Lions finish seventh at State

(Above) Coach Eric Perry (second from right) poses with the seniors (L-R): Josh Blaha, Andrew Crane and Eric Ritter at the State golf meet.  -Submitted photo

The Clear Lake boys golf team battled the elements and a tough field at the Class 3A State Golf Championship held at Elmwood Country Club in Marshalltown last week.  The Lions finished seventh in the field of 10 with a team score of (346-345) 693.

Gilbert easily outdistanced the competition with a score of 627.  Solon and Spirit Lake rounded out the top three with 656 and 669 respectively.  The remainder of the teams were neck-and-neck.  MOC-Floyd Valley (682), Monticello (685) and Knoxville (692) edged the Lions (693).  ADM (695), Oskaloosa (720) and Winterset (741) finished eighth through 10th.

Hogan Hansen, from Waverly-Shell Rock was the individual winner.

Clear Lake Coach Eric Perry said his teams’ hard work propelled them to State and each player gained valuable experience throughout the season and post-season.  The Lions were hoping their momentum would push them higher in the standings, but overall he was pleased with the performance.

“This was more than likely the worst conditions I’ve ever seen and played through at a State tournament,” said Perry.  “If this was a regular season tournament, I don’t think we would have played all 36-holes.”

Rain and wind prevailed throughout day one and the temperature only reached the mid-40s day two.  As a point of reference, the first tournament of the year in early April was about 15 to 20 degrees warmer.

“Our team never complained or wavered.  They didn’t show any of this as an excuse for not playing their best,” said the coach, adding they basically could not get in a rhythm throughout the tournament.

Easton DeVries, who has been the team’s number one golfer this year struggled to find his game and finished with Clear Lake’s third best score, a (92-88) 180, which left him in a tie for 37th.

“Easton did not have the tournament he was capable of,” said Perry.  “He has been playing number one this post season.  He golfs with the best golfers in the tournament and has been carrying his weight.  He found some difficult spots that made it tough to score well.  Easton gained plenty of experience for next year and I can’t wait to see him golf as a senior.”

Seniors Eric Ritter and Andrew Crane were Clear Lake’s top two finishers.  Ritter bounced back from a day one score of 88 to post an 80 on day two for a 168.  Crane had a consistent 84-85 169.  They were 18th and 19th on the leaderboard.

“Eric and Andrew had a good tournament.  Just like all year, their positivity and leadership was on stage,” said Perry. 

Freshman Gavin Anderson also had a steady outing with rounds of 90 and 92 for a 182 and 44th place in the standings.

Josh Blaha made a huge contribution to the team on day one.  The senior’s round of 86 was second best on the team in the first day of State competition and    was his best 18-hole score of the year.  Day two was more of a challenge for Blaha and he finished with a (86-101) 187 for 54th.

Tyler LeFevre and Taylor Plagge, both freshmen, split the number six position during the tournament and gained great experience for the next three years.   LeFevre carded a 105 on day one; Plagge had a round of 102 on day two.

Coach Perry added his thanks to Assistant Mike Oimoen for his instruction, as well as Coach Mac (Brian McIntire), who is the team’s strength and conditioning coordinator.  “From the very first day after spring break, these guys have been working out and going through his workouts. The workouts showed our strength at the end of the season.”

Reflecting on his 18-years with the team, Perry said this year’s team reminded him what coaching is about.  

“We all learned from each other and had a great season.  They learned so much on and off the course.  They became good friends and developed relationships that will last a lifetime.  These are experiences you will find it hard to develop in the classroom.  This was a great extra-curricular learning experience.”