CHANUTE — The battle for the best golfer in Allen County will end in a split after Iola senior Brennen Coffield took first place at Tuesday’s Humboldt Invitational.
Entering the tournament as the fifth-ranked 3A golfer, Coffield’s stock may soon rise after he edged the No. 1 ranked 2A golfer Connor Newman by two strokes while going head-to-head at the Stone Creek Golf Course in Chanute.
“It was a fun match to watch, and after Connor took the title at Brennen’s home course, it kind of makes up for it by taking Connor’s title from his home course,” Iola coach Jeremy Sellman said.
Coffield carded a 76 on the par 72 course. After opening with a 40 on the front nine, Coffield improved by four strokes on the back.
“We talked through some things and got him refocused a bit,” Iola coach Jeremy Sellman said. “I said, ‘Hey, the front nine is done. Let’s focus on the back and play some good golf.’ He did. I think he had three birdies on the back, and that changed the outcome of the match.”
ALTHOUGH Coffield’s performance garnered the most attention, Sellman said he was more impressed with the team effort from the Mustangs, who edged Perry-Lecompton for the team title by a stroke with a combined score of 352. Iola senior Baron Folk was nipping at Coffield’s heels for first among Iola’s entrants, shooting a 41 on the front nine but slipped on the back nine while carding a 46.
“Baron and Brennen were tied for second place,” Sellman said. “Baron played outstanding golf. He kept his shots in the fairway, and I knew the back nine would be more of a struggle. He pushed through and played relatively clean golf.”
Junior Isaiah Geisler was Iola’s final top 20 finisher after carding a 93. Junior Ean De La Torre was just a few strokes off from a top 20 finish. He took 21st while carding a 96 and freshman Cole Hines finished 40th after carding a 112.
“I’m excited for league coming up Thursday,” Sellman said. “If they play like they did, or better, then we have a really good chance at winning it. Looking at regionals, there is a high possibility of taking two to state, if not the whole team, if we can put it all together at the right time. That would be a milestone achievement.”
Humboldt finished sixth in Tuesday’s tournament with a combined score of 394, which was only six strokes away from a top five finish. Newman’s second place finish was first among Humboldt competitors as he shot a 39 on the front and back nine, carding a 78 for eight over par.
Humboldt sophomore Blayden McGuire was just a few strokes from a top 20 finish after carding a 97. Senior Layne Ellison carded a 101 for 32nd place.
Taking a break away from the baseball diamond, sophomore Kolton Hanson carded a 118 for 43rd while freshman Riley Lassman finished 45th after carding 126. Junior Thatcher Mueller carded a 131 for 47th place.
