The rapidly changing weather in the area didn’t stop Cuba and Bourbon High School’s golf seasons from getting underway.

The Wildcats, who consist of two boys and five girls golfers, are coached by Mark Ness and Kaleb Cason. Sophomores Cole Kelemen and Kye Williams are Cuba’s only boys golfers. Senior Jodie Kelemen brings a wealth of experience on the girls’ side and is joined by freshmen Traelynn Cunningham, Addison McGinnis, Payton Rhoades and Makayla Wells.

Bourbon is boasting a golf team for the first time since the 2009-10 school year. They are coached by Marcus Bailey who doubles as a sixth-grade teacher at Bourbon Middle School. Bailey’s bunch are mainly athletes who are dual-sporting as baseball players as well. Warhawk baseballers Emmett Jones, Dawson King, Ian Mueller, Chase Perschbacher and Garrett Wallis are all on the team along with Trevor Robertson.

Holiday Ranch Classic

The Wildcats and Warhawks officially began their year on March 30, competing in the Holiday Ranch Classic along with Fatima, Newburg and Steelville. Fatima won first place as a team and had the best individual performances.

As a team, Fatima won with a 157 score, Newburg took second, Bourbon finished in third, Cuba fourth, and Steelville fifth. Fatima had the first- and second-place winners in the individual scoring as senior Dylan Schwartze shot a 38 to take first place and junior Evan Otto shot a 39 to take second place. Newburg junior Nathaniel Killian shot a 40 and finished in third place.

Williams shot a 45 for Cuba and took ninth place and Jodie Kelemen posted a 51 to finish in 13th place.

Jones was Bourbon’s top performer, as the sophomore shot a 42 to take seventh place. King shot a 57 to finish in 16th, Mueller and Robertson each shot 60s to earn a tie for 18th place and Perschbacher shot a 66 to take 23rd place.

Bourbon versus Salem

The Warhawks competed the following afternoon against Salem. Jones and Robertson were the only golfers from Bourbon to participate and had strong showings. Jones earned another seventh-place finish and Robertson took 17th place.

Cuba takes on St. James

The Wildcats competed against St. James on April 3 in the St. James Dual. St. James won the team and individual portions. St. James sophomore Skylar Mabrey and junior Owen Spurgeon both shot a 43 and were tied for first place. Cole Kelemen was Cuba’s top performer and shot a 48 to earn fourth place.

GVC match in Belle

Three Days later, Cuba and Bourbon’s teams traveled to Belle to compete in the first Gasconade Valley Conference (GVC) meet of the season along with Belle, Steelville and Viburnum.

Belle won first place as a team and had five of the top-six individual scores. As a team, Belle posted a 324, Steelville finished in second with a 385, Cuba took third place with a 404, Viburnum finished fourth with a 428 and Bourbon finished fifth after only having three players.

Belle sophomore Kelhen Struemph shot a 77 and took first place in the individual portion. Cuba’s Cole Kelemen shot an 89 and took fifth place and Williams shot a 91 to finish in seventh. Bourbon’s Jones shot a plus-28, Roberstson shot a plus-46 and Wallis shot a plus-48.

Cuba Golf at Salem

The Wildcats continued their busy week competing in the April 9 Salem Invitational. Eight teams competed in the tournament and Mountain View Liberty (MVL) took first with a 341, Sullivan finished second with a 357 and Salem shot a 363 to take third place. Cuba finished in seventh place after shooting a 427.

Salem sophomore Aiden Summers took first place in the individual portion of the meet after shooting a 72. Cuba’s Cole Kelemen shot an 87 and took sixth place, individually. Kye Williams shot a 100, Jodie Kelemen shot a 104, Addison McGinnis shot a 136 and Traelynn shot a 139 Cunningham to round out the rest of the Wildcat’s performances.

Cuba and Bourbon’s golf teams are scheduled to compete in their second GVC match of the season on April 14, which will be detailed in next week’s edition.