Fresh off winning a pair of gold medals a day earlier with the Iola Middle School track team, eighth-grader Reed Clift capped an eventful day on the golf course with a third-place medal Wednesday.
Clift carded a 44 on a blustery afternoon at the Allen County Country Club to finish in a tie for third with Santa Fe Trail’s Ryker French.
That came a day after Reed secured gold medals in the shot put and as a member of the IMS 4×200-meter relay team, and a third-place medal on the 4×100-relay squad.
Golfers contended with a steady north wind for the duration of the tournament, with Santa Fe Trail’s Brody Buessing shooting a 42 for the lowest score of the nine-hole tournament. Royster’s Bo Smail took second at 43.
Iola’s other golfers were Isaiah Geisler, who shot a 59; Cole Hines, 64; Jeep Harper and Maddux Franklin, both with a 68; and Cruz Ross with a 71.
Iola had two girls on the course as well. Blayke Folk and Lili Jerome each shot a 72. As an aside, both girls also fared well on the Mustang track team. Folk won the seventh-grade girls 1600-meter run and took fourth in the 100-meter hurdles.
Jerome placed fourth in the seventh-grade girls 800-meter run and sixth in the long jump.
The team scores came down to the wire as well. Royster and Santa Fe Trail both had three golfers shoot 45 or better, with Royster winning the team gold by a single stroke, 183 to Santa Fe Trail’s 184. Independence was third at 208; Coffeyville fourth at 224, Anderson County fifth at 228; Pittsburg sixth at 232 and Iola seventh at 235.
Team schools, represented by 71 golfers, were a part of the competition.
