Mules' turn to win

~ The two squads topped the 10-team field in their third meeting in eight days.

The third boys golf meeting between Central and Poplar Bluff in the past eight days went to the Mules on Tuesday, as Poplar Bluff beat Central by nine strokes in the SEMO Conference Tournament at Dalhousie Golf Club.

Poplar Bluff edged the Tigers by three strokes in the Class 4 District 1 tournament, and Central followed with a 10-stroke victory at the Cape Girardeau Country Club on Thursday.

With four golfers finishing under 80 on the par-72 course, the day belonged to the Mules. Poplar Bluff finished with a team score of 305, followed by Central with 314 and Jackson with 329.

"That 305 is tough to beat," Central coach Dick Wadlington said.

Logan McDonald led Poplar Bluff with a 2-under-par 70 for medalist honors. McDonald was the only player to break par, and he outpaced the next-closest finishers by five strokes.

"Logan McDonald's score of 70 is an outstanding score," Wadlington said. "I watched him play a bit today and he had an outstanding day. Any time you beat the field by five strokes you know you had a good day."

James Spurgeon came in next for the Mules with a 77, and Tyler Hillis and Corey Poteet each shot 79.

Blake Driskell and Kirk Lohmann, Central's top two players average-wise this season, tied for second overall with 75s. Lohmann shot a 43 his first nine holes before bouncing back with a 32 on his final nine.

"It took me a while to get going," Lohmann said.

Driskell, who has averaged 35 this season, carded a triple-bogey and quadruple-bogey on the day and still managed to shoot just 3-over.

"I think he played extremely well except for two holes," Wadlington said. "That's what's tough about this golf course. You can have some big numbers."

Jack Connell came in next for the Tigers with a 79, and Zach Kluesner shot an 85. Connell, a sophomore, tied for sixth.

"We had three very good scores, we struggled with the fourth score, but 314 is very respectable," Wadlington said.

Central improved its score six strokes from the conference tournament last year. Poplar Bluff won the tournament last year with a score of 301.

The Tigers will get one more shot at the Mules at the Class 4 state tournament on Monday at Deer Lake Golf Course in Springfield, Mo. Driskell, Lohmann, Kluesner and Robert Kaverman each qualified for the state tournament individually to earn Central a spot in the state tournament.

"State's the one that counts," Lohmann said. "Conference is nice, but you'd like to have state a lot better."

Josh Wheeler finished fifth overall with a 78 to lead Jackson. Nic Robinson (83), Gabe Sauer (86) and Taylor McDowell (89) rounded out Jackson's top four.

Notre Dame finished sixth in the team standings, led by Brandon Holzum's 83, who was followed by Brett Slaten (89), Austin Hunter (99) and Andrew Bertrand (110). Holzum and Slaten will each play in the Class 3 state tournament on Monday.

Team scores -- 1. Poplar Bluff 305, 2. Central 314, 3. Jackson 329, 4. Dexter 344, 5. Kennett 368, 6. Notre Dame 381, 7. Sikeston 392, 8. New Madrid County Central 409, 9. Malden 424, 10. Doniphan 505

Top 10 -- 1. Logan McDonald (P) 70, 2. Blake Driskell (C) 75, 2. Kirk Lohmann (C) 75, 4. James Spurgeon (P) 77, 5. Josh Wheeler (J) 78, 6. Jack Connell (C) 79, 6. Tyler Hillis (P) 79, 6. Corey Poteet (P) 79, 9. Aaron Jackson (D) 80, 10. Andrew Stuever (D) 81