Eagles golfers cruise to tri dual victory over Guardians, Indians

by Michael Smith


The Grain Valley boys golf team has had a stellar season thus far in 2024.

The Eagles have won a tournament and have finished in second place in two others. On Thursday, they showed why they could be a contender for a state tournament spot, even after being bumped up to Class 5.

The team battled strong 23 mph crosswinds while playing against St. Michael The Archangel Catholic and Fort Osage in a tri dual at WinterStone Golf Course in Independence.

Grain Valley won easily with a team score of 173 to take first place. St. Michael was second with 190 and Fort Osage was third with a 206.

Sophomore Eli Herbert was the medalist of the dual with a 40. He said he was able to overcome a pair of bad holes to have an overall solid game despite the windy conditions.

“This wind was brutal,” Herbert said. “It was mainly side winds. We definitely had to play two or three more clubs today.

“You just must learn to hit different shots in these conditions. You are not always going to be able to hit a full swing shot. You’re going to alter how you hit it in the air. Overall, I think I hit it pretty well.”

Senior Charlie Aldred had the second-best score on the team with a 43. The senior, despite having one of the better scores among those who played, was critical of his performance.

“I had a couple of bad holes, and my short game was lacking,” Aldred said. “I have some things I need to work on over the weekend. It’s hard on you mentally to play in the wind. You don’t know how the wind is going to affect the ball.”

Rounding out the scoring for Grain Valley were freshman Jacob Gorden and sophomore Mason Smith, each with a 45 and senior Jack Hileman with a 47.

The WinterStone Golf course presented some challenged for the Eagles as its design made it tough to get low scores and even made it tough to navigate by foot.

“The course is very hilly,” Aldred said. “Every hole is down and up and up and down. A lot of pins were on some slopes which made it tough for putting.”

Added Herbert: “It’s not an easy walk.”

Head coach Andy Herbert was pleased with how his team did given the conditions.

“Any time you can get your whole team in the 40s on a day like today is pretty strong,” Herbert said. “We’ve played in about every condition now. We have played in the cold, the rain, and the wind.

​“This is a good group. They battle.”

Sophomore Eli Herbert was the medalist of the dual with a 40. Senior Charlie Aldred had the second-best score on the team with a 43. Photo credit: Michael Smith​