KoMets boys golf wins first invite in several years
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Logan Johnson chips on to the fourth green for Kasson-Mantorville.
The Kasson-Mantorville boys golf team won its first invitational in at least six years, Coach Ben Pherson said.
“We were at the eight-team Dodge Invitational at Dodge Country Club,” Pherson said. “St. Peter came in as a big favorite; they had been shooting right around 300 as a team so far this season.”
KM golfers had other plans.
The KoMets placed first with a score of 325. St. Peter was second at 327, followed by Cannon Falls (350), Belle Plaine (355), Chatfield (360), Triton (362), Jackson County Central (379) and Lake City (446).
K-M sophomore captain Logan Johnson fired a 77 in tough conditions to earn medalist honors. Chatfield junior Carson Harstad also finished at 77, but Johnson won the tiebreaker.
K-M senior Connor Himlie also earned a medal, finishing fourth overall at 81.
Pherson said freshman Zack Avikainen “turned in an amazing effort, earning a medal for sixth place at 82. It was Avikainen’s first-ever varsity meet.”
Sophomore Jaxon Burgess carded 85 for K-M’s final counting score. Eighth-grader Lincoln Burgess fired 86, which was good for 16th overall. Sophomore Jackson Lopez shot 89. It was the first varsity meet for four KoMets (Avikainen, Lopez and both Burgesses).
«I was so incredibly proud of the boys’ effort,» Pherson said. «This tournament was important to us. It’s our home course, there were some nice prizes on the line, it was the first varsity meet for most of our team, and it was our first invite of the season. The boys have been working hard. We’ve had some rough practices, but this was a wonderful confidence booster for the whole team and a massive step in the right direction for the program. I love the group we have right now, and I’m excited to see them continue to improve.»
Aden Ronken led Triton, finishing ninth overall at 84. Casey Vermilyea fired an 86 and placed 13th. Other starters for Triton included Garrett McAndrew (95), Micah McChesney (98), Leibert Ortiz (101) and Elijah Schrom (109). All six Triton starters are underclassmen, and McAndrew is a seventh grader.
Pherson said this is the first invitational the KoMets have won in his tenure. It is unclear when the boys team last won an invite.
He said the inaugural event the KoMets played in will continue to get bigger and bigger.
“The course purchased a large plaque that will display the winner in the clubhouse for the next year, and we will continue to engrave it with each year’s winner,” Pherson said.
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The Kasson-Mantorville boys golf team won its first invitational in at least six years last week. From left: Jackson Lopez, Jaxon Burgess, Logan Johnson, Connor Himlie, Zack Avikainen and Lincoln Burgess.