The Mount Vernon varsity boys golf team beat the Benton Bobcats on the road and took fifth place at the Golden Hawk Invitational last week, to improve to 7-4 overall for the season.
Monday, April 11The first challenge was an away game, where the Mustangs defeated Benton 184-198.
As only two teams participated, head coach Mark Binsfield worked out an arrangement with Benton that allowed him to send 17 kids to the competition, including five who hadn’t made the cut for the team originally.
Binsfield called it “the best part about the meet.”
“We took a school bus, and everyone had a great time. It was a great day, and they were very pleased. A lot of those kids never get to play,” he said.
All of the team’s future meets will be triangulars, Binsfield said, so he won’t have that chance again this season. However, he noted, a couple “shot so well that I’m going to move them up to JV.”
Cooper Parks, sophomore, and Nolan Jackson, junior, shot the two lowest scores for their team and overall, with a 42 and 46, respectively.
Tuesday, April 12 The Mustangs took fifth place at the Mid-Prairie-hosted Golden Hawk Invitational, shooting a 388 as a team.
West Branch took first with a score of 323. Washington placed second with a 372.
Ten teams participated in the 18-hole event.
“It was touch and go because of the wind. It was very windy out there,” said Binsfield, who noted that hats were flying off their owners’ heads during the event.
“I think the kids had a great time, and were glad it wasn’t canceled,” he said.
Cooper Parks and Nolan Jackson again had the team’s two lowest scores with a 94 and 96, while junior Asher Eichorn carded a 98.
The Mustangs will have a home meet Friday, Apr. 22, where they host Center Point-Urbana and Clear Creek-Amana. It will be their final home meet for the season.
“Clear Creek-Amana is really good, so they’ll be tough competition,” said Binsfield.
“If we get a nice day, they might really show their true colors and really score well,” he said of his team.