ELLINWOOD — With three players in the top 10 at a Class 2A regional golf tournament on Monday, the Ellinwood High School boys’ golf team qualified for the state tournament with a third-place finish.
Gavin Vink, Ryley Ney and Jared Oelke led the Eagles at the par-64 Grove Park Golf Club. The Eagles will compete at the state tournament, which is on Monday, May 21, at Seneca-Spring Creek Golf Course in Seneca.
“We had some great performances from some of our young kids, and we’re actually a pretty young team as a whole,” Ellinwood head coach Greg Maxwell said. “A couple of kids struggled when the tension got to them, but that’s what you have to learn at this age. Overall, those low scores are why we got into state.
“For a group of sophomores, that’s what we primarily are. We have one junior and one freshman. It is real exciting. They get to go see what it’s all about.”
Chase Coble of Olpe won a regional championship, shooting two-over-par 66. Olpe finished at 300 for a regional championship.
Vink (77) finished in fourth place after winning a playoff against teammate Ney (77). Both players picked up their game in the back nine, shooing three and four over par, respectively.
Oelke (78) shot four-over-par 36 on the front nine, leading him to a seventh-place finish after losing a playoff with Sterling’s Brogen Jones.
“Jared qualified individually last year,” Maxwell said. “This will be his second trip. Everyone went and watched him last year, but they didn’t get to play. Now they get to see what it’s like to play.”
Sophomore Konnor Hickel (85) of Central Plains missed punching a ticket to his second state tournament by three strokes. The Oilers finished sixth as a team.
“I was hoping Konnor would qualify,” Central Plains head coach Jeff Potter said. “I was feeling pretty confident. He just didn’t play the way that he can. He left some strokes out there. I think he missed it be two or three strokes. It was real close.”
Colton Churchill (97), Andrew Degenhardt (100) and Trey Mosier (106) fill in the rest of the Ellinwood team.
Central Plains had four other players compete — Clayton Ingham (93), Tim Demel (97), Dan Gunder (100) and Brock Lawrence (117).
CLASS 2A REGIONAL
GOLF TOURNAMENT
At Ellinwood
Grove Park Golf Club
Par 64
Monday
BOYS
Team standings
1. Olpe, 300; 2. Sterling, 313; 3. Ellinwood, 329; 4. Peabody-Burns, 359; 5. Kiowa County, 369; 6. Central Plains, 375; 7. Kinsley, 414
Top 10 individuals
1. Chase Coble, Olpe, 66; 2. Michael Hendricks, Sterling, 71; 3. Aaron Brinkman, Olpe, 74; 4. Gavin Vink, Ellinwood, 77; 5. Ryley Ney, Ellinwood, 77; 6. Brogan Jones, Sterling, 78; 7. Jared Oelke, Ellinwood, 78; 8. Devin Arndt, Olpe, 79; 8. Bryant Patterson, Sterling, 79; 10. Weston Cross, Kinsley, 79
Elliwnood results
Gavin Vink 42-35 — 77; Ryley Ney 41-36 — 77; Jared Oelke 36-42 — 78; Colton Churchill 43-54 — 97; Andrew Degenhardt 51-49 — 100; Trey Mosier 55-51 — 106
Central Plains results
Konnor Hickel 43-42 — 85; Clayton Ingham 46-47 — 93; Tim Demel 46-51 — 97; Dan Gunder 48-52 — 100; Brock Lawrence 53-64 — 117
