CHS finishes 7th out of 12 teams; Tallen James makes Top-10 in Tied for 4th Place
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – The Chester High School YellowJacket Golf Team traveled to Nashville, Illinois Thursday September 11 to compete in the very tough Nashville Invitational Golf Tournament. This event is known to be a very tough tournament with excellent competition. The field of teams is very good and some of the golfers are the best in Southern Illinois.
There were 12 teams that teed-off and 60 golfers played hard to fight for the title. Temperatures got a bit hot in the late afternoon, but conditions otherwise were fairly good.
Chester’s very young team played well and finished in 7th place. The Jackets have no seniors on the roster. In the process, Chester’s Tallen James, a junior, tied for 4th place but landed in 5th place after the tie-breaker. He earned a spot on the Top-10 and received a medal.
Chester’s scores and places
Tallen James (a junior, 4th place tie, score 37)
Trevin Eggemeyer (a junior, 28th place, score 46)
Logan Springston (a sophomore, 35th place, score 47)
Kross Jany (a junior, 41st place, score 49)
Jack Luthy (a freshman, 52nd place, score 52)
CHS Head Coach, Clayton Andrews, said, “Although the boys didn’t have the scores they wanted or expected, I am proud of the fight they had throughout the day! The Nashville Tournament has consistently been one of the most difficult events in the area year after year. There are multiple teams that compete in this event that are highly skilled 1A and 2A teams.”
“I am extremely proud of the play of Logan Springston, a sophomore, who posted a great score in spite of the fact that it was his first time playing on the Nashville course. Tallen James, our 5th place finisher, has been one of our most consistent and talented golfers. He is one of the best in the area this season.”
Team standings and scores
Breese Central Cougars (1st, Class 2A, Cahokia Conference, Score 154)
Staunton Bulldogs (2nd, Class 2A, South Central Conference, Score 159)
Nashville Hornets (3rd, Class 1A, River-to-River Conference, Score 166)
Sparta Bulldogs (4th, Class 1A, Cahokia Conference, Score 170)
Murphysboro Red Devils (Class 2A, River-to-River Conference, Score 176)
Steeleville Warriors (6th, Class 1A, Cahokia Conference, Score 178)
Chester YellowJackets (7th, Class 1A, Cahokia Conference, Score 179)
Greenville Comets (8th, Class 2A, South Central Conference, Score 182)
Okawville Rockets (9th, Class 1A, Independent School, Score 186)
Trenton Wesclin Warriors (10th, Class 1A, Cahokia Conference, Score 188)
DuQuoin Indians (11th, Class 2A, River-to-River Conference, Score 189)
Pinckneyville Panthers (12th, Class 1A, River-to-River Conference, Score 197)
Top-10 Golfers-Medal winners
Jack Gerstner (1st, Breese Central, Jr, Score 35, Medalist)
Owen Rizzi (2nd TIE, Staunton, Jr., Score 36)
Ryker Hegger (2nd TIE, Breese Central, Sr., Score 36)
Tallen James (4th TIE, Chester, Jr., Score 37)
Lucas Dunn (4th TIE, Nashville, Sr., Score 37)
Carter McPherson (6th, DuQuoin, Jr., Score 39)
Bryce Coalson (7th TIE, Staunton, Sr., Score 40)
Christian Swalley (7th TIE, Greenville, So., Score 40)
Grant Allard (7th TIE, Sparta, Sr., Score 40)
Carson Rednour (7th TIE, Steeleville, Sr., Score 40)
Teren Schwankhaus (TIE, Okawville, So., Score 40)
Next up for the YellowJackets will be a trip to Cobden Monday September 15. Tee-off time is 3:00 p.m.
Chester’s Tallen James, a junior at Chester High School, earned a spot on the Nashville Invitational Golf Tournament Top 10 List, the equivalent of an All-Tournament Team. James tied for 4th Place overall out of 60 golfers but officially finished in 5th place after a score card playoff. He was Chester’s Top Golfer and helped his team to finish in 7th Place overall out of 12 teams. The YellowJackets finished with a scopre of 179 strokes, just one stroke behind 6th Place Steeleville who recorded 178 strokes. Jim Beers Photo
Pictured are the Nashville Invitational Golf Tournament Top10 golfers. Each member of the Top10 team was presented with a medal. Chester’s Tallen James (fifth from the left) finished tied for 4th place, but officially finished 5th after a scorecard playoff. James shot 37 for the day. There were 60 golfers and 12 teams in the event,