The 2019 Nebraska Boys High School Golf Season had a rocky start for a second straight year, but this time it was a combination of snow and flooding that delayed the start of the season. The large amount of snow this winter left many courses late to open, waiting for the snow to melt and the course to dry out. While others faced flooding, some saw minor effects, others were devastated. In fact, the Class B Championship site, Quail Run Golf Course in Columbus, was one that was devastated, and the championship had to be moved across town to Elks Country Club. The weather eventually came around and courses dried out, and despite not having much time to practice outdoors, the boys have been in full swing.

The NSAA District Tournaments will take place on May 13 & 14 at 18 sites across Nebraska. Up for grabs are spots in the NSAA State Championships at Norfolk Country Club (Class A), Elks Country Club in Columbus (Class B), Meadowlark Hills Golf Course in Kearney (Class C) and Lake Maloney Golf Club in North Platte (Class D). The top three teams from each district earn a trip to the state tournament, along with any individuals finishing in the Top 10. The NSAA State Championships are set for May 21-22. Let's take a look at some of the top contenders for each class.

Class A

The team to beat in Class A is once again Norfolk (@norfolk_golf). The defending champions have the lowest differential heading into districts by a large margin for a second straight season. Class A utilizes differentials to assign teams to districts (see below), in order to even out the competition at each site. Norfolk's differential at the time of district selection was 14.240, well ahead of Lincoln Southwest, which checked in at 27.857, an even larger margin than they had last year.

The Panthers have won five of seven tournaments, and finished runner-up in the other two. Their most impressive performance came against a stacked field at the Capital City Invite at Yankee Hill Country Club in Lincoln. Norfolk won by 15 strokes, the first win at this tournament in the school's history, and took the top three individual places. Senior Luke Kluver, the top player in Class A, set a school record with a round of 64 (-8) to win by a whopping 10 strokes. His younger brother, junior Jake Kluver, was far behind in strokes, but not on the podium, taking second with a 74 (+2). Junior John Canham matched Jake with a 74 (+2) to finish third. The brothers also finished 1-2 at the Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament, leading Norfolk to the win by 18 strokes, in its first year in the conference. Luke won the event on their home course, Norfolk Country Club, with a round of 71 (-1), while Jake finished second at 74 (+2).

Like last year, the only team to beat Norfolk this season is one of those big-city juggernauts, Lincoln Southwest (@lsw_golf). The Silver Hawks have won four of the last 12 Class A team races, including in 2016 at Norfolk Country Club, when the Panthers finished second. Southwest is possibly the deepest team in the state, with all five starters having earned at least one top 10 medal this season.

The Silver Hawks are led by a pair of seniors, Hudson Schulz and Josh Bartels, who were part of the 2018 NGA Fall Junior Series Team Champions. Schulz has played in every state tournament since his freshman year, just missing out on a medal each year, while Bartels played the past two years, finishing T10 last year. The team has had a great spring season, winning four of eight events, dealing Norfolk its only two losses in the process. The Silver Hawks' best showing came at their home invite, where they won by 17 strokes over the Panthers with a team score of 298 (+14). Bartels, a UNO commit, and sophomore Geran Sander posted the best rounds of the day, even-par 71s, with Sander taking first and Bartels second. Bartels and Schulz are both in the top five in Class A Individual Differential, and could contend for the title, but all the Silver Hawks have the potential to earn a medal, including seniors Tanner Rigg and Riley Podliska.

Millard North, which finished runner-up to Norfolk last year, is a very experienced team. The core of seniors Josh Peters, Grant Schweser and Ethan Blair have played together for a long time, having also competed as a team in the NGA Fall Junior Series.

Peters, a two-time Kansas-Nebraska Junior Cup team member and another UNO commit, is third in differential and has medaled at Class A each of the past two years, including a T2 finish last year. The Mustangs are getting hot at the right time, just coming off a win at the Pius X Invite at ArborLinks in Nebraska City. Peters finished second with a round of 70 (-2) and also won recently in a playoff at the Beatrice Invite.

It's always tough to count out Creighton Prep (@juniorjaysgolf), though the Jays are young and not quite as deep as most years. Sophomores Rex Soulliere and Jake Boor are two promising players, ranked No. 10 and 12 in differential, respectively. The Jays won three tournaments early in the season, and are coming off a runner-up finish at the Pius X Invite. Creighton Prep and Millard North are both in the A-4 District Tournament, while Norfolk (A-1), Lincoln Southwest (A-2) and Lincoln Pius X (A-3) are the favorites in each of their districts.

Another contender for the individual title is the 2018 Fall Junior Series All-Star Team Captain, Grant Jabenis of Omaha Westside. Jabenis is second behind Kluver in the individual differential rankings, and just fired a round of 69 (-3) to win the Pius X Invite at ArborLinks. It was his second win of the year, having also won the Papillion-La Vista Invite.

Class B

York (@YorkDukeGolf) was easily the best team in Class B last year, winning the team title by 25 strokes. However, only junior Reed Malleck returns from that team. He's one of the best players in the state, regardless of class, but the Dukes will have some stiff competition this year. York has picked up wins at the Class B Division of the Beatrice Invite and the Crete Invite, but the competition showed itself at the Central Conference Tournament, where the Dukes finished tied for third in a bunched leaderboard. Malleck lost in a playoff at the Beatrice Invite, won the Crete Invite, and was fifth at the conference tournament. The Dukes also faired well in some Class A heavy fields, including third at the Pius X Invite at Firethorn early in the spring and third again at the Lincoln Southwest Invite. Malleck finished third at Southwest, just a stroke behind Bartels and Sander of Southwest.

Mount Michael (@MMGolfTracker) is a young team that is still gaining experience, but is led by a player who is sure to contend with Zielinski and Malleck for the individual title. Sophomore Luke Gutschewski, son of Web.com Tour pro Scott Gutschewski, is on a tear. After finishing second by a stroke at each of Mount Michael's first two events, Gutschewski has won five straight, including four rounds at par or better. He won the Bennington Invite by seven strokes with a round of 70 (-2), and the Elkhorn Invite by four strokes with a 69 (-3). Mount Michael and Skutt are both in a tough B-2 District, though they'll be playing at River Wilds, which could favor the SkyHawks with their triumph there earlier this season.

Grand Island Northwest (@GINWGolf) was a young team last year, when it finished in the bottom half of the Class B Championship. However, with another year under their belts, the Vikings have proved themselves as one of the teams that could raise the trophy. Three juniors and a sophomore return from that state qualifying team last year, led by Marcus Eriksen and Brett Jelinek. Marcus has captured three individual titles this season, while Jelinek is coming off a win at the Central Conference Tournament. The Vikings won that tournament, their third win of the year, against a field full of contenders for the Class B title. Northwest triumphed by a single stroke over Adams Central, a team that has had a stellar year, and by two strokes over York and Seward, which features one of the best duos in Tyler Welch and Ty Wehrs.

Just down Highway 281 from GINW, is that Adams Central team out of Hastings. They have won four invites so far this season, and have a balanced lineup. In those four wins, the Patriots' average team score was 315. Senior Nolan Sughroue has two individual titles, while senior John Pohlson has a few runner-up finishes under his belt. The Patriots finished eighth at the Class B Championship last year, and all but one of those players is back with more experience.

Adams Central, Northwest and York are all in the B-3 District, which also includes a few other solid teams, so it will be a battle for the three qualifying spots at Jackrabbit Run Golf Course in Grand Island.

A newcomer to Class B, but not to state golf, is North Platte (@NP__Golf). The Bulldogs are down from Class A, where they finished sixth last year. They made the Class A Championship three straight years, finishing in the middle of the pack each time. North Platte has picked up wins at the Scottsbluff, McCook, Lexington Invites, in addition to their own North Platte Invite, which kicked off the season and the Greater Nebraska Athletic Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs core starts with senior Drew Phillips and juniors Jayden Jones, who finished T10 last year at the Class A Championship, and Finn Lucas. Adding in sophomore Kasch Morrison and junior Tanner Ruda, who have been solid contributors this season, will make them a threat in Class B. Phillips won the GNAC individual title, while Jones, Morrison and Ruda also finished in the Top 10. North Platte hosts its B-4 District Tournament at Lake Maloney Golf Course, so they have a favorable road to the state tournament.

Platteview (@spcsgolf) is a team to look out for as well, coming off a win at the Capital Conference. They are led by senior Jordan Hart, who is an emerging player in the state, having won an event in the 2018 NGA Fall Junior Series and making that series all-star team. He shot 69 (-2) at the Blair Invite to finish second behind Zielinski and his 65 (-6). Hart will be a contender for that Class B individual title. Junior Bryce VunCannon of Columbus Scotus also won a FJS event, and he could lead his team to a strong finish as well. VunCannon finished fifth in Class B last year.

Keep an eye on Bishop Neumann out of Wahoo, which is new to Class B as well, but up from Class C. Sophomore Patrick Kenney finished tied for seventh last year at state, add another Thiele sister to the team, and the Cavaliers could be poised to better their 10th place finish last year. Freshman Lauren Thiele joins her sister Lindsey, a junior, on the team (Bishop Neumann does not have a girls team), following in the footsteps of older sisters Haley and Hannah, who led the Cavaliers to a runner-up finish in Class C in 2015 and a third place finish in 2014. The Cavaliers are catching fire late, winning the Logan View Invitational and the Centennial Conference Tournament last week. In the conference tournament, they took down Grand Island Central Catholic by four strokes with a team total of 314. Four Cavaliers finished in the top 10, including both Thiele sisters.

Several other teams have a chance to advance to the state tournament and contend for the title, including Beatrice, Scottsbluff and Elkhorn, which all qualified and finished in the top half last year.

Class C

Grand Island Central Catholic (@GolfCrusader) extended its dynasty in 2018, winning a third team title in four years. They've had to replace their top player from that team, Gavin Fox, but his younger brother, Eli, has stepped up and led the team. Eli Fox, a junior, recently led the Crusaders to the win at their home invite at Indianhead Golf Club, where he shot a round of 70 (-2) to get the individual win as well. Senior Jack Goering and sophomore William Goering are also back from last year's championship team. Jack is coming off a win at the Centennial Conference Tournament, where GICC finished second. The Crusaders have not been as dominant this year, but they've played mostly Class B competition, which is very strong. GICC also won the Columbus Scotus Invite, beating a lot of those top Class B contenders in the process.

Johnson County Central has been been one of the hottest teams in Class C, winning four straight tournaments at one point. The Thunderbirds did not qualify for state last year, but have found their stride in 2019. They won the East Central Nebraska Conference Tournament and followed with another win at the Southern Invite. Their latest win was the most impressive, a whopping 55-stroke win at their home invite, with a team score of 315.

Kimball is another steady team to watch. The Longhorns finished runner-up in Class C in 2017, and fourth last year. They return seniors Zane Anthony and Dillon Wise and just won the Western Trails Conference Tournament for a fifth straight year, this time by 28 strokes. Anthony and Wise finished 1-2 at the conference tournament, and both will be able to draw on their experience, each looking to qualify for their fourth state tournament. Wise already has two top 15 state medals, while Anthony has one.

David City is another team that has come out hot in 2019, after not qualifying for the state tournament in 2018. The team has won four tournaments this season, including the Southern Nebraska Conference Tournament, where sophomore Jordan Kracl shot the low round of the day to lead the team and earn the win himself. Senior William Danielson also adds some experience to the team, having qualified for the Class C Championship as an individual the past two years.

Cambridge's Preston Carbaugh is the highest returning medal-winner, finishing tied for fifth last year. The senior is certain to be in contention for the individual title.

Class D

The Class D race could be a battle between the same two teams as last year. The two-time defending champions from West Holt have lost three players from last year's team, including the Class D runner-up Mason Hale. However, they do bring back two top 10 finishers in junior Garrison Hansen (T6) and senior Austin Wenner (T8). The Huskies again won the Niobrara Valley Conference Tournament, by 18 strokes, with Hansen taking individual honors by six strokes.

Though it looks like these two teams are the front-runners, their graduated losses could open the door for those teams that finished in the middle of the pack to make a run.

Paxton's Jeremy McMillan-Peters, Guardian Angels Central Catholic's Andrew Franzluebbers, Mullen's Kolby Walker, Fullerton's Chase Ostransky and Heartland's Benjamin Mestl all medaled last year and could help their teams with another high finish.

Check out the NSAA website below for more information on the upcoming district and state tournaments for each class. District assignments are out for all classes, and results will be posted on the website as the tournaments are completed on May 13 and 14. The Nebraska Golf Association will provide live scoring for the four Championships on May 21 and 22, and links to pairings and scoring will be posted following districts. For more updates and content over the next few weeks, follow @NebJuniorGolf.

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