Yankton Wins Watertown Invitational Ahead of ESD and State Tournaments
The short version
- Yankton won the Watertown Invitational at 296, 10 shots ahead of Brandon Valley and Brookings.
- Asher Dannenbring of Mitchell took individual honors at 2-under 70 via a three-hole playoff.
- Watertown's Max Stemwedel and Riley Randall tied for 12th at 76; Jonathan Lake is the defending ESD champion.
- The ESD meet is Sept. 28 in Brookings; state tournaments are Oct. 5-6 in Aberdeen (Class AA) and Mitchell (Class A).
Yankton finished 8-over par to win the Watertown Invitational at Cattail Crossing, the final tune-up before the Eastern South Dakota Conference meet on Sept. 28.
Watertown High School hosted its Watertown Invitational on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Cattail Crossing Golf Course, bringing together all 10 Eastern South Dakota Conference schools along with area Class A programs Aberdeen Roncalli, Sioux Valley and Milbank.
Yankton claimed the team title at 296, 10 shots clear of Brandon Valley and Brookings, which tied at 306. Aberdeen Roncalli finished fourth at 310, while Watertown's varsity and JV squads each posted 316 to tie for seventh. Mitchell's Asher Dannenbring won medalist honors with a 2-under-par 70, beating Tea Area's Landon Baker in a three-hole playoff.
Watertown was led by senior Max Stemwedel and freshman Riley Randall, who each shot 76 to tie for 12th. Senior Jonathan Lake, the defending ESD champion, and sophomore Jackson Ahmann tied for 16th at 77. Coach Corey Neale said Lake and Stemwedel both have the game to contend for the conference title.
The ESD conference meet is set for Monday, Sept. 28, at Brookings Country Club, with Class A region tournaments the same day. The state tournaments follow Oct. 5-6 at Lee Park Golf Course in Aberdeen for Class AA and Lakeview Golf Course in Mitchell for Class A.