Price leads Newton boys at tough Oskaloosa Invitational

OSKALOOSA — The Newton boys golf team competed in an Oskaloosa Invitational on Tuesday that featured one of the best teams in Class 2A and 3A and two of the best individuals in those classes, too.

The 15-team field also included plenty of other teams ranked in the top 20 of their class and the end result was a ninth-place finish for the Cardinals at the par 70 Edmundson Golf Course.

Led by Jackson Price in the top 10, Newton shot a 340. That was three strokes back of Winterset (337), two strokes behind Grinnell (338) and four strokes clear of Sigourney (344).

“Today was a great test. There were 15 teams there and a lot of them were solid teams,” Newton head boys golf coach Pat Riley said. “I thought our guys battled through some adversity after their first nine holes and really stayed focused and tried to post a good score.”

Price’s 76 led the Cardinals and placed him seventh overall. He had identical 38 splits, and his round included 10 pars and birdies on the No. 5 and No. 18.

Kinnick Pritchard had splits of 43 and 39 for his 82. The other counting score was 91, which was turned in by both Peyton Rozendaal and Grant Osby. They had opposite splits of 47-44 and 44-47, respectively.

The Cardinals’ two non-counting scores came from Lincoln Peterson (96) and Ethan Pageler (99).

“The individual state champ from last year was there so it was a great day to see where we stand,” Riley said. “I keep telling them that they have to find a way to score even when they do not have their best stuff. We are getting closer but are not quite there yet.”

The defending 3A state champion is Washington’s Roman Roth. He was the runner-up medalist on Tuesday with a 1-over-par 71. Pella Christian’s Eliot Menninga, who is one of the best golfers in 2A, was the meet medalist with an even par 70.

Washington was the meet champion with a 304. The Demons placed three golfers in the top 10 and four in the first 15. They came into the day with the third best team average in 3A.

Host Oskaloosa was the runner-up with a 315. That was three strokes better than Pella Christian, which came into the day with the second-best average in 2A.

The rest of the top five featured Nevada (326) and Pella (328). Williamsburg (328), Winterset (337), Grinnell (338), Newton (340) and Sigourney (344) completed the top 10.

“Today was the start of a two-week stretch where we have to figure ourselves out and be firing on all cylinders right before sectionals and districts,” Riley said. “We have some players who are on the verge of turning a page. If we can get there over the next couple weeks, I like where we stand.”

Notes: Assignments for sectionals and districts were released on Wednesday. Newton heads back to Edmundson Golf Course for sectionals at 10 a.m. on May 8. The Cardinals will be joined by Centerville, Chariton, Davis County, Grinnell, Pella, Williamsburg and host Oskaloosa. The district tournament is at Stone Creek Golf Course at 10 a.m. on May 13 in Williamsburg. ... Riley sunk a hole-in-one on the No. 3 hole at Westwood Golf Course on Sunday.