By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights junior Alex Valdivia added the city individual title to the United Kansas Conference championship he won earlier in the spring Monday at Topeka Country Club while Washburn Rural continued to pile up city team titles, posting its 12th straight championship by a 38-stroke margin over Seaman.
City champion Alex Valdivia, a Shawnee Heights junior, watches a shot in Monday's city tournament at Topeka Country Club. Valdivia posted a two-stroke victory with a 27-hole score of 116. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Valdivia, who had been 12 strokes off the winning pace en route to a sixth-place finish as a sophomore, posted a 27-hole score of 116 to take medalist honors by two strokes over 2021 city champion Luke Leonetti, a Washburn Rural senior.
Valdivia earlier had posted a four-stroke individual win in the UKC tournament with a 69 and said doubling up in the city meet was a goal.
"I think I was more focused on league and regionals, but city I was definitely wanting to win it,'' Valdivia said.
And being a city champ become more of a goal after his win in the UKC meet on April 11.
"First I was just thinking about league and then I realized we had the city tournament coming up and that was definitely a goal of mine.''
Valdivia had his ups and downs over the 27 holes, but used a couple of late up and downs for par to hold off Leonetti.
"I was kind of playing perfect my first nine, I just made a couple of mistakes, and then my second front nine I played pretty much perfect until my last hole and I had some trouble starting the back nine,'' Valdivia said. "I had a double the first hole and then (No. 15) that par 5 I had a triple.
:"I was kind of bounced back a little bit and was able to make some pars and kind of keep it decent.''
Senior Luke Leonetti finished second in Monday's city golf tournament,, helping lead Washburn Rural to its 12th straight city team title. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn Rural golf won its 12th straight city team championship Monday, posting a 38-stroke victory over Seaman. [Submitted]
Leonetti led a 2-3-4 finish by Washburn Rural, with seniors Giles Frederickson (120) and Joe Morse (121) finishing third and fourth. Seaman senior Gavin Wilhelm and Rural senior Turner Depperschmidt tied for fifth at 124.
Washburn Rural didn't have one of its best days, tying for fourth in the 23-school Topeka West Invitational held in conjunction with the city meet, but Rural coach Jared Goehring said the Junior Blues achieved their primary goal of winning the city title.
"The bottom line is we accomplished a goal by being city champions,'' Goehring said. "I know we had a couple of individuals fall just short of their individual goal, but I know they would take a team win over an individual win any day of the week.''
Shawnee Mission East won the Topeka West Invitational with a 323 four-man score while Olathe Northwest's Drake Krumme, a senior, took medalist honors with a 76.
Shawnee Heights' Aiden Jones was part of a four-player tie for fifth with a 78, along Leonetti and Valdivia.
CITY GOLF TOURNAMENT Team scores
Washburn Rural 480, Seaman 518, Shawnee Heights 530, Hayden 581.
Individual results
(27 holes)
1. Valdivia, Shawnee Heights, 116; 2. Leonetti, Washburn Rural, 118; 3 Frederickson, Washburn Rural, 120; 4. Morse, Washburn Rural, 121; 5. (tie) Wilhelm, Seaman, and Depperschmidt, Washburn Rural, 124; 7. Alonzo, Topeka West, 125; 8. Jones, Shawnee Heights, 128; 9. Weir, Seaman, 130; 10. Burdett, Washburn Rural, 132.
Other Washburn Rural -- Armstrong, 136.
Other Seaman -- Biggs, 134; Tenpenny, 135; Moss, 137; Williamson, 146.
Other Shawnee Heights -- Hohman, 143; Zerger, 145; Lincoln, 147; Crawford, 156.
Hayden -- Alfornsi, 142; Rockers, 143; Haverkamp, 146; Gorman, 153; Foster, 155; Rodriguez, 165.
Other Topeka West -- Schimmel, 180.
Topeka High -- Evenson, 169.
TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL
Team scores
Shawnee Mission East 323, Olathe Northwest 324, Manhattan 333, Blue Valley Northwest 336, Washburn Rural 336; Emporia 337, Shawnee Mission Northwest 337, Blue Valley West 342; Eisenhower 343; Shawnee Heights 345, Blue Valley North 346, Seaman 346, Free State 355, Dodge City 364; Lawrence 371, Blue Valley 377, Hayden 382, Olathe North 384; Salina South 395; Junction City 400.
Individual results
1. Krumme, Olathe Northwest, 76; 2. (tie) Shelton, Shawnee Mission East; Randall, Free State, Schotland, Shawnee Mission Northwest, 77; 5. (tie) Jones, Shawnee Heights; Leonetti, Washburn Rural; Matteoni, Blue Valley Northwest, and Valdivia, Shawnee Heights, 78; 9. Sauder, Emporia, 79; 10. (tie) Spencer, Shawnee Mission East; Braxmeyer, Manhattan, and Newkirk, Shawnee Mission Northwest, 80.
