Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Coming off consecutive Class 3A runner-up finishes the past two seasons Solon has specific expectations for how it would like to finish the season.

The focus may be on the way the season ends for Spartans in May but Solon certainly got things started the right way on Thursday.

Solon had three players finish in the top seven on Thursday with all three shooting 79 or better as the Spartans rolled to the team title at the Solon Invitational on a warm and windy afternoon at Lake MacBride Golf Course in Solon.

“I think motivated is a very good work to say about this group,” Solon coach Adam Stahle said. “A couple of years ago we made it to state and then last year the expectation was raised even more and the motivation has been noticeable this year. You can tell that they are excited and they are working really hard. They are putting in the work already.”

Sophomore Isaiah Zoske shot a four-under par 68 to finish runner-up as Solon finished with a 307 to outdistance runner-up Clear Creek Amana by 18 strokes.

“It’s still a work in progress, 307 is not bad but we know we can play better,” Zoske said. “It’s a good start and we are focusing on getting better from here.”

Jack McCarty was sixth with a 78 and Mac McCarty was one stroke back in seventh for the Spartans which had five players shoot 87 or better.

“I think everyone that played would tell you they have things to work on,” Stahle said. “But anytime you break 320, that’s always been a measuring stick and to come out after having four days where we could actually get out and play this is pretty impressive.”

The calendar said March and the meet was the season opener for many teams in the nine-team field but Zoske and Tipton senior Tristin Sorgenfrey staged a dual suitable for the state meet.

Sorgenfrey fired a five-under-par 31 on the back nine to win the individual title with a Solon Invite record 67.

Zoske shot a three-under-par 33 on the back nine to finish one stroke back.

“It was really fun playing with him,” Zoske said. “We both started a little slow, the conditions were tough early but as the day went on and it got warmer I felt like we were feeding off of one another.”

Zoske had three birdies but two bogeys while shooting a one-under 35 on the opening nine.

The Solon sophomore got rolling on the back nine, posting an eagle on the par-five seventh and a birdie on the par-five ninth to close his round.

“Golf is such a mental game and to get off to such a great start like that will do wonders for him,” Stahle said of Zoske. “He’s a kid that works extremely hard so it’s not a surprise to me that he was able to come out and do that but to come out first meet of the year, really any meet of the year, and shoot 68 is impressive and it’s not like the conditions were perfect today either.”

Sorgenfrey had four birdies and a bogey on the back nine and added an eagle on the par-five ninth to finish with a 67.

“We were just answering each other shots for a lot of the round,” Zoske said. “It was that type of round where we fed off of one another and he was one shot better today.”

Jack McCarty shot a 36 on the front and closed with a 42 to finish with a 78 while Mac McCarty opened with a 38 and closed with a 41 to finish seventh with a 79.

“I’m not going to lie it was better than I expected,” McCarty said. “I fell apart on the back nine a little bit, it was a little rough, but I fought through it.”

Quinton Heineman shot an 85 for Solon and Sean Stahle added an 87 for the Spartans.

“For how early it is I thought we played really well,” McCarty said. “We had a goal of 305 but it’s early.”

Clear Creek Amana senior Zach McCarty shot a two-over 74 to finish fourth and Carson Fox and Allex Courtright each fired an 83 to place ninth and 10^th for the runner-up Clippers.

Regina senior Mikey Takacs shot an even-par 72 to place third overall.

Solon Invitational

At Lake MacBride Golf Course

Team scores – 1. Solon 307; 2. Clear Creek Amana 325; 3. Tipton 326; 4. West Liberty 335; 5. Williamsburg 338; 6. West Branch 365; 7. Benton Community 379; 8. Durant 387; 9. Regina 389

Individual leaders – 1. Tristan Sorgenfrey (TIP) 36-31 – 67; 2. Isaiah Zoske (SOL) 35-33 – 68; 3. Mikey Takacs 36-36 – 72; 4. Zach McCarty (CCA) 37-37 – 74; 5. Ty Jones (WL) 38-37 – 75; 6. Jack McCarty (SOL) 36-42 – 78; 7. Mac McCarty (SOL) 38-41 – 79; 8. Collier Rockow (DUR) 44-38 – 82; 9. Carson Fox (CCA) 42-41 – 83; 10. Allex Courtright (CCA) 44-39 – 83

Solon (307) – Isaiah Zoske 35-33 – 68; Jack McCarty 36-42 – 78; Mac McCarty 38-41 – 79; Quinton Heineman 42-43 – 85; Sean Stahle 40-47 – 87; Nolan Seagren 42-46 – 88; Gehrig Turner 46-42 – 88; Cole Buffington 46-45 – 91

Clear Creek Amana (325) – Zach McCarty (CCA) 37-37 – 74; Carson Fox (CCA) 42-41 – 83; Allex Courtright (CCA) 44-39 – 83; Jackson Stevens 45-42 – 87; Hayden Crow 47-44 – 91; Tyler Evans 43-48 – 91; Logan DeKoter 55-50 – 105; Carson Nash 53-53 – 106

West Branch (365) – Will Bridges 43-42 – 85; Paxton Tislinger 49-44 – 93; Bradyn Sexton 50-45 – 95; Reese Gingerich 48-48 – 96; Reece Druecker 46-52 – 98; Cameron Gingerich 49-51 – 100; Ethan Miller 51-61 – 112

Regina (389) – Mikey Takacs 36-36 – 72; Noah Clark 45-51 – 96; Lincoln Dardis 56-52 – 108; Jack Tierney 66-54 – 120; Matt Takas 64-56 – 120; Steven Liu 59-64 – 123; Liam Von Harz 65-66 – 131; Carter Slager 62-75 – 137

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