Cole Davis and Grant Greazel

After winning a state championship in 2017, Marshalltown’s boys’ golf team had a disappointing ending in 2018. Weather conditions rained out Day 2 of the state championship meet, which did not allow teams to finish competing and forced the Bobcats into a sixth-place finish.

Last season the team hit an averaged of 308 which ranked them as the seventh-best team in the state. Now a year later, Marshalltown has high expectation again as the team returns four key members from its state team.

“We have four guys returning we’ve played in state golf,” head coach Lucas Johnson said. “When you have some players that understand what it’s like to play on the biggest stage you can in high school golf [then] that definitely gives us a solid backbone to the team.”

Making up that backbone are sophomores Grant Greazel, Colin Schmit, seniors Mason Reid and Cole Davis. Like his team, Davis holds much expectation as the team’s top golfer and a contender for an individual championship. Last year, Davis was ranked as one of top-10 golfer in class 4A where he averaged 74.42 scoring average in an 18-hole round and a 33 in nine-hole meets.

“He’s a guy that has won a state championship as a team and he was in a playoff to win an individual state championship,” Johnson said. “His expectations are very high coming into this year. His ultimate goal is to win a state championship individually. When you look at all the players in 4A golf he’s a kid who can play with anybody. His goals are high when it comes to high school golf but his aspirations are beyond high school golf.”

Davis’ main concentration, throughout the summer, has been golf as he played in multiple tournaments.

“I played in four or five different states I think,” Davis said. “[I] played pretty well. [My performances] definitely could have been better, but I am definitely happy with how I played. I kind of struggled all through last year. To come back and play well when it matters felt good. It’s a confidence booster that’s for sure. I played well in those and that was some of the best fields in the country. To be able to play well and compete, it’s an ego booster.”

Over the summer, Davis notably won the Midwest Junior Championship wherein three rounds he hit a 215. According to Johnson, the win is not only significant to the caliber of golf Davis has played, but also a preview to Davis’ future in golf.

“When you look at the past champions at that event you see a lot of D1 college golfers, All-American college golfers that have gone on to have a lot of success,” Johnson said. “His summer has been very good. It puts him in a very good frame of mind coming into the season.”

Johnson also places high expectation around Greazel who a season ago averaged 78 strokes in 18-holes and a 40.41 in nine-holes.

“He’s a kid who’s come a long way with his game last year,” Johnson said. “He opened a lot of eyes in the City Tournament. He played very well in our high school season as well. This summer he won the Elmwood Men’s Club championship, which is a feat that Cole accomplished a few years ago. He’s playing very well.”

For the rest of the team, Schmit averaged 80 and 42.14, respectively while Reid averaged 81 and 40.04. However, Reid will miss the first three meets of the season but will become eligible on Sept. 3.

As of now, the No. 5 and No. 6 spots are still in being decided, but Johnson has said that he will likely look to sophomore Drake Polley and senior Owen Chaloupek who will both make the jump from junior varsity to varsity.

“Drake Polley is a sophomore who has improved an awful lot over the last couple years,” Johnson said. “He has had some nice rounds on the JV team last year. He’s a good kid that well look to fill in on the varsity this year.”

“Owen Chaloupek is a senior that has been playing JV for the last three years. I think it’s finally his year to make that jump up to the varsity. Those are two guys that have the potential and the capability to give us a forthcoming score and then obviously when we get Mason Reid back in September to make that fourth score go even lower.”

Both Johnson and Davis have said that Davis’ leadership will play a role in grooming the newer members of the varsity team.

“We definitely want to go back and actually show the state what we do have throughout the season and through those two days of state,” Davis said. “I don’t have any doubt that this team can make it through again and compete.”

The Bobcats’ will go on the road to the Beaver Creek Golf course to start the season and compete against Waukee on Thursday at 10 a.m.