckingham, so.; Will Kenas, sr.; Ryvers McGray, so.; Jacob Newman-Mariotti, so.
Clearwater: Derek Chmieleski, jr.; Aaron Schroeder, so.; Grant Willis, so.; Lucas Bullard, so.
Collegiate: Conner Gagnon, jr.; Nick Grabon, sr.; Byron Knight, sr.; Price Johnson, so.; Sam Agustin, sr.
Derby: Jaydon Carruthers, so.; Knowlyn Egan, jr.; Nate Pierce, so.; Ty Johnson, jr.; Cael Asmann, so.; Kayden Egan, sr.
East: Cameron Connolly, sr.; Anderson Tung, fr.; Logan Lam, fr.
Eisenhower: Carson Wright, so.; Emery Kaylor, sr.; Tyler Hardtafer, so.; Brody Scafe, so.; Jack Elliott, sr.; Brent Henry, so.; Owen Wright, so.
El Dorado: Tyler Sader, sr.; Connor Clausing, sr.
Eureka: Zach Hilton, jr.; Cole Adkins, so.; Landen Davisson, sr.
Flinthills: Gavin Foveaux, sr.;; Nathan Dunaway, so.; Sam Matheny, sr.; Chance Patterson, so.
Goddard: Jayden Miller, sr.; Logan Ashford, sr.; Jim Terry, jr.; Garren Morrison, jr.; Jack Enegren, sr.; Zach Buresh, jr.
Goessel: Caiden Duerksen, sr.; Noah Schrag, so.; Jake Wiens, jr.
Halstead: Spencer Johnson, jr.; Reece Brantley, jr.; Connor Whitsitt, so.
Heights: Jackson Ellison, so.; Kaden Claassen, sr.; Jacob Howard, jr.; Allen Chapman, sr.; Connor Hutchingson, jr.
Hesston: Camden Waterson, jr.; Palmer Welsh, so.; Jace Regier, sr.; Grant Waterson, fr.; Ty Schroeder, sr.; Eric Schmidt, jr.
Hillsboro: Frank Wichert, sr.; Rylie Daniels, sr.; Eli Dalke, sr.; Garrett Helmer, sr.; Duncan Duell, sr.
Hutchinson: Ty Adkins, jr.; Ben Patterson, sr.; Hayden Bloesser, sr.; Winston Johnson, so.; Kyle Werth, sr.; Brody Ummel, so.; Mitchell Rice, fr.
Hutchinson Central Christian: Ryland Kooiman, fr.; Jordan Yoder, jr.; Drew Yoder, jr.; Nate Reed, fr.; Gage Regehr, jr.; Carson Hamby, sr.
Hutchinson Trinity: Lincoln Barnes, fr.; Michael Glenn, fr.
Inman: Dawson McConnell, so.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel: Asher Whitaker, so.; Conner Geist, jr.; Noah Pirtle, so.; Quaid Oliver, jr.; Gabe Grier, jr.; Jason Brokaw, fr.; Jack Judkins, so.; Spencer Seachris, jr.
Kingman: Kory Meireis, fr.; Caden Barber, jr.; Brant Floyd, jr.; Trevor Drake, jr.; Ben Bradshaw, fr.; Jagger Francis, jr.
Maize: Stu Jones, jr.; T.J. Marshall, sr.; Luke Aaron, fr.; Andrew Stotler, fr.; A.B. Cavazos, so.; Colby Lampkin, sr.; Dylan Sunderman, sr.
Maize South: Kyle Kasitz, sr.; Taben Armstrong, sr.; Layton Love, sr.; Grant Waggoner, jr.; Colton Hoover, fr.; Matthew Hartig, sr.
McPherson: Gus Ruddle, sr.; Parker Van Campen, sr.; Trakker French, jr.; Trey Buckbee, sr.; Blaise Hoover, so.; Cooper Bruce, jr.
Medicine Lodge: Jaren Gabriel, sr.; Keith Austin, sr.; Levi Brown, jr.; Ryan Chandler, sr.; Easton Hrencher, jr.
Mulvane: Layne Merchant, sr.; Dylan Paul, so.; Jaydon Grube, so.; Gabe Young, so.; Peyton Rees, so.; Tristan Gardinier, so.
Newton: Caleb Koontz, sr.; Grayson Ybarra, jr.; Clayton Smith, sr.; Brody Harper, jr.; Pablo Gentil Garcia, sr.; Arlo Courtney, so.
Nickerson: Aaron Armbrust, sr.
North: Jesus Arguello, sr.; Jack Hopping, jr.; Ethan Sorensen, jr.; Gio Hernandez, jr.; Dave Beall, so.
Northwest: Emerson Horning, jr.; Chris Cooper, sr.; Diego Gutierrez, sr.
Pratt: Grant McAtee, fr.; Tyler Reimer, sr.; Brock Hudson, sr.; Tayt Myers, jr.; Hunter Teasley, sr.
Pretty Prairie: Landon Weide, sr.; Kai Smith, sr.; Brett McLeland, sr.; Gauge Stauffer, jr.; Jaiden McGinnis, jr.
Remington: Sam Scheffler, jr.; Jace Watson, jr.; Dean Hanna, sr.
Rose Hill: Gunner Fulk, sr.; Lane Gardner, sr.; Caiden Crosby, sr.; Jaime Gracia Gil, sr.; Brody Barrus, sr.
Sedan: Lucky Cherico, so.
Sedgwick: Noa Lobera, so.
Southeast: Ryan Newby, so.; Leonel Sweet, fr.; Marin Lopez, jr.; Carlos Calderon, so.; Anthony Martinez, so.; Matthew Rivera-Diaz, sr.
Sterling: Zach Surface, sr.; Braxton Linden, jr.; Wyatt Beltz, sr.; Isaac Briar, so.
Trinity Academy: Caleb Buhler, sr.; Landon Green, fr.; Collin Green, fr.
Valley Center: Caden Bastian, jr.; Mason Hamm, sr.; Colby Byers, jr.; Lejer McDaniel, sr.; Holden McDaniel, so.; Josh Cox, so.
Wellington: Deitrek Gill, sr.; Brett Wyckoff, sr.; Laken Smith, sr.; Caden Lawrence, sr.; Owen Farly, fr.; R.J. Clift, sr.; Kaeden Gill, so.
West: Austin Emond, sr.; Andrew Irvin, sr.; Luis Moreno, sr.; Elijah Godwin, so.; Caden Henry, jr.
Winfield: Cale Shorter, jr.; Andrew Beeson, so.; Drew Graham, fr.; Aiden Loeb, so.
This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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