A brilliant Day 2 gave Waukee junior Jonathan Ward his first individual state title, while Dallas Center-Grimes was crowned team champions at the 2026 IHSAA Class 4A boys golf state tournament on Oct. 13 at the Davenport Country Club.
Ward was in a nine-way tie for ninth place after Day 1, but he was in a zone on Day 2, shooting an 8-under round of 63 over the final 18 holes to win the individual title by five strokes over Johnston’s Henry Baker and Wahlert Catholic’s Cal Martineau. Ward shot five under par over the full 36-hole competition with a 137, and Baker and Martineau each shot a 142.
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After recording two birdies and one eagle on Day 1, Ward birdied eight holes on Day 2. His Tuesday score was four strokes better than the rest of the field, with Waukee Northwest’s Kohen Essing’s 67 the next-lowest round of the day.
Ward won the individual title this year after tying for second in 2025. He shot a 1 under 143 at the Hyperion Field Club in Johnston last year, tying North Scott’s Jaxon Adkisson for runner-up honors behind Johnston’s Andrew Johannsen.
Essing, Pleasant Valley’s Zander Panek and North Scott’s Andrew Vollbeer finished in a three-way tie for fourth at the 2026 meet after they each shot a 1 over 143. DCG’s Avery Van Zelderen and Chase Perrin tied for seventh after they each shot a 2 over 144 and Southeast Polk’s Carter Mulcahy took ninth with a 145.
Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Jeter Lewis and Henry Sobaski rounded out the top 10 after tying for 10th with identical rounds of 146.
Van Zelderen and Perrin helped DCG claim the 4A team championship. The Mustangs shot a 584 to take first by 12 strokes over Pleasant Valley.
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Jackson Zeller gave DCG a third top-20 golfer individually as his 7-over round of 149 placed him 15th overall. The Mustangs’ Gavin Drake tied for 23rd with a 153 thanks to an impressive 1-under score of 70 on Day 2.
DCG’s Drake Jordan tied for 27th with a 154 and the Mustangs’ Dylan Jarchow tied for 44th with a 158.
Panek paced Pleasant Valley and Dylan Everitt and Michael Koury both finished in the top 20 for the Spartans after Everitt tied for 12th and Koury tied for 20th with respective rounds of 148 and 152. Pleasant Valley’s Jack Collins tied for 23rd with a 153.
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DCG 294-290-584,
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Pleasant Valley 306-290-596
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North Scott 301-296-597
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Waukee 307-291-598
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Cedar Rapids Prairie 298-304-602
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Waukee Northwest 303-304-607
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Southeast Polk 311-298-609
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Wahlert Catholic 300-310-610
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Johnston 308-305-613
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Norwalk 309-305-614
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Cedar Falls 316-318-634
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Council Bluffs Lincoln 368-336-704.
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Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Waukee’s Jonathan Ward claims Iowa HS golf individual state title
