SPORTS - Raider golfers play at Whistling Straits

SPORTS

By Casey Krautkramer

Marathon’s varsity golf team lost three key seniors from last year’s team yet the Red Raiders are loaded with talented golfers back this season.

Luke Jacobson is in his seventh season as Marathon’s head golf coach and his 18th year with the high school program. Brett Kage and Todd Stoffel are his assistant coaches. Jacob Skalitsy and Dylan Dodson are volunteer coaches.

Marathon’s top returning golfers this season are seniors Blake Kraft, Myles Handrick, Braxton Jourdan and Chenpieng Phakkitthong; juniors Mya Buchberger, Karsan Huebsch, Chevy Cook, Cassius Ninabuck and Markus Sleiter and sophomore Abram Jacobson who are all returning letterwinners.

The Red Raiders’ top newcomers to the varsity squad are senior Dominick Luebbe; juniors Parker Hale and Cameron Pestka; sophomore Will Bretzke and freshmen Aiden Dodson and Dylan Behnke.

Luke Jacobson said his Marathon team also has newer golfers in senior Silvia Brasizzo; juniors Tommy Glenn and Will Tourtillott; sophomores Sara Marek, TJ Linder, Trey Welch and Kendall Pupp and freshmen Gage Bracewell, Tony Hahn, Trever Utecht, Eli Hermanson and Tyler Seefeldt.

“These golfers will be looking to compete as well for varsity and JV opportunities,” Luke Jacobson said.

He explains which golfers in the topfive starting rotation the team lost to graduation last spring.

“We lost Alex Pawlowicz, Dylan Dodson and Jacob Rayner out of our lineup,” Luke Jacobson said. “Alex and Dylan had been a part of that lineup since their freshman year. That experience and leadership is always tough to replace. It is very strange not having them to put in the lineup this year. Jacob was a steady golfer for us who gave us a lot of our consistency.”

“Blake Kraft is our only returning golfer with full-time varsity experience. We will certainly be leaning on him a lot to be our leader this year, and he is well equipped to take that on. Myles Handrick, Braxton Jourdan and Abram Jacobson all were able to get good varsity meets last year, with Myles breaking out of the pack to be our No. 5 golfer in the playoffs. He really shined in the regional and we are looking forward to him getting more experience this year. Braxton and Abram played a lot of golf this summer and are excited to get their opportunity.”

“From there we have one of the deepest rosters Marathon has had. Our JV played a lot of golf, and a lot of good golf. Many of the kids we have coming back as juniors would have been on a varsity team for many Division 3 teams as sophomores. They will have to learn fast how to handle golfing in varsity meets and we will see who our team is for the playoffs. We will golf a bunch of different lineups this year at both the varsity and JV levels and that makes it a lot of fun. They are a competitive group that loves to get better and support each other to make the team the best it can be.”

Marathon’s golf team won its first WIAA Division 3 regional championship in school history last season. It was a huge accomplishment for the Red Raiders at Pine Valley Golf Course.

“Winning the regional was a great accomplishment for us,” Luke Jacobson said. “We have had some fantastic years in the past and not won the regional, even losing in a three-hole playoff a few years ago. Our goals are always high and knowing that past teams have broken through whether it be in conference, sectionals and state, helps current teams believe they can do it. We have a goal to win it again this year and it becomes realistic in their minds if they work as hard as they did last year. Pine Valley is always a double edged sword when it comes to the playoffs. Yes, we have the experience on the course but familiarity can produce scar tissue. We have battled high expectations and nerves at home, so it was great to finally get it done.”

Marathon’s golf team last won Marawood Conference championships in the 2017, 2018 and 2022 seasons. Prentice won the conference title last season.

“We again set high goals each year,” Luke Jacobson said. “Last year, we battled See MARATHON GOLF/ page 15

MARATHON GOLF- Introducing the 2025 Marathon golf team. Red Raiders golfers pictured, from left to right, front row: Mya Buchberger, Chevy Cook, Myles Handrick and Chenpieng Phakitthong; second row: Sara Marek, Brayden Krautkramer, Kendall Pupp, Karsan Huebsch, Tony Hahn, Eli Hermanson, Will Bretzke and Silvia Brasizzo; third row: Aiden Dodson, Tyler Seefeldt, Will Tourtillott, Dylan Behnke, Dominick Luebbe, Cameron Petska, Braxton Jourdan, Blake Kraft and Atreya Welch; back row: Trever Utecht, Gage Bracewell, Parker Hale, Markus Sleiter, TJ Linder, Abram Jacobson, Cassius Ninabuck and Tommy Glennon.

PHOTO BY STACY STUBBE Marathon golf

Continued from page 13

with Prentice all year and ended up coming up a handful of strokes short. The good thing is that competition makes everyone better, but the tough thing is they were sophomores and freshmen. If we want to compete for a conference championship we will need to do what they did last year, which is to learn in a very quick time period how to compete while handling stress and adversity. Prentice golfers played beyond their years with little varsity experience at a high level. We will need to do the same to catch them. Newman and Assumption are also great programs that always reload and will push Prentice as well. The Marawood has had a state team representative the past four years, including both Newman and Marathon in 2021. We look forward to a competitive conference race once again.”

Red Raiders golf results

Marathon’s golf team took second place behind champion Prentice in the first leg of the Marawood Conference championship on April 11 at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. There are still two more legs of the conference championship race to determine which team is crowned Marawood Conference supremacy this season. Abram Jacobson and Handrick both shot 82 at Ridges Golf Course. Kraft and Jourdan each shot 92 while Sleiter shot 96.

The Red Raiders took fifth place at Thursday’s Medford meet at the Black River Golf Course. Abram Jacobson placed 10th with 84 while Kraft was 17th with 89. Jourdan shot 94 followed by Sleiter at 101 and Cook at 113.

Marathon took third place with a score of 379 at a meet on Friday at the world known Whistling Straits Golf Course in Kohler. Handrick was the meet medalist with 79. Abram Jacobson placed 12th with 93. Kraft shot 102, Jourdan 105 and Phakitthong 120. The Red Raiders senior golfers are guaranteed to compete in this once-in-a-lifetime meet at Whistling Straits each year.

ONE OF THE TOP RETURNING SENIORS- Red Raiders senior golfer Blake Kraft putts the ball on hole No. 7 during Thursday’s Medford meet at Black River Golf Course.

SN PHOTO/MATT FREY

FOCUS ON THE CHIP SHOT- Marathon senior golfer Braxton Jourdan utilizes a chip shot on hole No. 5 at Thursday’s Medford meet.

SN PHOTO/MATT FREY