Comets place 2nd at NEIC Golf Meet

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

OELWEIN — The Charles City Comets managed to produce five all-Northeast Iowa Conference golfers at Monday’s NEIC Meet at Hickory Grove Golf Course.

It was the largest representation of all seven teams.

But out of the three golfers who shot 18-hole scores in the 70s, Decorah had two of them which in part enabled the Vikings to claim the title with a 331 team score.

Tom Knoke shot a medalist 77, 1 stroke ahead of Viking teammate and runner-up Jay Fjelstul, who was among the golfers advancing the to Class 3A District round from last Friday’s sectional at Cedar Ridge Golf Course.

The Comets placed second with a team score of 341 — 3 strokes ahead of New Hampton, who won the NEIC meet last year.

The five Comets earning all-conference honors by way of finishing among the top 15 individuals included Carter Klatt and Jackson Molstead, who tied for fifth with Waukon’s Logan Houg and Waverly-Shell Rock’s Bryson Hervol — another district qualifier — with scores of 84; Colton Slinger, who placed 10th with an 86; Theo Arndt, who earned back-to-back all-conference honors with an 87, which tied him for 11th with Decorah’s Jarod Redenius; and Jackson Friederich, who finished in a three-way tie for 13th with Waverly-Shell Rock’s Dawson Bathke and Peyton Hallman, with scores of 88.

The Comets’ sixth man was senior Noah Schlader, who shot a 92.

With the exception of Fjelstul and Hervol, and New Hampton’s team that won its Class 2A Sectional last week, the NEIC Meet closed the high school season for the other participants.

“We had a pretty good season considering we didn’t get out much,” Charles City head coach Dave Williams said. “We were undefeated until sectionals, where we didn’t shoot as well as we would have liked.”

Of Charles City’s aforementioned five all-conference golfers, three are graduating — Arndt, Friedrich and Klatt.

Molstead — a two-time all-conference golfer, and Slinger, who was a medalist this season, will be back.

“We also have some other guys coming back like Carter Johanningmeier, Atticus Parrott … Skylar Houdek,” Williams said. “We still have a good core. I just hope they get out and play a little golf this summer.”

Northeast Iowa Conference Meet

May 14

AT HICKORY GROVE GOLF COURSE

DECORAH (331)

Tom Knoke 77, Jay Fjelstul 78, Jerod Redenius 87, Jared Holthaus 89

CHARLES CITY (341)

Carter Klatt 84, Jackson Molstead 84, Theo Arndt 87, Colton Slinger 86, Jackson Friedrich 88, Noah Schlader 92

NEW HAMPTON (344)

Aiden Zwanziger 79, Ryan Anderson 85, Hunter Pesek 89, Wyatt Stochl 91

WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK (351)

Bryson Hervol 84, Dawson Bathke 88, Peyton Hallman 88, Ethan Reichert 91

WAUKON (361)

Logan Houg 84, Michael Headington 89, Aidan Johns 89, Sean Liddiard 99

OELWEIN (386)

Jacob Mahloch 81, Hunter Penhollow 99, Adam Deaner 101, Moxon Horkheimer 105

CRESTWOOD (409)

Riley Foote 91, Harry Kitchen 101, Reece Meinecke 107, Dalton Scheidel 110

All-Conference

1. Tom Knock 77 (D)

2. Jay Fjelstul 78 (D)

3. Aiden Zwanziger 79 (NH)

4. Jacob Mahloch 81 (O)

5. Carter Klatt 84 (CC)

5. Jackson Molstead 84 (CC)

5. Logan Houg 84 (W)

5. Bryson Hervol 84 (WSR)

9. Ryan Anderson 85 (NH)

10. Colton Slinger 86 (CC)

11. Theo Arndt 87 (CC)

11. Jarod Redenius 87 (D)

13. Jackson Frederich 88 (CC)

13. Dawson Bathke 88 (WSR)

13. Peyton Hallman 88 (WSR)