Storm Lake edges Newell-Fonda in boys golf, Mustangs win girls dual

Trey Boettcher's 37 put Storm Lake in front in the boys meet, while Emma Hurd's 43 carried Newell-Fonda on the girls side, and the split showed two different early-season tracks for the Buena Vista County rivals.

Boettcher earned medalist honors as Storm Lake edged Newell-Fonda 158-162 on Tuesday at Newell. Jayden Butler backed him with a 38, Cam Boyd shot a 41 and Chase Mathistad added a 42 for the Tornadoes. Carson Taylor finished at 44 and Bobby Boeckman carded a 50, giving Storm Lake enough across the lineup to survive a competitive Mustang push.

Newell-Fonda stayed close throughout the boys dual. Jacksyn Hogrefe was runner-up medalist with a 38, matching Landen Kruse. Kellen Meyer and Wyatt Bartek each shot 43, Ian Harrer posted a 47 and Lincoln Gauley finished with a 49. The four-shot margin fit the tone of the round, with both teams putting together scores that can carry them deeper into the season if the middle of the lineup keeps tightening.

Storm Lake also won the junior varsity meet by a single stroke, 197-198, another sign that the program has scoring depth beyond the varsity card. Everett Grover led the Tornado JV effort with a 45, a small number that mattered in a one-shot finish and gave Storm Lake another piece of evidence that younger golfers are already contributing.

The girls dual at BVU Lake Creek went the other way, and it went decisively. Newell-Fonda finished with a 203, while Storm Lake scored 297. Hurd's 43 set the pace for the Mustangs, with Rowyn Nielsen and Camryn Puhrmann each shooting 53. Alyssa Hutchinson followed with a 54, Danika Meyer posted a 59 and Paige Erickson added a 63, a spread that still produced a comfortable team total.

Addison Halder led Storm Lake with a 61, while Madison Ripke, Morgan Zanfes and Natelyn Phillips rounded out the Tornado scoring. The gap between the two cards showed up fast at Lake Creek, where Newell-Fonda had enough low numbers to control the match and Storm Lake still has room to close the middle and back ends of the lineup.

For both schools, the duals offered an early read on what matters next: Storm Lake has a boys group that can win tight matches and a JV pipeline already trimming strokes, while Newell-Fonda's girls have a front end strong enough to separate from opponents when the rest of the card holds steady.