G-E-T wins one event in Schmidt’s return

The Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau golf team won one of three events last week among Coulee Conference teams, thanks in part to an accomplished player returning from injury.

Sawyer Schmidt, the 2019 Coulee Conference Medalist, made his season debut after recovering from an injury sustained during spring football. His score finishing three strokes behind the medalist on Saturday led G-E-T to the top team score at Drugan’s Castle Mound. Both the Red Hawks and Arcadia Raiders were in the top three of each event last week, a schedule that also included events at Coulee Golf Bowl and Ettrick Golf Club.

Entering Wednesday’s conference tournament at Trempealeau Mountain, the Raiders trail Black River Falls by nine points in the conference standings. Arcadia would need to win the tournament outright, while having BRF finish fourth or worse to overtake the current 79-70 point differential. G-E-T is currently in third in the conference with 61 points, followed by West Salem’s 48, Onalaska Luther’s 38 and Westby-Viroqua’s 28 points.

CC at Luther

Black River Falls bested Arcadia by four strokes with a team score of 173 last Monday at Coulee Golf Bowl, led by event medalist Mike Antonelli’s score of 39.

Arcadia’s 177 team strokes were led by Chandler Sonsalla’s 40, followed by Cole Sobotta’s 44, Sid Halvorsen’s 46, Carter Pronschinske’s 47, Dustin Klonecki’s 48 and Jose Corona’s 51.

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau came in eight strokes behind the Raiders with a team score of 185, led by Mason Truax and Caleb Lightfoot each with scores of 45. Schmidt made his season debut with a score of 47, followed by scores of 48 from Lance Jumbeck and Christopher Wagner, as well as a 51 from Justin Gappa to round out the scores for the Red Hawks.

Coming in fourth through sixth were Onalaska Luther’s team score of 197, West Salem’s 206 and Westby-Viroqua’s 222.

CC at G-E-T

BRF again took the top score of 175 on Thursday at Ettrick, as the Red Hawks and Raiders each came within seven strokes of the lead.

Antonelli took medalist for the Tigers with a score of 38, edging past Truax and Schmidt of G-E-T, who each tallied scores of 41.

The Red Hawks tallied 180 team strokes, with Jumbeck’s 47, Gappa’s 51 and Lightfoot and Wagner’s scores of 52 rounding out their effort.

Arcadia came in two strokes behind the Red Hawks with a score of 182, led by Sonsalla’s score of 43. Sobotta and Klonecki each tallied 45’s, with Pronschinske’s 49, Halvorsen’s 50 and Joey Theis’ 55 rounding out the Raiders scores.

West Salem came in with 200 team strokes for fourth, followed by Luther’s 215 and W-V with 224.

NC at Drugan’s

Schmidt quickly found his groove by the third event of the week, leading the Red Hawks with a score of 82 that came in just shy of Antonelli’s medalist score of 79. Following him in the leading team score of 346 were scores including Lightfoot’s 87, Jumbeck’s 88, Truax’s 89 and Wagner’s 95.

The Raiders finished with 353 strokes to take second, led by Sobotta’s 80, Sonsalla’s 85, Theis’ 93 and Corona and Halvorsen each with 95.

Rounding out the field in the nonconference event were the team scores of 393 from Osseo-Fairchild, 396 from Altoona, 397 from Cochrane-Fountain City and 409 from West Salem.

Independence also fielded a team of four individual competitors, including Gabe Rombalski’s score of 87, Johnny Rorkos; 127 Alex Pfaff’s 130 and Hunter Tulius’ 168.

BRF and La Crosse also sent teams of three, which did not qualify for team scores toward the event standings.