Washburn Rural boys golf dominance lasts well over a decade

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - 13 conference titles in 15 seasons, that’s not to shabby.

One of the best sounds in golf is when the ball connects with the club in the tee box. Washburn Rural boys golf has made a lot of noise for more than a decade.

They’ve already enjoyed beating rival Manhattan to win their 13th Centennial League Championship in the past 15 years.

“It felt good, we were struggling a little bit to beat Manhattan all year and we finally put good scores together and came out with the W,” Senior Bryan Tyrell said.

“It was definitely sweet to do it here in Topeka and bring back that league trophy this year where they knocked us off a year ago,” Head Coach Jared Goehring said.

On top of that, Rural also scored the city crown and five tournament wins this year.

“We’ve had a lot of great players come through this program and a lot of these guys this year, owe it to those who came out in front of them because they’re the ones that pushed them in practice every day, they’re the ones that helped build that tradition and is so strong with Washburn Rural Golf and they’ve just continued on with tradition this year,” Goehering said.

Goehring has built the tradition over 15 years as the Junior Blues coach.

“He’s really into being mentally tough and the mental game is a big part in this game and really pushes that towards us so that we can stay focused in our rounds, especially if things start going bad, we can get back on pace,” Senior Andrew Burdett said.

“Just staying mentally tough and like they said, you’re going to have bad days on the course but you just gotta push through it and play better,” Senior Tyler Baumchen said.

What’s even better is the team’s chemistry...

“My biggest takeaway is the bond we have between each other, it’s a brotherly bond and loving each other every day and coming out at practice and competing against each other, it’s really fun,” Baumchen said.

“We’ve been together for two or three years now and we’ve been connecting as a family and on and off the course we stay together and it’s a good time,” Tyrell said.

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