By Don Eskins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Hudson Feuerbacher and Owen Buerke fired three over par rounds of 75 to lead the Glendale Falcons to this year’s Pearson City Championship. The tournament, which took place on Wednesday, Apr. 26, was held at the Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield.
Overall the Falcons carded a 306, ten strokes better than the runner up Kickapoo Chiefs who came in at 316.
Needless to say, Glendale head coach Zach Rothgeb was more than pleased with the effort he got from his charges.
“This was really a great effort by our kids and I couldn’t be prouder,” he said. “They push each other hard all week during practice which keeps them sharp. That kind of work ethic gives them a great chance to play well at each tournament, as they did today.”
The Falcon coach said that the Pearson City victory couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Our season is winding down, so moving forward winning Pearson gives us some confidence and momentum. Coming up next is our conference tournament followed by district and hopefully state, all big ones,” said Rothgeb. “We’ll all celebrate today’s win tonight, but tomorrow it will be back to work as usual in preparation for next week’s conference tournament at Silo Ridge in Bolivar.”
Glendale’s Hudson Feuerbacher concurred with his coach.
“We did have a good tournament and we all played well,” he said. “As a team we’re hoping to finish next week’s conference and district tournaments strong. Getting to state has been our number one goal all season. To do that we’re going to have to be playing our best golf of the year next week.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE TOURNAMENT
Rounding out the Falcons’ scorecard were Alex Bowman 77, Matthew Barnes 79 and Drew Russell 81.
As with Rothgeb, Kickapoo head coach Ron Yocum was more than pleased with what he saw from his kids.
“We had a goal today to shoot under 320 and with a 316 we got it done so right now I’m really proud of my team. We hope to get under 310 next week at our conference tournament in Silo Ridge,” said the Chief coach. “Following our conference tournament will be district, right back here at Rivercut, and we hope to win them both.”
Top scorecards for the Chiefs were turned in by Gaige Lewis who carded a 74 and Caleb Wiggins who came in at 75. Lewis’ effort earned him the tournament’s ‘Top Medalist’ honors.
“Rivercut is a difficult course, it really challenges you. You have to be good off the tee, good from the fairway to the green and you have to be good on the green,” said Lewis. “But I really like the challenges Rivercut brings. It’s really a great course for tournament play.”
Lewis credits his putting for landing him Pearson’s top medalist honors.
“The greens were fast and I ran a lot of putts way past the hole. But I was able to make a lot of putts that I usually don’t make to save my round,” he said. “I have a practice mat at home and last night I spent a lot of time putting on it. I think that’s what made the difference for me today.”
Lewis, as did his coach, said the next two weeks for the Chiefs couldn’t be bigger.
“District is really big for us. It’s everybody’s road to state so the competition there is going to be really tough. Our conference tournament in Silo Ridge will be our last opportunity to get ready for it. We want to play well there,” he said. “Getting to state is what we’ve been working for all season long. Hopefully, with two great rounds of golf, we’ll be able to get there.”
Also carding scores for Kickapoo were: Garrett Catlett 82, Brady Powers 85 and Owen Jump 89.
Placing third at the Pearson City tournament was Kickapoo JV. The young Chiefs fired a 327. Ty Wendel with a 78 and Drew Angus with a 79 paced the Kickapoo effort. Also contributing were Dax VanAllen 84, Jake Sage 86 and Lincoln Swann 89.
Pearson Team Scores:
1. Glendale – 304
2. Kickapoo – 316
3. Kickapoo JV’s – 327
4. Springfield Catholic – 342
5. Glendale JV’s 356
6. Springfield Catholic JV’s- 358
7. Central – 376
8. Greenwood – 402
9. Hillcrest – 433
10. New Covenant Academy – 443
Pearson Medalists
1. Gaige Lewis – 74 – Kickapoo
T2. Hudson Feuerbacher – 75- Glendale
T2.Caleb Wiggins – 75 – Kickapoo
T2. Owen Buerke – 75 – Glendale
5. Max Bowman – 77 – Glendale
6. Ty Wendel – 78 – Kickapoo
T7. Matt Barnes – 79- Glendale
T7. Drew Angus – 79 – Kickapoo JV’s
9. Drew Russell – 81 – Glendale
T10. Gage Vehr – 82 – Springfield Catholic
T10. Garrett Catlett – 82 -Kickapoo
