The Manhattan High School Varsity golf team had a strong start to their season after their first four tournaments wrapped up.
“We have a good, hard-working group of kids this year who all seem motivated and invested and that makes it easy to coach,” Varsity coach Brad Ficke said.
The team’s first tournament was at the Wamego Country Club on Apr. 6. Sophomore Tate Reid and freshman Cade Cochran both got a 75 on the 18-hole course and got seventh and eighth place respectively. Freshman Jackson Powers scored 77 for 14th place, with junior Miles Braxmeyer right behind him with a 78 and 19th place. Senior Kaiden Siebert and junior Gage Hull tied for 27th place with a score of 80. The team total was 305, landing them in third place at their first tournament.
On Apr. 10, The Varsity and Junior Varsity teams both golfed at their home invitationals at the Manhattan Country Club.
The team managed to beat Washburn Rural by just one point, with a team score of 318, winning the invitational. Reid led Manhattan with a fourth place finish and a score of 78. Cochran got seventh place also with a score of 78. Braxmeyer received ninth place and a score of 79. Hull golfed an 81 and got 10th place. Powers shot 83 and scored 15th. Siebert golfed an 84, getting himself 18th.
The golf team’s third tournament was at Smoky Hills Country Club in Hays on Apr. 17. They once again walked away with the win with a team total of 301. Reid shot a 72 and landed in second. Cochran got 75 and walked away with fourth place. Braxmeyer and Hull both got 77, getting seventh and ninth place respectively. Powers was right behind them with a score of 78 and 10th place. Siebert shot an 83, getting 15th.
Their most recent tournament was at the Village Greens golf course in Meriden, Kansas. The Varsity golf team golfed there on April 19 and got a team score of 314 to bring home third place. Powers scored a 76 placing sixth with Hull right behind him with a 78 and eighth place. Braxmeyer shot a 79, tying in 15th. Siebert shot an 81, tying in 23rd place. Reid shot an 83, tying for 31st place. Cochran shot an 87, tying for 37th place.
“We as a team are just really strong,” Reid said. “We all push each other to our best and what we can be, which is a really good thing. If one of us doesn’t do well, then someone else will, and we will pick each other up. Our team is looking capable of doing a lot of great things, and it just depends on if we can all put it together in the end.”
The team’s next tournament is at the Firekeeper Golf Course against Lawrence Free State High School on Tuesday, April 25.
