| | 
The
Official Newspaper of Anamosa, located in Jones County, Iowa
Anamosa News
Since 1855
 Thursday,
August 17, 2006 |
Back to back champs
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
SOLON — You had your chances Men’s Eastern Iowa Golf Association (EIGA) clubs. Now the EIGA championship trophy could belong to the Wapsi Country Club for quite some time.
Anamosa’s Wapsi golf team claimed their second straight EIGA title after turning in sensational rounds during the second day of the tournament Sunday, August 13, at Solon’s Lake McBride Golf Course and overtook day one leader Monticello for the crown.
Wapsi opened tournament play Saturday, August 12, firing a 761 team score (388-373) and were runner-up just four strokes back of Monticello who carded a 757 team score after the first day (375-382).
But Sunday saw the Anamosa Wapsi Country Club team take complete control of the tournament with Sean Smith leading the charge.
Smith led all Wapsi golfers at the Lake McBride Golf Course in Solon opening with a two-under par 70 (37-33) on Saturday then followed that with a solid 76 (38-38) on Sunday for a 146 two-day total.
The host Solon team, sitting in fourth place (771) after the first day of play, made a run at Wapsi Sunday and closed to within six strokes of the defending champions, who won at Dyersville last summer.
Wapsi’s 747 team score Sunday secured the championship as Monticello slipped to a tie with Mount Vernon for third overall. |
Championship feel
Bret McNamara chips to the third green during Wapsi’s title winning effort at the 79th annual Men’s Eastern Iowa golf tournament held in Solon Sunday, August 13. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
Wapsi’s two-day total of 1508 was tops at the nine-team tournament while Solon’s 1514 was runner-up. Monticello and Mount Vernon tied for third with scores of 1515 each while DeWitt was fifth with a score of 1529. Dyersville (1543) was sixth while Tipton (1573), Bellevue (1583) and West Liberty (1594) rounded out the field in Solon.
Smith’s 146 total that led Wapsi to the championship, was also sixth-best overall in the entire tournament.
Mount Vernon’s Jordan Dye cruised to the EIGA individual championship posting a five-under par 139 (72-67) card that bested a host of golfers that tallied scores of 145 on the par-72 layout.
Mount Vernon’s Jeff Crow (75-73), Monticello’s Joe Steen (75-70), DeWitt’s Brent Smith (70-75) and Bellevue’s Ric Nemmers (75-70) all tallied scores of 145 to tie for second at the tournament.
While Wapsi had just two golfers (Smith and Dan Messerli) in the tournament top-20 overall, it was the team’s amazing consistency from top-to-bottom that pulled the club to the head of the pack at the very tight tournament.
Messerli opened with a 74 (37-37) on Saturday and followed that with a 75 (37-38) on Sunday finishing with a 149 two-day total while Mike Carrier added an even-par 72 (38-34) Saturday before finishing with a 78 (37-41) on Sunday for a 150 total.
Al Norton shot a 74 (36-38) Saturday and a 77 (38-39) Sunday to score a 151, fourth-best on the team while Loni Seeley made his way through the course with an 81 (46-35) on Saturday but shaved 10 strokes off his score Sunday with a one-under par 71 (35-36) to total a 152.
Mike McGreevy and Brett Seeley each carded 153 scores reevy opened with an 80 (40-40) but answered with a 73 (37-36) on Sunday. Seeley tallied a 75 (37-38) on Saturday and finished with a 78 (39-39). Kula fired a 78 (40-38) Saturday and a 75 (38-37) on Sunday.
Adding to the Wapsi scoring was Al Recker who scored a 155 two-day card firing a 77 (37-40) Saturday and finished with a 78 (42-36).
Bret McNamara had a huge day Sunday, trimming 11 strokes off his 86 (46-40) on Saturday and came home with a sensational 75 (38-37) for a 161 two-day card.
Doug McNamara shot an 88 (46-42) during round-one action and also had a solid second day shaving nine strokes to fire a 79 (37-42) Sunday.
Kelly Ketelsen scored a 76 (40-36) Sunday after tallying a 40 on Saturday during his first nine holes of play.
Monticello led all Eastern Iowa teams with five golfers finishing in the tournament top-20 while host Solon placed four of their own there. DeWitt and Mount Vernon had three top-20 golfers while Anamosa and Bellevue finished with two each among the top individuals.
Special thanks to Bill Goodlove for contributing to this story. |
Nemmers prepping for PGA tourney
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
Opportunity of a lifetime
Former Anamosa High School golf standout Scott Nemmers (right) watches PGA Tour Professional Zach Johnson tee off at Chicago’s Medinah Country Club prepping for the 2006 PGA Tournament held there August 24-27. Nemmers is a club pro and caddied for Johnson during his practice round. (Photo submitted) |
MEDINAH, IL — Since he first signed on as Assistant Caddymaster at the prestigious Medinah Country Club near Chicago, Illinois over three years ago, former Anamosa High School golf star Scott Nemmers has been looking forward to this week.
Nemmers and the rest of the Medinah staff are hosting the PGA Championship at Medinah’s No. 3 course August 17-20 and with the approaching major tournament, the world’s top golfers have been making their way in for practice rounds.
“I’ve seen Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Luke Donald, Phil Mickelson and about 20 others I can’t even think of right now,” said Nemmers who now works as an Assistant Golf Professional. “But the golfer I wanted to caddy for was Iowa’s own Zach Johnson. I’m such a big fan of his and with me being an Iowa boy myself, my Head Professional Mike Scully, who is a close friend of Zach’s, set that up for me.”
With Johnson’s regular caddy taking to the Medinah course for a round himself, that set Nemmers up for the opportunity of a lifetime. |
“It was such an incredible day,” said Nemmers who caddied for Johnson during his 18-holes at the club recently. “Zach is such a nice guy and I think he enjoyed having me as his caddy. We talked about Iowa, the Hawkeyes, my wedding and things I just didn’t expect to be talking to Zach Johnson about, but he wanted to.”
Johnson professed to Nemmers that he and his wife are expecting their first child and how excited he was about that and even divulged his passion for the Hawkeyes as a ‘sickness’ and that in his life things go family, Hawkeyes, then golf.
“I have always followed Zach’s career and tell people that he’s from Iowa, like me,” said Nemmers. “Caddying for him was one of the best days of my life. Just the privilege of getting to do something like that, there are no words to explain it!”
To only was Nemmers able to caddy for one of the world’s top golfers in Johnson, who hails from Cedar Rapids, but the former Raider golf standout, who helped lead Anamosa to a 1999 class 2A state golf championship, will be walking down the fairways during the tournament keeping track of scores.
“I’m really excited about that too,” said Nemmers who will be on the course Thursday at 7:00 a.m. and Saturday at 9:55 a.m. walking with groups off the tee carrying the walking score sign as well as other duties on the course. “I get to be inside the ropes walking with the guys and will get up close with the action. I’m not sure who will be in those groups because the tee-times aren’t set yet, but I am definitely looking forward to that.”
Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy are all playing in the same group Thursday and Friday and Nemmers hopes that threesome might be his to follow.
“Who knows,” said Nemmers. “Maybe that might be my group.”
Nemmers will also be working Sunday, August 20, giving putting lessons for two hours in one of the corporate tents at the tournament.
“Basically the company just wants us there to be able to give some pointers to their clients,” said Nemmers. “Other than those duties, I’m free for the week to be able to enjoy the tournament.”
Nemmers was also able to speak with Mickelson, who came out to the course on four different occasions studying the tough Medinah layout. The longest ever major tournament course yardage-wise (7,561 yards).
“He is such a class guy,” said Nemmers. “The first time he came out to play was to just get a feel for the course (which has been redesigned since the last major tournament held at Medinah in 1999). The second time was to actually work and study the course. He spent over an hour per hole studying every green and pin placement possible. The third time he was out he finished up his studying work and the last time he just played through the course one more time.”
Nemmers was amazed at the preparation that goes into getting ready to compete for the world’s top golfers.
“It’s incredible how hard they work,” he said. “The time the players put in and the preparation is amazing.”
An obvious avid golfer himself, Nemmers has learned a lot over the past couple of weeks with the game’s top players coming through Medinah.
“Watching these guys play I have learned quite a bit,” he said. “There is a lot more than stepping to the tee, pulling a club and swinging away.”
PGA officials have been on site at the Medinah Country Club since Nemmers began years ago getting ready for this week’s festivities.
“It takes a lot to put on such a huge event,” said Nemmers. “There are meetings after meetings after meetings. I was never required to attend these, but I was able to see first hand how much planning goes into such a large event. The PGA ‘people’ have been here since March 2004.
They have had a temporary office/trailer they have been working out of. The PGA, under the careful guidance of our membership, basically runs this tournament on their own. Us, as a golf staff, are just pretty much along for the ride.”
During Johnson’s practice round with Nemmers, the PGA pro shot a two-under par 70 and even signed a ball for him.
“I’ve got a lot of family and friends coming from all over who I’m looking forward to spending the week with,” said Nemmers. “It’s going to go fast. I’ve been looking forward to this for three years. Before I know it, it’s going to be over.” |
Youth tackle football arrives in Anamosa
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
ANAMOSA — After being a subject discussed for many years but no action taken, the reality of youth tackle football has finally arrived in Anamosa.
Spearheaded by local residents Darwin Carstensen and Dan Schulte, Anamosa will have two teams take part in the Northeast Iowa Youth Football League (NEIYFL) next month.
“This is something Anamosa kids have been looking forward to for quite some time and it’s all coming together very nicely,” said Carstensen who will coach one of the two Anamosa teams. “We started practice for the first time this week and the kids are having a great time.”
|
Give and go
Anamosa coach Jason Hewitt (left) works hand offs with sixth grader Dylan Gapinski at the first-ever youth tackle football practice Monday, August 14. Almost 50 Anamosa youth have signed up to take part in the inaugural campaign set to start next month. |
Anamosa will take part in the NEIYFL joining teams from Monticello, Clayton Ridge, Ed-Co, Manchester, Starmont, Cascade and Ed-Co.
Manchester has six teams in the league while Monticello and Anamosa add two teams each.
The season consists of seven games over a 10-week period.
“Of course we’d like to win every game we play this year, but that’s not our main objective,” said Carstensen. “We want these kids to learn the system and learn to play football with all the pads on and learn the plays and just get out there and compete and have fun. |
Bringing it all together
Anamosa youth football coach Darwin Carstensen gathers his players at the first practice for fifth and sixth graders Monday, August 14, at the high school practice field. Carstensen, along with Dan Schulte, have spearheaded the youth tackle football movement in Anamosa. (Journal-Eureka photos by Daryl Schepanski) |
That’s our main objective. Also to build the future of the Anamosa football program into one that will compete year in and year out.
That would be great too.”
The playing field is a standard high school length (100 yards and 53 1/3 yards wide) and te league follows regular Iowa High School Athletic Association rules.
Players are positioned by their weight. Players weighing 110 pounds or less are designated as quarterbacks, running backs, defensive backs and wide receivers while players over 110 pounds are designated for the offensive and defensive lines and linebackers.
Every team must pass the football at least six times during the game and one running back may carry the football up to 20 times
There are no kick-offs. Games start on the 30-yard line.
Games are four quarters with each frame being nine minutes long.
“I think we’ve got some talented kids out here,” said Carstensen as 47 players from fifth and sixth grade classes have signed up for Anamosa’s introduction into the tackle football league. “We plan on running 11 kids on offense and 11 different kids on defense then switch so everyone gets to play both ways.”
|
Pumped up
Anamosa sixth-grader Michael Maruga takes part in hand-off drills during the first day of Anamosa youth football practice Monday, August 14 for fifth and sixth graders. |
| Coaches for the teams include: Carstensen, Schulte, Kip Moore, Kevin Maruga, Kent Herren, Jason Hewitt and Brett Taylor. |
PO
Box 108, 208 W. Main Street, Anamosa, IA 52205
319-462-3511,
FAX 319-462-4540
Copyright
Anamosa Publications
Anamosa Journal-Eureka / Town Crier 2005
Thede Web
Works - Website
Questions
|