Clarinda senior Maddie Cole looks for a chance to break for home Thursday, May 28, during a home win over Shenandoah.
Clarinda senior Maddie Cole looks for a chance to break for home Thursday, May 28, during a home win over Shenandoah.
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Daoust earns state singles medal, Mustangs compete at State Tennis
Shenandoah junior Luke Daoust shows off his eighth-place medal Thursday, May 28, at the Individual State Tennis Tournament.
Shenandoah junior Luke Daoust earned an eighth-place medal, leading five Shenandoah athletes at the Class 1A Individual State Tennis Tournament, held Wednesday, May 27, and Thursday, May 28, at Byrnes Park in Waterloo.
Daoust won two of his three matches Wednesday in the singles bracket but then lost both of his matches Thursday to finish eighth.
“It means a lot with such a competitive tournament this year,” Daoust said on earning a state medal. “It shows me that my hard work with the boys is paying off.”
Shenandoah had two doubles teams also in the field, who combined for one win. Teagan Brunk and Lucas Sun won one of three matches while the team of Matt Holmes and Ryan Lawrence finished 0-2.
Daoust opened his tournament with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Fort Madison’s Rowan Benda before losing to No. 2 seed and eventual runner-up Easton Moon of North Polk 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinals.
The loss dropped Daoust into the consolation bracket where he still needed one win Wednesday to secure a medal and he got it, beating Chariton’s Jonathan Pyatak 6-0, 6-1.
Daoust came close to a win in his consolation semifinal, losing 7-6, 6-2, with a 7-3 score in the first set tiebreak against Tyler Wedeking of Aplington-Parkersburg before dropping a 6-2, 6-1 decision to Dubuque Wahlert’s Chase Miller in the seventh-place match.
“I think I played okay,” Daoust said. “I got in my head a lot, which cost me some matches but my actual game was some of the best tennis I have played this year. I got to play some very talented players which gets me better at the game overall. Being here with my teammates has been very fun and the support from the guys gave me the support that helped pull me through to day two.”
Shenandoah seniors Teagan Brunk (left) and Lucas Sun (right) played Wednesday, May 27, at the Class 1A State Doubles Tennis Tournament. The Shenandoah duo won one match and lost twice, one win shy of a state medal.
Brunk and Sun lost a close match to start the tournament Wednesday, falling 7-6, 7-6 to Brady Willis and Jack Wedemier of Waverly-Shell Rock in the first round. The first set tiebreak finished 7-3 and the second set at 7-2.
The Shenandoah team needed a super tiebreak win to advance past their first match in the consolation bracket, beating Colby Sherrod and Charlie Moeller of Spencer 6-3, 3-6, 1-0, 10-6 in the tiebreak.
Brunk and Sun then fell 6-4, 6-4 to Max Froeschle and Ashton Schnieder of Central DeWitt, a team that ended up finishing seventh, in a consolation quarterfinal, ending the tournament for the Shenandoah duo.
Brunk said, overall, it was a tough day for him.
“We struggled all day,” Brunk said, “but I was having a very hard time hitting my forehand, which normally I’m used to hitting hard and well. They just weren’t working (Wednesday) and I had to adjust.”
Sun said, despite the struggles, it was an “awesome experience.”
“We got to play some quality teams from across the state,” Sun said, “and I plan to use that experience to better play against “classic” players at (the team tournament next week).”
Brunk added that the state experience “never gets old,” and there was a lot of good tennis to watch throughout the tournament.
Shenandoah sophomore Matt Holmes (left) and junior Ryan Lawrence (right) competed Wednesday, May 27, at the Class 1A State Doubles Tournament. The Shenandoah team lost both of their matches.
Holmes and Lawrence lost to the top seed and eventual champions Charlie Legrand and Jacob Schmit of Cedar Rapids Xavier, 6-0, 6-0 in the first round.
Shenandoah then lost to Ballard’s Seth Hilleman and Easton Ersland 6-2, 6-1 in a first round consolation match.
Both Holmes and Lawrence felt they played good tennis, for the most part, it was just tough competition.
“My serves were a little off but overall, I felt very confident and proud of my ground strokes,” Lawrence said. “I felt Matt and I played well together and held our own.”
“The experience at state was very nerve racking,” Holmes added, “especially competing against some of the best kids in the state.”
Lawrence said the focus quickly shifts to team state
“The competition will be good, and we’ll need to counter the mistakes we made,” Lawrence said. “I feel confident we can compete well next week as a team.”
Daoust, who has played No. 2 singles for much of the season for the Mustangs, adds that playing at that level for a couple days makes him even hungrier going forward.
“It makes me want to play and practice harder,” Daoust said. “Being a medalist is amazing but getting higher on the podium is now a goal i know i can achieve.”
The season isn’t over, though, for the Mustangs, as they now focus on the Class 1A Team State Tournament Tuesday, June 2, and Wednesday, June 3, at Pella.
The five members of the Shenandoah boys tennis team who competed at the Individual State Tournament come together for a picture Wednesday, May 27, in Waterloo. From left: Ryan Lawrence, Matt Holmes, Luke Daoust, Teagan Brunk and Lucas Sun.
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Clarinda senior Taylor Rasmussen ended her high school golf career with a 10th-place state finish Thursday, May 28, and Friday, May 29, at the Class 2A State Golf Championships in Marshalltown.
Clarinda senior Taylor Rasmussen ended her high school golf career with a 10th-place state finish Thursday, May 28, and Friday, May 29, at the Class 2A State Golf Championships in Marshalltown.
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Clarinda’s Neal 6th, Cardinals 9th at Boys State Golf
Clarinda senior Kort Neal finished his high school golf career with a sixth-place medal at the Boys State Golf Championships, which took place Tuesday, May 26, and Wednesday, May 27, in Waterloo.
Clarinda senior Kort Neal completed his high school golf career with a state medal Wednesday, May 27, at the Class 2A Boys State Golf Championships, held at South Hills Golf Course in Waterloo.
Neal finished sixth in a field of more than 80 athletes, with a two-day total of 149. He led the Cardinals to a ninth-place team finish as they made their first state appearance since 2017.
“I could not think of a better way to finish my career,” Neal said, “and playing well just makes it even better. It was a really cool experience and I’m glad that we all got to experience it. It was a lot of fun.”
The Cardinals finished with a two-day team total of 658 to finish ninth. They were two strokes behind eighth-place Central Lyon and beat rival Shenandoah, who finished 10th, by 10 strokes. They were also eight strokes better on the tournament’s second day than they were on the first.
The Clarinda boys golf team finished ninth at the State Tournament Tuesday, May 26, and Wednesday, May 27, in Waterloo. From left: Logan Peterson (head coach), Warner Schmitt, Jack Kline, Kort Neal, Jac Fine, Sam Kline and Barrett Hagey.
Waterloo Columbus Catholic posted a two-day total of 610, beating runner-up Rock Valley by four strokes. Judd Jirovsky of Grundy Center put up a 66 on the tournament’s second day to fire a 139, beating runner-up Trey Swanson of Rock Valley by three shots.
Neal tied with Shenandoah’s JJ Martin for fifth, posting a 75 on day one and a 74 on day two. He was one stroke out of fourth and five back of third.
“I feel like I played really well,” Neal said, “and did a good job of battling for pars. I also putted really well.”
Jac Fine was Clarinda’s next best athlete in the field. He posted a pair of 81s to shoot a 162, tying him for 31st in the field. Jack Kline put up an 85 both days for a 170, followed by Sam Kline, who rebounded from a 93 on the opening day to an 85 on day two to end his Clarinda athletics career.
“Playing at the state tournament has meant a lot and ending my senior year here is very special,” Sam Kline said. “I have had a great time with my teammates, and this experience is something I’ll look back on for a long time.”
The experience ended about as perfectly as it could for Sam Kline, as he finished with an up and down from 100 yards out for par on his final hole.
Warner Schmitt, the other Cardinal senior, along with Sam Kline and Neal, posted a 184, shooting a 92 both days. Barrett Hagey ended with a 188.
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Martin 5th, Shenandoah 10th at Boys State Golf
Shenandoah junior JJ Martin finished fifth Wednesday, May 27, at the Class 2A Boys State Golf Tournament. Martin posted a 149, earning a state medal.
Shenandoah junior JJ Martin ended his golf season with a fifth-place finish Wednesday, May 27, at the Class 2A State Golf Championships at South Hills Golf Course in Waterloo. Martin’s two-day, 36-hole total of 149, led the Mustangs to a 10th-place finish with a team score of 668.
“A state medal means a lot,” Martin said, “and is a big confidence booster. I know now I can compete with anyone. It’s been a big goal since the beginning of the year.”
Martin opened with a 74 and then scored a 75 Wednesday, tying him with Clarinda’s Kort Neal for fifth.
Martin, who had been playing his best golf of the season over the last couple weeks, felt he wasn’t quite there at the state tournament.
“I don’t feel I played as well as last week,” Martin said. “I left a lot out there and didn’t capitalize when I needed to.”
Judd Jirovsky of Grundy Center won the state title with a 139, including a 66 on Wednesday. Trey Swanson of Rock Valley was second with a 142.
Waterloo Columbus Catholic won the team title with a 610, beating Rock Valley by four strokes.
Ethan Laughlin was Shenandoah’s second best on Tuesday and Logan Twyman was second best on Wednesday. Laughlin opened with an 84, then posted a 91 for a 175. Twyman shot a 94 Tuesday, then an 85 for a 179. Levi Green’s 173 ended up as Shenandoah’s second best for the tournament.
The Shenandoah boys golf team finished 10th at the Boys State Golf Tournament, contested Tuesday, May 26, and Wednesday, May 27, in Waterloo. The state tournament appearance was the first for the Mustangs in nine years. Pictured, from left: Brody Burdorf, Levi Green, Clay Foutch, JJ Martin, Ethan Laughlin and Logan Twyman.
Clay Foutch put up a 177 for the tournament and Brody Burdorf a 184. Martin said to play with this group, that included three seniors in Burdorf, Twyman and Laughlin, “meant everything.”
“There isn’t another group of guys I would rather be with,” Martin said.
After finishing fifth and saying he left some shots out there, Martin said goals are already high for his senior season.
“I know I need to put my head down and get back to work,” Martin said. “I’ll have bigger goals next year.”
