Van-Far, Community R-6, Paris at Class 1 District 2 in Moberly

Van-Far advanced two golfers and Paris advanced one to the Class 1 state tournament on May 19-20 at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club in New Bloomfield.

Kaleb Baskett and Kasen Christian will be returning to the state tournament after qualifying as a team last season. At the Class 1 District 2 tournament on May 7 at Heritage Hills Golf Course in Moberly, Baskett finished in a tie for 12th place after shooting an 86, or 16-over par, and Christian finished in a tie for 15th after shooting an 87, or 17-over par. 

Van-Far finished sixth out of 18 teams with a score of 365. The Indians finished 25 strokes behind champion Harrisburg and 21 strokes behind runner-up Canton. Pacey Reading shot an 88 to finish in a tie for 21st and miss state qualification by one stroke. Bryce Reading had a 104 to finish 50th, and Blake Riffle had a 129 to finish 85th.

Van-Far head coach Jay Orr said he knew the district would be tough, expecting seven or eight teams to compete for the team title, because the past three state champions came out of Van-Far’s district. 

“I was very happy the way we competed,” Orr said. “Going into districts, we weren't playing well as a team, but I was happy with the results they turned in. (Christian) has been one of our most consistent players all year who worked hard on his game, and the results didn't surprise me. Kaleb hadn't been playing well going in, and I thought his play at districts was remarkable for someone who recently changed his swing.”

Logan Mitchell had the best score for Paris with an 82, or 12-over par, to sit in a tie for sixth place. Mitchell is the lone Paris state qualifier as Cole Dowell shot an 88 to tie Pacey Reading for 21st place. 

Paris finished seventh with a score of 371. Bryce Wade shot a 100 to finish 38th, Reid Ragsdale had a 101 to tie for 40th, and Ian Ferrell had a 103 to tie for 46th. Mitchell, Dowell and Farrell each earned all-conference honors for the third-place Coyotes at the Lewis and Clark Conference meet two weeks prior at Heritage Hills.

“Logan has been working hard on improving his game after qualifying for state as a freshman,” Paris head coach Jeremy Skinner said. “Cole has also put in a lot of work and I was disappointed for him that he got so close and didn't quite make it, but he had a great senior year so the hard work did pay off for him.”

Community finished 18th with a score of 500 in its first district tournament as a program. Cooper Rohan had the team’s top individual score of 110 to finish 66th, Kaiden Erdel shot a 122 to tie for 80th, Houston Hogan had a 128 to finish 84th, Ezra Johnson had a 140 to finish 89th and Kyler Swaim had a 150 to finish 94th.

“Most players shaved 20+ or more strokes from the first few cards they turned in,” Community head coach Bob Curtis said. “(On May 6) at the Paris Two-Man Scramble Tournament, Cooper Rohan and Kaiden Erdel carded a 40 — good enough for 20th out of 42 teams and just five strokes off the winning round of the day, 35. Ezra Johnson and Kyler Swaim shot a 42 — good enough for 25th with Braysen Glasgow and Houston Hogan, shooting a 49 — good enough for 36th. Most of these players just started really playing about eight weeks ago or so.”

Scotland County’s Dane Blessing and Marceline’s Lance O’Dell each finished at the top of the individual standings with a 79, or nine-over par.

Centralia, North Callaway, MMA at Class 2 District 2

Centralia, North Callaway and Missouri Military Academy all qualified golfers for the Class 2 state tournament on May 19-20 at Sedalia Country Club in Sedalia.

At the par 72 Norwoods Golf Club in Hannibal on Monday, North Callaway's Anthony Russell shot an 80 -- six strokes behind district champion South Callaway's Elijah Hutchinson -- and Centralia's Ly;e Marty had an 81 to both qualify for state. MMA will send Fernando Puebla and Patricio Sanchez after they each shot an 82.

Mexico at Class 4 District 4 tournament in Smithville

Mexico’s season ended on May 7 at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville.

The Bulldogs missed state qualification after finishing 11th out 11 teams with a score of 430. Jacob Stephens had a top individual score of 97, or 25-over par, to tie for 38th.

Karson Rowe shot a 103 to finish 48th, Ethan Johnson had a 109 to tie for 50th, Mac Haag had a 121 to tie for 56th, Eric Heaton had a 122 to finish 58th.