Iola High School’s golfers may be peaking at just the right time after earning a pair of medals during Tuesday’s Pioneer League Tournament.
Iola senior Briley Prather and junior Brooklyn Holloway finished fifth and sixth respectively. Coach Jeremy Sellman believes they are more than capable of punching their tickets to state during next week’s regional tournament.
“I’m proud of them. Briley played really well,” Sellman said. “She didn’t need much coaching from me. She stayed in her game and played the golf I knew she was capable of playing.”
Prather finished the links at the par 72 Deer Trace Golf Course in Linn Valley 33 over par, just one stroke ahead of Holloway. Although 31 strokes from Prairie View phenom Harley Wade, who finished the day just three strokes over par, Prather and Holloway were strokes away from Rylee Hill of Anderson County, who took second.
“Briley is playing her best golf right now, which is good going into regionals Monday,” Sellman said. “Brooklyn really improved yesterday and had a chance to be second. She just had a run of bad holes and we had to recenter and refocus. Mentally, both of them understand. After one bad hole, they can put it behind them, and that worked for us Tuesday.” Prather carded a 105 and Holloway a 106.
“It was just bad breaks, one bad swing, you hit a tree and end up in a ditch,” Sellman said. “They rebounded well and I am proud of them. They’re all-league two years in a row. With this young of a program, being in the top ten both years is an accolade worth recognizing. That’s for sure.”
With a renewed sense of confidence, Prather and Holloway will use their momentum at the Stone Creek Golf Course in Chanute, the location of next week’s regional tournament.
“I’m looking forward to Monday. I told them, ‘If you girls play golf the way you played today, we’ve got a pretty good chance at state,’” Sellman said. “Chanute is a nice course and they’re familiar with it. They’ve played it multiple times and that is an advantage over other schools who may have played it once.”
