EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.
Brianna Kirsch, Fr., and Morgan Cooley, Sr., Lancaster girls golf
KOHLER — It’s been four years since a member of the Lancaster girls’ golf team competed at the WIAA State Tournament, and this year coach Sarah Williams had two.
Freshman Brianna Kirsch shot a two-day, 27-hole total of 143 (+35) to place 13th out of 39 competitors at the WIAA Division 2 Girls Golf State Tournament Monday and Tuesday at the Meadow Valley Course of Blackwolf Run in Kohler.
Lancaster senior Morgan Cooley shot a two-day total of 157 (+49) to tie for 25th place. The last golfer to compete at state for the Flying Arrows was Brooke Marcue in 2016, where she finished in a tie for 21st place with a two-day score of 194.
Because of heavy rain and lightning on Monday, golfers at this year’s state meet were only able to play nine holes, but were able to play all 18 on Tuesday. Kirsch shot an 11-over-par round of 47 on the front nine during Monday’s competition with two pars, three bogies and four doubles.
On Tuesday, the Lancaster freshman started on the back nine, where she posted a 47 with two pars, four bogies, two doubles and an eight on the par-5 16th. Kirsch then followed up with a 49 on the front nine with one par, four bogies, three doubles and a seven on the par-4 sixth.
Cooley shot a 20-over-par nine-hole score of 56 on Monday, shooting four bogies, one double and two triples, along with a seven on the par-3 third and an eight on the par-4 ninth.
Cooley followed up on Tuesday with a 50 on the back nine, shooting a birdie on the par-5 16th, a par on the par-4 13th, as well as two bogies, two doubles and three triples. On the front nine, the Lancaster senior posted a 14-over-par round of 51 with two pars, two bogies, three doubles, a triple and a seven on the par-3 third.
Kirsch and Cooley advanced to the WIAA State Tournament as individual qualifiers from the D2 Arcadia Sectional held Tuesday, Oct. 6 at Drugan’s Castle Mound in Holmen.
As a team, the Flying Arrows finished fourth of eight teams with a score of 384, but only the top two teams advanced to the state meet, which were Edgewood Sacred Heart (341) and Lakeside Lutheran (363).
Of the three individual state qualifiers who were not members of the top two teams, Kirsch and Cooley were the first two to advance with identical scores of 88. Joining the two Arrows as the third state qualifier was Hallie Tulip of Arcadia/Independence, who shot an 89.
On the front nine, Cooley came in with a seven-over-par round of 43, while Kirsch was right behind her with a 44. Both golfers knocked in birdie putts on the par-4 ninth hole. On the back nine, Kirsch fired an eight-over-par round of 44, while Cooley was right behind her with a 45, both making par putts on the par-3 14th hole.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Joah Fillardo, Jr., RB, Mineral Point football
The junior running back rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown and caught two passes for 95 yards and two more scores in Mineral Point's 69–7 beatdown of visiting Platteville last Friday night. Fillardo scored on a 69-yard run on the Pointers' (3–0) first possession, then added a 27-yard TD catch later in the first quarter and hauled in a 68-yard TD pass from senior QB Liam Stumpf early in the second quarter to give the Pointers a 28–0 lead.
Justin Miller, Sr., QB, Highland football
Miller completed 10 of 18 for 184 yards and a pair of TDs and rushed for a third score in the undefeated Cardinals' (3–0) 42–0 victory over host Iowa–Grant last Friday night.
Lilly Post, Sr., MH, Potosi volleyball
Post floored a match-high 12 kills, had five blocks and four aces to lead the Chieftains to a 25–14, 25–13, 25–13 sweep of visiting Benton Monday night at PHS. It was Potosi's fifth straight win after a sluggish 1–4 start to the season. Potosi also had 10 kills, three blocks and two aces in last Thursday's 25–13, 25–16, 25–16 sweep of Belmont last Thursday. She also had 15 kills and a season-high nine blocks in a five-set win over Highland last Tuesday night, just a week after the Cardinals defeated Potosi.
Robby Roe, Jr., WR/DB, Potosi/Cassville football
Roe hauled in three passes for 148 yards from classmate QB Levi Groom, including touchdowns of 66 and 57 yards in the first half, to lead the host Chieftains (2–0) to a 28–20 victory over previously unbeaten River Ridge (2–1) in a key Six Rivers/Ridge & Valley Conference clash last Friday night at Cassville High School. He also had two tackles in the win.
