By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anyone who has followed local high school golf this spring probably expected Monday's City Golf Championship at Topeka Country Club to be a down-to-the-wire battle between Washburn Rural and Hayden.
Washburn Rural golf poses for a team picture Monday after winning its 15th straight city team title by a single stroke over Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And things couldn't haven't been any closer, with the Junior Blues winning the team championship by a single stroke over the Wildcats to claim their 15th straight city title while Washburn Rural senior Tadd Armstrong and Hayden senior James Kuta took the race for the individual crown to a playoff before Armstrong won with a par putt on the extra hole.
Armstrong and Kuta both finished the 27-hole city event with scores of 118 in extremely windy conditions to force the playoff while Washburn Rural continued its dominating city run by the slimmest of margins, winning 489-490 in the city event, which was held in conjunction with the 20-school Topeka Country Club Invitational.
"This is a goal that we set out at the beginning of the year to accomplish and we had some guys step up this afternoon when some guys didn't have their best stuff,'' Washburn Rural coach Jared Goehring said. "Tadd and Higgins Hawks stepped up this afternoon for us, so I couldn't be more proud of this team win.
"We're definitely headed in the right direction going into the home stretch.''
Washburn Rural senior Tadd Armstrong won his first city individual title in a playoff Monday while Rural won its 15th straight city team title by a stroke over Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Armstrong achieved his goal of winning the city championship after finishing fourth in the as a junior.
"I wanted to come out and win this today,'' Armstrong said. "I felt pretty good. I just kept battling and persevering through the tough holes.''
Hayden senior James Kuta finished as the city runnerup Monday after placing 10th as a junior. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Tagen Rodriguez finished third in the city meet with a 120 for runnerup Hayden while Washburn Rural's Michael Wilson placed fourth (123) and Rural's Hawks and Tagan Monasmith and Seaman's Alex Flanagan tied for fifth (124).
Hayden's Nick Gorman and Seaman's Bradley Williamson tied for eighth (125) while Hayden's Austin Bean (127) rounded out the city's top 10.
Olathe Northwest won the team title in the Topeka Country Club Invitational by a stroke over Blue Valley West (302-303).
Nick VanWyngardner of Olathe Northwest claimed the individual title with a 70.
TOPEKA CITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
At Topeka Country Club
Team scores
Washburn Rural 489, Hayden 490, Seaman 511, Topeka High 569, Shawnee Heights 574.
Individual results
1. Tadd Armstrong, Washburn Rural, 118 (won playoff); 2. James Kuta, Hayden, 118; 3. Tagen Rodriguez, Hayden, 120; 4. Michael Wilson, Washburn Rural, 123; 5. (tie) Higgins Hawks, Washburn Rural; Tagan Monasmith, Washburn Rural, and Alex Flanagan, Seaman, 124; 8. (tie) Nick Gorman, Hayden, and Bradley Williamson, Seaman, 125; 10. Austin Bean, Hayden, 127.
Other Washburn Rural -- Peyton Goehring 129, Xoaquin Overbey 130, Brady Goeden 84 (18 holes).
Other Hayden -- Mateo Garcia 128; Colin Scott 129.
Other Seaman -- Evan Michalski 129, Jordan Burghart 133, Nick Hill 143, Connor Perry 143.
Topeka High -- Jase Pavlik 139, Caleb Cleverdon 140, Chase Hastert 141, Luke Budden 149.
Shawnee Heights -- Logan Hahn 130, Jaxon Shove 143, Ayden Valdivia 145, Carter Freeman 156.
Topeka West -- Blaze Schultz 140, Trace Putthoff 142.
TOPEKA COUNTRY CLUB INVITATIONAL
Team scores
Olathe Northwest 302, Blue Valley West 303, Free State 305, Blue Valley North 310, Olathe West 318, Blue Valley 318, 320, Blue Valley Northwest 319, Shawnee Mission East 320, Manhattan 324, Washburn Rural 326, Emporia 327, Hayden 333, Dodge City 337, Shawnee Mission Northwest 341, Lawrence 345, Seaman 347, Junction City 368, Topeka High 381, Shawnee Heights 388.
Individual results
1. Nick VanWyngardner, Olathe Northwest, 70; 2. Parker Bennett, Blue Valley West, 71; 3. Henry Thompson, Free State, 72; 4. (tie) Joe Honn, Blue Valley Northwest; Davis Fillmore, Shawnee Mission East, Cash Nelson, Free State, 73; 7. (tie) Jack Butterbaugh, Olathe Northwest, and Connor MacGee, Blue Valley, 74; 9. (tie) Lukas Nelson, Blue Valley West; Brady Rapp, Blue Valley North, Kyle Elliott, Olathe Northwest, 75; 12. Nolan Jacob, Emporia, 76; 13. (tie) Peyton Wood, Olathe West; Aidan Robinson, Dodge City; Patrick Smith, Blue Valley North, Jack Jerwick, Blue Valley West, 77; 17. (tie); Rowan Banning, Blue Valley North; Charlie Haney, Manhattan; Bennett Warren, Olathe West, Aiden Graff-Hannah, Free State, 78.
