The Mishicot boys golf team made the most of their first-ever trip to the WIAA State meet.
The Indians placed fourth in the 8-team Division Three field at University Ridge in Verona, shooting a two-day total of 673, while Kohler won the team title with a score of 623.
Prentice finished second, followed by St. Mary’s Springs of Fond Du Lac, Mishicot was fourth, with Alma/Pepin, Three Lakes/Phelps, Ladysmith, and Eleva Strum rounding out the right-team field.
The Indians’ Head Coach, Robert Stroess, sumed up the experience, saying, “It was an exciting experience for me personally. As for the kids, it seemed like it was business as usual. The just do what they do, stayed the course and put together a great second score, finishing better than anybody thought they would at the start of the season.”
Mishicot started the day in fifth place after in fifth place after shooting a 347 on Monday.
They shaved 21 strokes of their score on Tuesday, shooting a 326, highlighted by sophomore Dane Moore’s one under 71, good for second place, one shot behind meet medalist in sophomore David Van Dixon of Kohler.
His two-day total of 150 put him in a tie for third for the meet. Senior Karson Kowalski shot a second-round score of 77 for a two-day total of 157 and finished in a three-way tie for 8th.
Sophomore Elden Stephan (86) shaved five strokes off his first round 91, and sophomore Brock Logan (92) improved his score by five shots, helping the Indians jump into fourth place.
Stroess explains the better showing on Tuesday.
“I think really it was a handful of kids that really buckled down and took it a little more seriously than they did on Monday,” he explained. “They were all locked in, realizing that there are sacrifices, especially mentally, that need to be made to achieve the results you desire. “
The Mishicot Head Coach adds that the kids matured mentally throughout the course of the year.
“No golf team can win if everyone doesn’t contribute,” he said bluntly. “You need to have four scores that count, and a fifth will be thrown out. Everyone experiences a bad day occasionally, and good teams understand that there are peaks and valleys, and this game can humble you in a hurry. You need to keep pushing ahead, knowing that your teammates got your back even if you’re not having your best round. “
Senior Karson Kowalski goes out in style with his eighth-place finish, but everyone else is back to make another run.
Stroess says he can’t wait for 2027 to arrive.
“You can have one great year and then totally disappear, but success is contagious,” he said. “Once you get that taste in your mouth, you want to keep working hard to continue ascending. Others see that and then want to be a part of that. We’ve got a solid foundation to build on for years to come.”
As for the one word he would use to describe the 2026 Indians, he said it would be “Proud.”
