Demons wrap up boys golf title

FORT MADISON — The Washington boys golf team proved to be the cream of the crop in the Southeast Conference’s first ever regular season standings. The Demons sneaked past Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield to win in Fort Madison on Monday, thus clinching the conference’s regular season title.

Washington had to work to take first in a hypercompetitive field. Only eight strokes separated the top four teams on the day.

Washington shot a 173 for the team title. Mt. Pleasant finished at 176. Fairfield shot 178. Fort Madison finished at 181, and Keokuk ended the day at 190.

The Demons had another consistent day, putting all six golfers at 48 or under. Roman Roth and Isaac Vetter led the way, shooting 40 and 41 respectively.

Luke Beenblossom shot 45 for the third Demon score. Grant Sobaski finished at 47. Teague Mayer and John Prochaska each finished at 48.

Mt. Pleasant’s Reece Kempker won the meet by five strokes, shooting a 34 to take home medalist honors. The closest competitor to him was teammate Nick Matheney, who finished at 39.

Mt. Pleasant’s Nate Dismang ended the day at 48. Izaac Zihlman ended at 55. Reece Coffman shot 56, and Ben Meador shot 60.

Fairfield’s third-place performance was paced by Max Weaton, who shot 41. Evan Haines finished second on the Trojans’ roster with a 44.

Nile Christensen was the third-best Trojan on the day, shooting 46. Dev Eisner finished at 47. Nate Smithburg shot 48, and Sam Weaton ended at 50.

Washington’s final regular season shot total was 22 strokes above second-place Fairfield. Mt. Pleasant finished 27 strokes behind Fairfield for third.

Kempker’s big day earned him the regular-season individual crown. He narrowly beat out Matheney and Roth, who tied for second. The Top-10 players in the regular season made the All-Conference team.

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS: 1. Washington (856), 2. Fairfield (878), 3. Mt. Pleasant (905), 4. Fort Madison (994), 5. Keokuk (1,002).

ALL-SEC BOYS GOLF TEAM: 1. Reece Kempker, Mt. Pleasant (154), T-2. Nick Matheney, Mt. Pleasant (156), T-2. Roman Roth, Washington (156), 4. Max Weaton, Fairfield (168), 5. Isaac Vetter, Washington (171) T-6. Tyler Wade, Fort Madison (174), T-6. Grant Sobaski, Washington (174), T-8. Sam Weaton, Fairfield (175), T-8. Dev Eisner, Washington (175), 10. Jordan Sisk, Keokuk (176).