Hawks get past sectionals; play at Pella Monday

WAPELLO — The score might not have been what the Central Lee boys golf team wanted, but it was good enough to get the Hawks one step closer to their goal of getting to the state meet.
Central Lee finished third in Wednesday’s Class 2A sectional meet at Heritage Oaks Golf & Country Club, sending the Hawks to Monday’s district tournament in Pella.
The Hawks had a 327 team score. Albia won the tournament with a 321, while Mediapolis was second at 322.
“There's some players that are a little disappointed in how they shot, but overall, our goal was to advance, and that's what we did,” Central Lee coach Mike Ungerer said.
“We have never made it past sectionals in my high school career, but we were confident going into today,” said junior Caleb Larson, who finished second in the individual standings with a 75. “We didn't score how we wanted, but we made it, and we're feeling good.”
It’s been a dominating season for the Hawks, who swept their dual schedule and won five tournament titles. They were coming off a season-best 292 team score in the tournament they hosted on Saturday, and they came into the sectional tournament ranked second in Class 2A in 18-hole average at 308.2 and fourth in 18-hole adjusted average at 321.24. 
“I think they're competitive,” Ungerer said. “They challenge each other. It’s not always one player — the medalists are different all the time.”
Three Hawks finished in the top 11. Carson Morrison shot an 83 to finish 10th, and Carter Jones had an 84 for 11th.

“I feel like it's our depth,” Larson said. “Maybe one or two people don’t have the best day, but everyone else stepped up. Just like today, we went out there, guys did what they needed to do, and we got third.”
Larson finished a shot behind tournament medalist Cael Schofield of Albia.
“Everything felt like it was going the right way,” Larson said. “I felt like I was chipping really well around the greens. I felt like my short game kind of kept me in it, but my driver wasn't too bad, either.”
“I thought he was really good today,” Ungerer said.
Heritage Oaks is a familiar course for the Hawks.
“That’s been a big help,” Larson said. “Knowing where to hit, how to navigate the course, knowing where to miss, where not to miss. That course knowledge helps a lot.”
Now they play at Bos Landen Golf Course on Monday with a chance to advance to state.
“We’re going to need to play great,” Larson said. “We have to be confident, and hold each other accountable. We know what we need to focus on in practice, and we’ll be ready.”