Weaver, a sophomore, shot a 1-under 70 and currently sits third on the individual leaderboard; West Marshall sophomore Hunter Polley is two strokes back in fourth with a 1-over par 72. In the team race, Grundy Center shot a 308 to finish the first day in third place behind Beckman (306) and Pella Christian (307).

“I think I did pretty solid,” Weaver said. “Would’ve liked to have a couple closer maybe, but wasn’t very displeased, just a couple swings.”

Starting on the back nine, Weaver birdied No. 17 and No. 18 to close out the first nine holes at 1-under.

The front nine was more of a rollercoaster, with a bogey on No. 4 and a double on No. 5.

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Grundy Center’s Judd Jirovsky watches his birdie putt come up just short on No. 14 at Coldwater Golf Links during Monday’s opening round of the Class 2A boys’ state golf tournament in Ames.

“I had one very bad shot on [No. 5] that kind of screwed me and had a three-putt before that,” Weaver said.

Weaver bounced back with an eagle on No. 7 and birdied No. 9 to end his round strong.

“I calmed down,” Weaver said. “Had a good drive on that par five, good second shot and it just kinda worked out. I felt really comfortable coming in, confident, and rolled in a good put on nine.”

Dyersville Beckman’s Luke Harwick leads at 3-under and OABCIG’s Axton Miller is one stroke back in second.

Polley was 3-over at the turn, then dialed in on the front nine with six straight pars, and birdies on two of the last three holes.

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - West Marshall’s Hunter Polley, left, and East Marshall’s Cody Weaver bump fists after both made birdie on No. 9.

“I was a little frustrated at the turn, to be honest,” Polley said. “Pretty bad start. But I was able to pick it up on the back nine, get a few good puts and get some momentum going. I got in some good positions off the tee to give myself some wedges to actually score.”

Polley and Weaver also enjoyed being able to play together on Monday.

“It was a very good group,” Polley said. “The vibes were really positive and I really enjoy playing with Cody especially — I’ve had multiple rounds with him this season. We really get along and it’s a lot of fun to play together.”

The Spartans didn’t feel like they brought their ‘A’ game to day one, but are part of a competitive lead pack where first and fourth place are separated by three strokes.

Judd Jirovsky and Preston Martens are tied for fifth as individuals after both shot a 73. Jaxon Kiewiet and Eli Wegmann added 81s to complete team scoring for the Spartans; Sullivan Dirks and Tate Jirovsky were non-scorers at 87 and 88, respectively.

Judd Jirovsky, who won the 2023 state title on this course with a new state record 36-hole performance, had bounced back from a tough front nine where he went 2-over par and was at even par with birdies on Nos. 12 and 16, but hit a double bogey on No. 18.

“I had some bad drives and then just wasn’t able to make as many putts as I did last year,” Jirovsky said. “It was unfortunate after what happened here last year, and my overall feel for this course — I just feel good here. But I’m excited for tomorrow.”

Martens was also 2-over at the turn and alternated birdies and bogies on six of the holes on the back nine to end up back at 2-over, including a bogey on 18.

“I feel like I played one of my better rounds this year for me and still know I could have done better,” Martens said. “If I could have just eliminated some of those bogeys our team would be in a much better position right now.”

The start of day two has been moved to a 9 a.m. shotgun start in anticipation of storms entering the area on Tuesday.

Eyes are on the sky tomorrow, especially for Spartan fans who remember the 2019 team that was denied a chance to defend its state title won the year prior when thunderstorms forced the Class 1A state meet at Newton to be called off after only 18 holes.

“I think we could get this in,” Grundy Center head coach Dennis Dirks said. “We’re looking for that window where we can get a two-day tournament in.”

If the weather cooperates, it could be a dogfight for the top spot — even Treynor, in eighth place, is only 17 strokes behind Beckman.

“There’s so many quality teams here,” Dirks said. “If we can put a couple more scores together with Judd and Preston tomorrow, I like our chances, honestly. And these kids have enough experience in these competitive situations where we can do something special.”

The Spartans just want the opportunity to prove that Day 1 was a fluke.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that think they can play better tomorrow,” Judd Jirovsky said. “We just want an opportunity, and two shots back is right where we want to be.”