The Wright City boys golf team may have left the Eastern Missouri Conference Tournament on April 28 without any all-conference honors, but there was still plenty for the Wildcats to celebrate.
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The Wright City boys golf team may have left the Eastern Missouri Conference Tournament on April 28 without any all-conference honors, but there was still plenty for the Wildcats to celebrate.
The team posted a fifth-place finish with a score of 465. Sophomore Jonathan Windmann led the way, placing 16th with a score of 113. Close behind him was Dustyn Bailey, finishing 17th with a 114. Kye Schnarre and Aiden Taylor each carded 119, while AJ Wilber rounded out with a 138.
Windmann nearly earned a second team all-conference nod as he entered an unknown playoff hole tied for 15th. Despite narrowly missing out, coach Stephen McClain was encouraged by the sophomore’s performance and potential.
“He was hitting some perfectly good shots. I’m looking forward to watching him at districts and next season,” McClain said.
One of the most uplifting moments of the day came from Taylor, who set a season-low for shots on the nine hole average after shooting a 66 on the front nine and a 53 on the back nine.
“They gave him a round of applause because he’s had a tough season and he really shined today,” McClain said. “I haven’t seen that type of excitement out of him and the other players being receptive to him and excited for him was a big moment from today.”
McClain also highlighted Schnarre’s resilience on the course, particularly in tough moments.
“He had some incredibly unlucky bounces, but then the next hole, he would play great,” McClain said. “He deserves a lot of credit for being able to power through.”
While the coach admitted the team didn’t quite rise to the challenge as much as he had hoped, he saw it as a step forward compared to other seasons.
“Obviously, it’s a tough course but they didn’t rise up to it as much as I thought,” he said. “But the morale was that everybody seemed to be in good spirits towards the end.”
Playing on the 18-hole course at Innsbrook was not just a test for conference — it was preparation. The Wildcats will return there on May 12 for the district tournament. McClain believes the experience could prove valuable.
“I think it gives them an advantage for districts and the fact that we get to play the course a second time against some better competition will really set them up for districts,” McClain said. “I’m really optimistic for districts. There’s some good golfers out there, but I think we can hang with them.”
