Boys golf: Search is on for Willmar Cardinals
Apr. 5—WILLMAR — There will be a good number of spots for the taking in the Willmar boys golf lineup this spring.
The Cardinals, who finished fourth in the Central Lakes Conference in 2023, graduated a strong senior class led by Joey Wisocki and Nathan Marthaler. Wisocki is currently a freshman golfer at Kansas Wesleyan University of the NAIA.
And now, outside of a few strong returners, Willmar begins its search for the next wave of golfers.
That all starts when the Cardinals get their season underway at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18, in a CLC meet at Sartell's Blackberry Ridge Golf Club.
"Right now it's pretty wide open for three, four spots," Cardinals head coach Joe Kuehn said. "There are going to be a lot of kids that are going to be competing for a varsity spot.
"Realistically, that is what we want in our program because that's what's going to make each kid better and produce lower scores."
Aden Jacobson is Willmar's top returner. The freshman was an All-CLC selection last season.
Kuehn is expecting major things from Jacobson in 2024.
"Aden had a really good summer," Kuehn said. "(I believe) that he can put up and replace those (Wisocki) scores. I really do. I think he's really close.
"I can see him breaking out this year and we're going to need him."
Kuehn believes Jacobson, although young, has enough experience to help him into the driver's seat this year.
"Aden is going to have to be our front-runner guy," Kuehn said. "I think he knows that and I think he's ready for it."
Another tone-setter for how Willmar's season will unfold is senior Deiken Carruthers.
"Deiken's ball striking has been really good," Kuehn said. "He's added more distance and he seems to have his game under control. He just has to manage the course a little bit better and that's his goal."
Also back is senior Jordan Gorans. Gorans is another golfer that Kuehn feels strongly about after he played well down the stretch for the Cardinals last season.
"I'm hoping that brings him in feeling much better about where his game is," Kuehn said.
A freshman on the rise is Luke Larson. He saw some varsity time last spring as an eighth-grader and was Willmar's rookie of the year.
"Luke and Aden are really close," Kuehn said. "They spend a lot of time out here on the golf course.
"I'm looking for big things from Luke."
Others to keep an eye on are juniors Anthony Cellini, Steven Cruze and Evan Ims, sophomore Cooper Lownsbury and freshman Liam Ims.
"You're looking at 10 to 12 kids that are going to be fighting for potentially four spots," Kuehn said. "To me, that is a good problem to have."
The Cardinals, who won a CLC meet last spring for the first time since 2018, totaled 618 points in the conference. Sartell was first with 599 points, followed by Alexandria's 600 and Brainerd's 614. Alexandria took sixth in the Class AAA state tournament in 2023.
"I really do see us, by the end of the year, being possibly better than where we were at last year if some of those top guys can replace the Joeys, the Nates, those kids from last year," Kuehn said. "When we get to section time, we just got to be playing our best golf."
