FORT SCOTT — Redemption, indeed, was sweet for Iola High’s Xander Sellman.
The sophomore golfer carded 10th place Monday at the Class 4A Regional at Woodland Hills Golf Course in Fort Scott, thus punching his ticket to next week’s state tournament in Newton.
The state bid comes a year after Sellman missed out on a state bid by a single stroke.
“I was mad at myself after last year and I knew if I could play a good round today and limit my mistakes I had a good chance,” he said. 
Alas, Sellman’s joy came on a bittersweet day because the other half of Iola’s dynamic duo, fellow sophomore Chris Holloway — who qualified last year as a freshman — wound up one shot short of a repeat bid.
After struggling through the first nine holes, Holloway rebounded brilliantly on the back nine, and came up on the 18th hole, needing a par to qualify.
“He hit a great drive, putting himself in position to do just that,” Iola golf coach Jeremy Sellman said.
But Holloway’s second shot was wide of the green, landing in a nearby bunker.
“I think his nerves got to him on that shot,” Coach Sellman said. “His bunker lie was terrible, as the ball plugged making it almost impossible to get a good strike on the ball. Chris and I walked up there hoping for a good break, but he just didn’t get it.”
Holloway hit a nice recovery, and a brilliant chip shot to get close to the hole, but his subsequent putt carded him a bogey to end the day in a tie for 13th with an 89.
“That was a tough one to watch, for sure,” Sellman said. “I was heartbroken for him.”
GOING TO regionals for their first time were sophomore Titus Jones and freshman Ethan Harris.
Jones shot 118.
“Titus was disappointed in his round today,” Sellman said. “He left a lot of opportunities on the course that he didn’t capitalize on, but for his first year in competitive golf I was really impressed with his performance. Titus is a grinder and works hard so today will only be used to improve. He struggled today finding fairways and when you’re out of position, it’s hard to shoot low numbers. Tough pin placements really took a toll on him and left him frustrated with his putting today.”
Harris posted a 136 to cap his first year in golf.
“Going to regionals in his first year is a great learning experience,” Sellman said. “His hard work and great attitude put him in that position. Ethan is a great kid, he’s always wanting to learn and get better and he was a great addition on the team. I was impressed with his attitude today. It was a big moment with lots of pressure and a tough course and he put his nose down and gritted out a good score for him.”
XANDER Sellman was adept at limiting mistakes and making good shot selections, noted Coach Sellman — who also is Xander’s father.
