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Spartans just miss top-3 finish

T-R PHOTO BY STEPHEN KOENIGSFELD • Grundy Center’s Jake Bangasser chips onto the 14th green at American Legion Memorial Golf Course on Friday during the first day of the Class 1A state golf tournament. Bangasser finished 12th with a 156, and the Spartans were fourth as a team with a 651.

A couple weeks ago, Grundy Center golfers Jesper Holke-Farnam and Jake Bangasser were about to wrap up an evening on the driving range, when they noticed a couple of younger kids working on some putting down at the practice green. Instead of heading to their cars, they headed over with their putters.

Grundy Center golf coach Dennis Dirks said the kids were in awe, “eyes the size of half dollars” because they were getting to work on their skills with “the big kids;” the Spartans’ leading varsity golfers.

It was actions like this by the leading pair of Spartan golfers that will define the 2017 season, not their fourth-place finish at the Class 1A state golf meet at American Legion Golf Course this weekend.

The Spartans were two strokes shy of their season goal, a top-three trophy, and were expectedly disappointed on their shortcoming. But Dirks said this year’s group of golfers had nothing to be ashamed of.

“I told them, there were a lot of teams who wish they could be the fourth-best 1A team in the state,” Dirks said. “We shot 21 strokes better today, and still couldn’t catch Winfield[-Mt. Union]. With a kind of day like today, we thought we could reach that third-place spot.”

Despite being the Spartans’ No. 6 golfer most of the year, sophomore Matthew Sternhagen showcased his best two days of golf at the perfect time. Sternhagen shot a 74 to lead Grundy Center on day two, and shot a 160 between the two days to finish 18th. He was the third-best sophomore among all golfers this weekend.

“I felt more confident with more of my shots,” Sternhagen said. “People on the range, Jake and Jesper, were telling what I was doing and doing it right.”

Dirks said he spent most of the day with Sternhagen, and said there was a stretch of golf in the middle of his second round that just didn’t allow him to miss. With a bogey on the last hole of the day, Dirks said Sternhagen was still frustrated with the miss, knowing every stroke was going to count.

“Matthew is a golfer who has taken up a real interest in golf,” Dirks said. “He was a dual-sport athlete with track, and has really come along in the last week. For Jesper, he was a little heartbroken not to get that top-three spot. But I told him we wouldn’t be where we were today without him.”

Sternhagen was the third scorer for Grundy Center after day one, shooting an 86. Pin placement was easier on day two, Dirks said, and allowed a lot of golfers to tally lower rounds.

In fact, the top seven teams all shot better on day two, while eighth-place North Mahska shot 359 on both days. No team was worse on day two.

“[The last two weeks] were really, really busy, not going to lie,” Sternhagen said. “It was a fun experience to encounter. Our team is great group of guys. There was never a day where I [thought], ‘Oh man I want this to be over.'”

Bangasser was the second scorer for the Spartans, coming back with a 76. Holke-Farnam, one of two seniors leaving the team this year, was third with a 78. Nolan Freeman shot 87 and Tanner Appel, who subbed in for Andy Cox on day two, shot a 90.

Dirks said Appel quadruple-bogeyed his first hole and had a four-putt from five feet later in the day, but was still able to recover.

Braidan Buhrow shot just a stroke worse on day two, carding a 91.

Dirks said it was a trying week, with the district meet getting pushed back to Monday, and not knowing where they’d be trying to qualify until Sunday afternoon made it even more difficult.

But to come back, and just be on the cusp of the goal was still worth celebrating.

The Spartans will return four of their six varsity golfers next year, including Sternhagen and Bangasser. East Buchanan won the meet with a 614, Bishiop Garrigan was second with a 632 and Winfield-Mt. Union edged out the Spartans, shooting 25 strokes better with a 649.

“We didn’t get in the top three, but we’re returning four guys with two other golfers coming up who will put in the time,” Sternhagen said. “We’ll be a hungry for it.”

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