The Van Buren County golf programs competed in back-to-back conference duals Monday and Tuesday, April 27th and 28th, with the girls completing an undefeated conference record while the boys split their results against two strong opponents.
Monday, April 27th — vs. Mediapolis at Riverview Club, Keosauqua
The Van Buren County girls opened the stretch with a victory over Mediapolis, shooting a 215 to Mediapolis’s 222 on the par-36 nine-hole course at Riverview Club.
Sophia Jirak led the way by a wide margin, carding a 5-over 41 to claim medalist honors — a full 12 strokes ahead of the rest of the field. Bri Spears of Mediapolis placed second with a 53. Maddie Cocherell placed fourth for Van Buren County with a 55, Teagan Sickels sixth with a 57, Lilly McEntee ninth with a 62, Hadley Noe 10th with a 63, and Adelaide Kaemmerer 11th with a 64.
On the boys side, Mediapolis topped Van Buren County 159-176. Leo Jirak earned co-medalist honors for Van Buren County, sharing the top spot with Mediapolis’s William Worrall as both players carded a 39. Will Cocherell placed seventh with a 42, Jerrod Griffin eighth with a 45, Aden Debner and Ethan Pforts tied for 10th with 49s each, and Cooper Richardson 12th with a 53.
Tuesday, April 28th — at Central Lee, Green Acres Country Club, Donnellson
The rescheduled April 7th dual at Central Lee was made up Tuesday, with the girls playing a par-37 course and the boys a par-36.
The Van Buren County girls claimed another conference victory, shooting a 217 to Central Lee’s 263. Jirak again led all golfers, carding a 47 for medalist honors. Lily Smith of Central Lee placed second with a 55. Lilly McEntee placed third for Van Buren County with a 55, Cocherell fourth with a 56, Sickels fifth with a 59, Macolie McEntee eighth with a 69, and Noe ninth with a 70.
The boys fell to Central Lee 149-166, with Caleb Larson of Central Lee earning medalist honors with a 36. Leo Jirak and Aden Debner both shot 41 to place seventh and eighth respectively for Van Buren County. Will Cocherell and Jerrod Griffin each carded 42s to place ninth and 10th, while Cooper Richardson and Ethan Pforts each shot 49 to place 11th and 12th.
With the two-day stretch complete, the Van Buren County girls finished conference play with a perfect 3-0 record, while the boys closed out at 1-2.
Boys head coach Brian Johnson reflected on the two days of competition. “It was a busy couple of days. We ran into a couple of buzz saws with Mediapolis and Central Lee — both really good teams,” he said. “Our boys stayed level headed and if they made a mistake or bad shot they didn’t get stuck in a negative head space. They moved on to the next shot and next hole. It’s good to play really good competition. It shows what we need to work on, and this time of year it’s good so we can focus in on making some fixes as we come into the conference tournament, then sectionals and districts.”
Girls head coach Phil Ross was pleased with the results but acknowledged there is still work to be done. “While we did well against our competition in these two meets, we still have a lot of work to do, especially from the tee and around the greens,” Ross said. “Sophia continues to impress — her game travels well.”
