Warriors, Trojans golf 36 holes at MC Invitational

HHSgolfDanielP5041481.JPG
HHSgolfDanielP5041481.JPG

Hillsboro?s Daniel Kunantaev watches his drive off of the tee at Hole 3. Kunantaev placed fourth on Friday. Don Ratzlaff / Free Press. Click on image to enlarge.

Led by the top two individual finishers, Topeka Hayden claimed a 31-stroke team win over runner-up Marion at the Marion County Invitational on Friday.

Hillsboro, led by the tournament?s No. 3 individual medalist in freshman Daniel Kunantaev, finished fourth in the 14-team field.

Considering the significant rain that fell the previous afternoon, Hillsboro coach Scott O?Hare was pleased to squeeze in the tournament. He credited groundskeeper Gary Andrews for getting the Hills?boro course in playable condition.

?It did require a three-hour delay to help dry things out, but the course was in excellent shape considering how it looked on Thursday afternoon.,? O?Hare said.

It took Topeka Hayden 596 strokes to complete the 36-hole challenge, half of which was played at Hillsboro and half at the course in Marion.

Led by Travis Hett?s sixth-place score, Marion tallied a 627. Wichita Trinity was third at 631 and Hillsboro turned in a 636.

Brian Walker of Topeka Hay?den won the individual title with a 146, which tied the score turned in by teammate Brandon Falley. Kunantaev was one stroke back at 147, as was Wichita Collegi?ate?s Andrew Foulston.

Hett was three strokes behind the leaders at 149.

Not surprisingly, Topeka Hayden turned in the top 18-hole score at both courses, with a 302 at Hillsboro and a 294 at Marion.

Marion shot a 308 at Hillsboro and 319 on its home course while the Trojans combined for a 316 at home and a 320 at Marion.

?The round at Hillsboro was by far our best since I have been coaching here,? Marion coach Rex Ostmeyer said. ?308 is a really great score.?

For Marion, Luke Gordon won a medal by placing ninth with a 36-hole total of 155. Also competing for Marion were Jake Bredemeier (160), Keith Jones (163), Chase Carlson (168) and Lindsay Hett (207)

?I couldn?t have been much happier with our play Friday,? Ostmeyer said. ?The conditions were wet and tough, the delayed start caused some adversity, and we shot 308 and 319. I am proud of our team.?

Joining Kunantaev as medalists for Hillsboro were Elliott Soyez, in eighth place with a 152, and Justin Kent, who was 12th with a 156. Zach Magnuson shot a 181, Daniel Miller a 208 and Daniel Dick a 215.

?Overall, I am pleased with the play of the team throughout the day,? O?Hare said. ?We matched our best four-man score of the year at the Marion course in the morning, then produced our best team score in the afternoon at Hillsboro.

?On top of that, we did it without Darren Enns, who has provided the fourth score for the team in every tournament. Zach Magnuson really come through by breaking 90 for the first time in his high school career.?

Golfers from Goessel and Centre also compete in the tournament. For Goessel, Zach Frey shot a 160 and Derek Brown a 174. For Centre, Ben Krause shot a 183, Trevor Trout a 209, Jacob Jennings and Ryan Richmond a 213, Josh Olsen a 215 and Kacey Hanschu a 216.

Hesston?The Trojans finished seventh among 10 teams at the Hesston Invitational on Tuesday, May 1.

Led by Daniel Kunantaev?s 73 over 18 holes, which was the fourth-best individual score overall, Hillsboro tallied a four-man score of 320, which was 23 strokes behind the tournament champion, Wichita Collegiate.

Elliott Soyez and Justin Kent struggled on the course, finishing 22nd (79) and 25th (80) overall. Darren Enns contributed an 88 to place 38th. Also competing for Hillsboro were Zach Mag?nuson (51st, 98) and Daniel Dick (53rd, 105).

Hillsboro coach Scott O?Hare was impressed by the number of low scores posted by the field.

?This is the first time I can remember a score of 75?on a course with a par 70 or higher?not medaling in the top 10, and that was the case for two individuals at this tournament,? he said. ?In fact, there were 25 scores of 80 or better. That is some very good golf for a high school tournament.?

Although O?Hare said it was disappointing for the Trojans to finish seventh out of 10 teams, he was pleased with another top-five finish by Kunantaev and Enns? first sub-40 score for nine holes, which the senior achieved on the back nine. Magnuson also had his personal-best nine-hole score of his career by carding a 44 on the front nine.

?Hopefully, these improvements continue and we can add a little consistency with everyone,? O?Hare said. ?If this happens, we should be sitting pretty well as we head into the league and regional tournaments.?

Coming?The area?s significant rainfall and severe weather this weekend prompted the postponement of the Mid-Central Activities Association league tournament, which had been scheduled for Monday.

At press time, the new date and location for the tournament had not been determined.

Regional competition is schedule to follow this coming Monday. Hillsboro will host the tournament at the Municipal Golf Course. Joining the Trojans and Warriors in the field are North?ern Heights, Burlington, Eureka, Bluestem, Osage City, Pomona and Central Heights.

Tee-off is set for 8:30 a.m.

?With Zach continuing to improve, and with Darren being back for league and regionals, I feel pretty good about where we are,? O?Hare said. ?I would really like to see this team break the 310 mark, which is certainly possible.?

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