Young golf team prepared to shoot low at Districts

Alex Entz/Senior Writer

As the Cedar Falls men’s golf team prepares to enter the district competition, with a trip to the state championship tournament seriously within their reach, they will do so with their six-man roster half-filled with underclassmen.

Some unexpected changes to the team’s dynamic have left the team heading into the district meet in Dubuque with two sophomores, Jacob Bermel and Wil Hunemuller, and a freshman, Alex Braun, to complement the lone junior, Justin Krieger and two seniors, Matt Glenn and Tyler Brewer.

Head Coach Rich Strike previewed Districts.

“Districts are going to be tough as usual. We have seen several of the teams already,” Strike said. “To qualify for state we need to finish in the top three, which we are capable of, but we just need to put it all together.”

The team has made its youthful presence felt on the team.

Brewer, a returning letter winner, spoke about their impact on the team. “The young guys are definitely a big part of the team,” he said. “In all, they are really stepping up this year and proving themselves worthy of playing in the varsity meets.”

Hunemuller agreed with Brewer, but noted that one of the team’s weaknesses likely came in part from inexperience.

“When we play poorly, we put ourselves down and get very angry,” Hunemuller said.

Brewer added that to be successful at Districts, the self-deprecating attitude needed to be checked.

“We are just focusing on keeping our attitude positive throughout the round,” he said. “We struggle with consistency in our scores,” he said.

Coach Strike noting that “maintaining an even composure throughout the round” will be a key to their success at Districts.

Even so, the team’s record to this point is still over .500, and the team has won a few meets during a midseason stretch where they played very well. The team hopes to kick up that momentum to punch its ticket to the state tournament.
Hunemuller and Brewer both agreed that the team could definitely make it to the state tournament.

“I think we’ll get in the top three,” he said. “We’re definitely pumped for this. We’re actually going up to Dubuque a few days before the district tournament to play a practice round, because we just can’t wait,” Hunemuller said.

The meet will come over a week after the team’s previous meet, which took place on Monday, Sept. 28. In that meet, located at Cedar Rapids’ Airport National golf course, Hunemuller finished with the best round on the team.

“All I have to say is that it was very cold and windy,” Brewer said.

Despite the long layoff between meets, as a result of the team’s meet on Oct. 1 being cancelled due to heavy rain, the team feels confident that they will place at Districts.

In the face of the adversity this team has seen in a year of major underclassmen upsets, the team remains upbeat and confident about their chances at Districts.

“I feel we are all ready to pull it together,” Brewer said. “We are capable of shooting a low score.”
The District meet is today at Meadows Golf Course in Dubuque.