Washed out: Spartan boys golf 2nd in 1A

NEWTON – Dennis Dirks can't say for sure what would have happened on the final day of the Class 1A state golf tournament.
  
All the Grundy Center golf coach knows is what his group of seniors accomplished, particularly in the stretch of the last three seasons.
  
Heavy rains flooded parts of Westwood Golf Course on Friday morning ahead of the second round of action, and the decision was made to end the tournament after 18 holes and not have a make-up for the final round.
  
As a result, Grundy Center's second-place team total of 325 after the first round became the final tally, three strokes shy of state champions Harris-Lake Park.
  
Ashton Martens, a Grundy Center freshman, shot a 79 and finished tied for eighth place individually. Fellow first-year Spartan Dexter Whitehill carded an 80, followed by seniors Andy Cox and Matthew Sternhagen turning in an 82 and 84, respectively. Tanner Appel contributed a 90 and Travis Kuester shot 95 as they, too, finished their high school golf careers.
  
"This group of seniors, none of whom played a varsity meet as freshmen, each were responsible for orchestrating yet another outstanding season," Dirks said. "Capturing conference, sectional and district titles served as a true reflection of the accomplishments of this group. … Many schools never earn the opportunity to play [at state], yet this group has walked away with a fourth-place finish, a state title, along with this year's second-place trophy."
 
For the full story, see this week's Grundy Register. Subscribe by calling (319) 824-6958 or clicking here.