Otter Boys Finish Fifth at CLC Golf Championships
The Otter boys golf team competed in day 2 of the Central Lakes Conference championship at Blackberry Ridge in Sartell on Monday. The Otters headed into the tournament in 6th place after day one in Willmar. The Otters had a good day and moved up a spot to finish 5th out 8 teams. "Fifth place was a little behind our goal but to think that we are the only AA team competing against all these AAA schools during the conference season, I'd say it is something to be proud of." said Otters coach Matt McGovern.
The team event was won by Alexandria, the #4 ranked team in AAA golf. Second place went to Brainerd, 3rd to Sartell, and Willmar finished in 4th ahead of the Otters. Following Fergus Falls was Sauk Rapids/Rice in 6th, St. Cloud Crush in 7th, and Rocori finished in 8th.
Following the event there was an awards ceremony and a few of the young Otters picked up some hardware. Sophomores Ryan Nelson and Riley McGovern both earned all-conference honors while Junior, Charlie Fuder, earned all-conference honorable mention. All-conference awards are based on CLC season long scoring average.
On top of these awards, the Otter boys also won the conference Sportsmanship Award. This award is given to 1 team in the conference and is voted on by all the teams. This award goes to the team that shows high character, dignity, honesty, and treats others with respect. "The individual awards are great and I'm really happy for Ryan, Riley, and Charlie. But this Sportsmanship Award is something we are really proud of. It shows what a fine group of boys we have on this team. One bad apple on a team can ruin your chances of winning this award but these six young men are truly a special group both on and off the course." McGovern added.
The Otter golfers are now paired down to their final 6 players as they enter the crucial stretch of the season with a goal of making it to state. The tournament team going forward will be:
Riley McGovern - Sophomore
Ryan Nelson - Sophomore
Charlie Fuder - Junior
Gavin Goepferd - Sophomore
Adam Kennedy - Ninth grade
Sam Dirkman - Sophomore
The boys are currently ranked 6th in state in class AA. They'll compete in the Brainerd Invite on Wednesday at the Legacy and then leave early for a tournament in Bemidji on Thursday.
Three Otters earned some postseason awards in the CLC. Ryan Nelson (right) and Riley McGovern (left) were both named all-conference. Charlie Fuder (middle) was all-conference honorable mention.
