Golfers beat Triad and Roxana, move to 9-4
BY AARON OTTIS
SPORTS EDITOR
JERSEYVILLE – With the Mississippi Valley Conference golf meet right around the corner, the Panthers are getting hot on the links.

Jersey posted a score of 158 to beat conference foe Triad by two strokes at Westlake Country Club on Monday, marking the second time in three meetings the Panthers have beaten the Knights.

Jersey coach Greg Church said the conference is closely matched this year, and he expects the Panthers to be in the hunt for the championship.

“It looks like we are peaking at the right time of the year,” Church said. “Some of our guys that have struggled in recent weeks are getting back on course, and our other kids are stepping up. We are going to be competitive at the MVC meet.”

Top honors went to Triad’s Jimmy Konsky with his 36, but Bradley Davis and Kyle Wilson each carded a 38 to push Jersey past the visiting teams. Konsky was the only visiting player to crack into the 30s, while Josh Steckel and Andrew Maul shot 41s to seal the win.

“That is one of my better scores this year at Westlake,” Davis said. “My wedges were cooperating. My putting wasn’t great, but it was a good day overall. Mr. Church told me I needed to slow my swing down, and I have finally figured out my irons. That little tip has helped me quite a bit.”

Wilson, who has struggled a little in the past few weeks, was happy to see that adjustments to his short game are making a positive difference.

“Last week, with all the away meets…my game was just going down the drain,” Wilson said. “I finally started to figure out what was happening. I started looking at my swing patterns, and I was getting my hands to where I wanted them. It has started to come together this week. With my putting, I was crushing the ball last week. It would go eight feet past the hole. Now I’m putting things within two feet, and those a just a lot easier to make.”

Andrew Maul played some of his best golf of the season last week, with quality showings at Orchards in Belleville and The Links in Jacksonville. Maul turned in a 3-over par 38 to win at Belleville. Wilson was right behind him with a 39, and Jersey took the meet by two strokes over Mascoutah.

Maul tied Jacksonville’s Taylor Kirchhofer for the top position at Jacksonville with his 37.

“I’m playing with confidence right now,” Maul said. “I feel like I’m hitting my driver pretty well, and I was able to hit some fairways.”

The Panthers are now 9-4, and will travel to Alton Marquette on Thursday. The MVC meet is slated to October 2.

Bradley Davis reacts after missing a close putt on the No. 4 green at Westlake.
Aaron Ottis/JCStar.com