Eagles’ golfers continue to shine

It’s a crazy time of year for high school golfers. There are multiple events each week. Balancing school with tee times becomes an immense challenge. But Sauk Prairie’s boys golfers are more than holding their own. The Eagles competed in four meets last week, highlighted by a first place finish at the Portage Invite on May 3, a second place showing at the Nekoosa Invite on May 1 and a third place finish at the River Valley Invite last Saturday. Here’s a rundown of the Eagles’ hectic week.   WILD ROCK CUP Sauk Prairie took part in a Ryder Cup style event at Wilderness Golf Course in Wisconsin Dells. No individual scores were kept.   NEKOOSA INVITE The Eagles finished second with a team score of 337.  Garret Mittelstaedt and Gavin Falde led the way with 82s, while Colin Harrington shot an 84 and Gavin Goetsch carded an 89. “It was a challenging course with very windy conditions, but the guys hung in there well,” Sauk Prairie coach Shane Frey said. “This is one of the tightest courses we will play all year.   “There is out-of-bounds left and right on almost every hole, so I am really proud of how they hung in there and battled.”   PORTAGE INVITE The Eagles won this 13-team meet with a team score of 330. DeForest’s varsity reserve team was second at 335, while Mount Horeb was third at 337. “It was an absolutely perfect day for the Portage Invite,” Frey said. “The course was in great shape and we didn’t have to play in gale force winds for once. Overall, we had a pretty good day.” Garret Mittelstaedt and Gavin Goetsch led the Eagles with 79s. “Garret Mittelstaedt and Gavin Goetsch played very solid and consistent golf,” Frey said. “What I really liked about their scorecards was the number of pars and bogeys they had.  “We always talk about the importance of keeping the big numbers off the card. We know how difficult the game can be, but keeping the double- and triple-bogeys off the card is really important to putting up a score that we know we are capable of having.”  Graysen Dunn added an 85, while both Colin Harrington and Gavin Falde shot an 87. “All of the guys hit it well and gave themselves chances to make birdies during the round,” Frey said. “We are still making decisions that at times put the big numbers in play. That is something I really want to emphasize as we make a run at a conference title and get ready for the WIAA tournament series.”   RIVER VALLEY INVITE The Eagles finished second in Division 1 and third overall at the 15-team field with a score of 344 in an event held at The House on the Rock Resort. Platteville won the Division 1 title with a 339, while Mineral Point won the overall title with a 326.   “The House on the Rock Resort is another course that will test a golfer both mentally and physically,” Frey said. “We love having the opportunity to play such a beautiful course. This was our fourth event in the last six days, so the guys were really exhausted, but hung in there nicely.” Gavin Goetsch led Sauk Prairie with an 83, while Garret Mittelstaedt fired an 86. Graysen Dunn shot an 87 and Colin Harrington added an 88. “Our team score of 344 is higher than what we hoped for, but again it was a grind of a week and this course is one that needs your full attention,” Frey said. “Gavin Goetsch has a very good round of 83. He is playing really solid golf right now and I am excited to see what the next couple of weeks will bring for him.   “His round really highlighted the importance of a good short game. He had some shots that got away from him, but chipped in three times to save some strokes.”