MOUNT VERNON — Not many high school athletes get to be four-time conference champions.
Dallas Cornett joined this elite class Saturday.
The Centerburg senior helped lead his team to a fourth straight Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference title, outlasting Fredericktown and four other area teams on a hot, competitive morning at Vernon View Golf Course in Mount Vernon.
The Trojans fired a team score of 305, setting a school record in the third and final KMAC tournament of the season. Their lead golfer, sophomore Bennett Hill, tied the individual school record at 67 strokes.
Cornett, the team’s lone senior, was at a loss for words after the match. This was the year he thought Centerburg might surrender the crown.
The Trojans are made up almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores (Drew Meyers is the only junior on the team), and after years of junior- and senior-driven success, this year’s team would need to rely on its underclassmen to continue the streak.
But the group stepped up and got it done. Cornett, a lynchpin to the program’s success over the last four years, said he was proud the team could repeat.
“It’s been really great. My first three years of high school, I had all my upperclassmen. (We) graduated six or seven boys last year. So coming into this season, I really thought we were going to have a rough time keeping up with the other KMAC teams,” Cornett explained.
Three of Centerburg’s top five golfers last season were seniors.
“But a lot of the freshmen that came up … have been really good for the team,” Cornett continued. “Because we came in here thinking we might be struggling, but now we’re breaking records and putting up really good scores, and it’s been great.”
Hill’s five-under-par, medalist performance Saturday was accompanied by strong showings from the rest of Centerburg’s varsity squad. Freshman Nick Meyers fired a 78, while Cornett and sophomore Josh Hackett each registered 80s.
Junior Drew Meyers fired a 81 and freshman Lance Martindale fired a 86 to round out the scoring six.
“On Saturday, it all just came together – you know, Bennett with his extremely low round, then everyone else was playing pretty consistently,” Cornett said. “It was a great day.”
1. Bennett Hill, Centerburg – 67
2. Ian Muka, Fredericktown – 71
3. Cayden Statzer, Fredericktown – 72
4. Steven Street, Mount Gilead – 77
t-5. Dylan Reed, East Knox – 78
t-5. Ashton Priest, East Knox – 78
t-5. Nick Meyers, Centerburg – 78
8. Will Streby, Fredericktown – 79
t-9. Josh Hackett, Centerburg – 80
t-9. Dallas Cornett, Centerburg – 80
11. Drew Meyers, Centerburg – 81
12. Grant Bentley, Northmor – 83
t-13. Aidric Bocock, East Knox – 86
t-13. Lance Martindale, Centerburg – 86
15. Robbie Streby, Fredericktown – 92
Centerburg needed a historic performance to clinch the conference title Saturday.
The Trojans finished just nine strokes ahead of Fredericktown, which fired a season-low 314. Senior Ian Muka led the Freddies with a one-under-par 71, finishing second to Bennett overall.
Sophomore Cayden Statzer fired an even-par 72, placing third overall and recording the best score of his career by at least eight strokes, according to head coach Fred Main.
Junior Will Streby fired a 79, while freshman Robbie Streby registered a 92. Freshman Cooper Lowe (95) and senior Tristen Werner (108) rounded out the scoring six for Fredericktown.
“(The team score of) 314 is probably the lowest score we’ve had as a school in probably 17, 18 years. So I’m tickled pink right now,” Main said afterwards.
“The scores were incredible, to shoot that. Cayden Statzer’s 72 is phenomenal. I mean, he’s been working at it, been grinding, and for him to finally break through that ceiling – I mean, this is his first round ever under 80. And to shoot 72 out there today is just … I’m beyond words for that.
“Ian had another great round. He’s been really leading this team all year long with his play and being a great senior leader, and coming out and shooting 71 again today was just great.
“Will struggled a little bit at times, but he still posted a decent score. (He) was able to keep the ship righted (at 79). I’m just tickled pink today.”
East Knox finished third Saturday, 32 strokes behind Centerburg at 337. Northmor finished fourth at 391, while Cardington placed fifth at 438.
Two golfers competed for Mount Gilead, but the Indians did not record a team score, as four are required to do so.
1. Centerburg – 305 strokes
2. Fredericktown – 314 strokes
3. East Knox – 337 strokes
4. Northmor – 391 strokes
5. Cardington – 438 strokes
Fredericktown gave Centerburg all it could handle Saturday. But in the end, it was the Trojans’ trademark depth that pushed them ahead.
All six of Centerburg’s varsity golfers placed in the top 15 overall. None shot above an 86. Fredericktown, meanwhile, featured four golfers in the top 15, with three of the six shooting a 92 or higher.
Depth has been the key to Centerburg’s dominance over the last four years. The Trojans have simply been better, top to bottom, than the rest of the teams in the league.
Head coach Nate Altizer attributed this to the district’s middle school program.
“It’s nice having our little middle school feeder program. The kids come up, they’re prepared,” Altizer said.
“The depth of our team’s been our strength for the past several years now, and like I said, I think it’s gonna continue. … I have one senior this year, I have one junior. So we’re actually a really young team, so I’m hoping we can keep this going for another couple years.”
Cornett said cultural factors have also contributed to Centerburg’s success over the years.
“Centerburg in general has a lot of golf courses for how small of (a community) we are. On top of that, we do allow home-schoolers to come in, and that’s been big. Half of our team this year is home-schooled. And then (we have) a great coach; Mr. A is the GOAT,” the senior said with a smile.
“And then we just come out every day and play a lot of golf. Practice makes perfect.”
1. Centerburg – 24 points
2. Fredericktown – 14 points
3. East Knox – 13 points
4. Northmor – 9 points
5. Cardington – 4 points
6. Mount Gilead – 0 points
**Thursday marks the final day of KMAC competition. Sectionals will begin next Monday.
Centerburg won all three KMAC tournaments this fall, just like it did last season. The Trojans beat Fredericktown by 10 strokes on Aug. 10 and 23 strokes on Aug. 31 before completing the sweep with a nine-stroke victory Saturday.
The victory clinched Centerburg’s fourth straight regular season title. The Trojans currently lead the KMAC with 24 regular season points, ahead of Fredericktown’s 14 and East Knox’s 13.
The regular season ends Thursday, with the sectional tournament set to begin next Monday.
“I was proud of them,” Altizer said of his Trojans. “Losing all the seniors I had last year, (it was) kind of a new crew this year, coming in.
“I’m happy for Dallas, this was his fourth year in a row winning a conference championship. I don’t think we’ve had anybody at our school do that, so I was glad we were able to do that for him – or the kids were able to do that for him, I didn’t do much of it. But it was a good day, it was a good year.”
Centerburg beat Fredericktown again on Monday at Wyandot Golf Course. If the Trojans defeat Cardington on Wednesday at Kings Mill Golf Course, they will finish the regular season undefeated.
“We still have a goal in our mind. …” Altizer said with a smile. “Now our goal is to try to finish undefeated for the year and start looking forward to the sectional tournament.”
Both Centerburg and Fredericktown saw breakout performances on Saturday, just nine days before the start of the postseason.
Hill shot a career-best 67 – one stroke away from a school record – after firing a 74 in the first KMAC tournament and a 76 in the second. The sophomore said an error-free performance led to his low score.
“I didn’t have any three-putts, so that was good, and my irons were pretty good, too,” Hill said. “And I kept my driver under control, and that was (important).”
Altizer said Saturday’s performance felt like a fitting finish to a breakout regular season from the sophomore.
“He stepped up big this year. I think last year, as a freshman, he didn’t play in the No. 1 spot, even though he was probably score-wise the best player on the team. This year, he kind of took ownership of the No. 1 spot and he’s earned it. He’s played well. …” Altizer said of Hill.
“He knew this was a big one today and he stepped up and played well.”
Muka shot a 71 on Saturday after firing a 72 and an 80 in the first two conference tournaments, respectively.
“I was shooting for around even or under par, but I’m happy with one-under par. Obviously, I had a few holes that I didn’t take advantage of, but I’m happy with one-under. …” said the senior, whose career-low at Vernon View is a 68.
“When I come play this course, I know it like the back of my hand,” he continued. “The greens were a lot quicker than what I’m normally used to, so I kind of had to get used to that early on, and I started with a double-bogey on this whole right here, which that sucks. But I came back and I had three birdies.”
Main said Muka’s performance was one of several that stood out for Fredericktown on Saturday. The Freddies have come a long way in the last two months, Main said, particularly when it comes to approach shots.Â
“Our biggest improvement has been our iron play. I think overall, Cayden especially today really showed it, but everybody’s iron play’s been so much better,” Main said.
“They’re hitting some greens now, instead of having a few not-so-good shots, and giving themselves chances for par. And that’s what you’ve gotta do up here, you know? You can hit it hard and far (off the tee), but that second shot is crucial to scoring. If you’re not putting it on the green, you’re not putting it close, you can’t do that.
“You saw today. Ian’s iron game has been phenomenal all year, and he came through again. Cayden’s really came through. Everybody’s starting to pick that up a little bit and understanding that that second shot’s crucial to good scores.”
Both Hill and Muka noted the low scores across the board Saturday at Vernon View. They believe the showing will lead to an increase in confidence from the KMAC’s golfers heading into postseason play.
“It definitely boosts your confidence,” said Hill, before smiling and adding a qualifier. “I mean, I don’t know if it’s good or bad because … I can’t go (lower) than that.”
“I think it’s gonna help everyone play better,” Muka added, “especially because we had Cayden, our three-man, he shot even par today and I think that’s his best round of all-time by at least 10 strokes. … That’s crazy. But we just get Will back on-board with the low-70s and we’re looking good.”
While Centerburg edged Fredericktown for the conference title once again this year, Main believes the rivalry benefits both schools. He believes the competition will help the Freddies and Trojans once they enter postseason play next week.
“You’ve gotta play good competition to get better, and they’re always great competition,” the Fredericktown head coach said. “They’re always pushing us to get better. I mean, we’ve come down so much this year, just trying to beat them. We thought we had a chance at ’em today; they come through, Bennett plays the round of the season for everybody, and they’re just so deep.
“It really pushes you to make yourself better, knowing we’ve got them (to compete with). It’s definitely going to help us next week at sectionals because we’re moving up to D-II, and we’re gonna have a lot of guys that are as good as Centerburg out there.
“We know we’ve gotta bring our game the next tournament. Hopefully this is kind of a good sign for things to come.”
