The Iola Mustangs rang in the return of the Buck Quincy Invitational to the Allen County Country Club with a second-place finish.
Humboldt sophomore Connor Newman edged Iola senior Brennen Coffield by two strokes for first place in a battle of state medalists after the pair finished second and sixth, respectively, at last year’s state meet.
With Humboldt dropping down to 2A this school year, a postseason reunion will not be in the cards.
“I came in knowing Brennen is a good player, but I could not think about Brennen,” Newman said. “I had to come out and beat the golf course, play my game and see how it works out.”
Connor Newman, Humboldt sophomore, puts while competing on the back nine of Monday’s Buck Quincy Invitational at the Allen County Country Club.
Newman carded a 75 for three over par. After opening the first nine holes even at 36, he fell three strokes back on the back nine, but overall was pleased with his performance.
“On the front nine, I had a couple of momentum boosters and shot even, but then we had the rain delay,” said Newman, who won his fifth tournament title Monday. “It was tough to come back out swinging how I was before. I had a couple of bad swings and a couple of good ones that teetered it to the higher side and got it done today.”
The Humboldt Cubs did not have enough players to participate as a team. Senior Lane Ellison had a breakout performance with an eighth-place finish, carding a 91 for 19 over par. Sophomore Blayden McQuire finished 13th after carding a 99 for 27 over par.
Coffield finished second and, like Newman, also struggled on the back nine after an even front nine. Carding a 77 for five over par, Coffield said he feels he still has plenty of room to improve after only his third tournament of the 2026 season.
“It was good, until the end,” Coffield said. “I just need to find a way to finish a tournament. The last two have been a struggle. Otherwise, I started off swinging pretty well.”
The Mustangs’ combined score of 367 was eight strokes off tying Wellsville for the tournament title. Iola senior Baron Folk finished seventh, carding an 89 for 17 over par. Junior Ean De La Torre finished 16th after shooting 100 and junior Isaiah Geisler wrapped up Iola’s top 20 finishers after shooting a 101. Sophomore Cole Hines finished 24th after carding a 110.
“I was impressed with some of our players. Brennen was just playing Brennen golf,” Iola coach Jeremy Sellman said. “I was really impressed with Baron. This is two tournaments in a row where he is shooting some of his best golf. Isaiah was playing really good golf until the rain delay. For our third tournament, I’m really excited.”
As for the Allen County Country Club, Sellman said it felt great bringing the tournament back after a year away due to course renovations. Last year, the Wellsville Country Club hosted the Buck Quincy Invitational.
“I’m looking forward to next year, because the course is going to continue to get better,” Sellman said. “They have a phenomenal crew of guys working on it. The staff is great and the facilities are wonderful.”
