After a fourth-place finish at state last fall, the Pleasant Valley boys golf team is back on the course. A deep roster of players from varsity to JV has set the Spartans apart from other schools. Initially ranked seventh in the preseason, the team skyrocketed to first within a month.
In mid-August, the team faced a set of two 18-hole rounds to decipher the varsity squad. The tryouts played a prominent role in deciding the first lineup. “The tryouts are fair, it’s a fun system and it shows who can play and who can’t. Once you make the team, you play for your spot in the meets,” said junior Zander Panek.
However, with such a competitive tryout, the stakes are high to make it, and some players have alternate opinions about qualifying. “The format isn’t great; the summer should be taken into consideration,” senior Carter Berg said. Tryouts are a high-stress week for the team, but they pay off in creating a great squad
The new team first headed to the Bloomington Invite at Weibring Golf Club. Ben Livingston shot a two under 69 to lead the Spartans, and the team broke the previous school record with a score of 282 (-2).
The third meet of the fall led to another school record. This time being broken by Zander Panek. He shot a fantastic seven under par round of 64 to break the 18-hole individual record. Panek is one of the leading players in the 5A circuit and one of the best in the MAC Conference.
Grant Sherrick has followed Panek closely behind as he swaps in, leading the team to victory. He has earned multiple medalist honors at recent tournaments, also firing under par. Panek and Sherrick are strong players who command the varsity team.
They’ve now broken a record yet again. On Sept. 17, the team beat the record they broke at Weibring. The varsity team of Panek, Sherrick, Dylan Everitt, Charlie Dumas, Cole Harris and Ben Livingston shot a tremendous team score of 280 (-4) at Palmer Hills. The team continues to improve throughout the season and shows no signs of slowing down.
While other schools are strong in play, what differs is that the PV team is deep-meaning that they have a bigger lineup of better players. Many teams have one to three solid golfers, while PV has well over eight. There is always room for an extra player to step in when needed, and this is what sets the boys’ golf team apart.
The success of the team didn’t appear out of nowhere; it resulted from a lot of hard work. “Everyone at Davenport Country Club just grinds, which makes us a great team,” Berg said. Many players on the team are members at local country clubs, which helped create the powerhouse.
While it seems like something may have shifted in the team, Panek said, “Everything is the same as last year. The team is better than any team I have been on.” It may be truly just a shift in skillset, as the boys have gone undefeated for 7 meets straight.
There are high hopes to continue the season’s success through the MAC Conference and the state qualifying tournament. Iowa is quickly becoming one of the strongest states for boys’ golf, and the Pleasant Valley boys are definitely making their mark.
