2026 NSAA Boys Golf Championships Preview
All four 2025 champions – Lincoln East, Elkhorn North, Kearney Catholic and Creighton – set to defend titles
By Tony Chapman
For the Nebraska School Activities Association
Three of the four contracts for host cities for the Nebraska School Activities Association’s state golf championships have a two course rotation. Which means that there will be a new host course for Classes A, B and C when play begins at 9:00 AM local time on Wednesday.
Class A stays in Kearney and will move to Meadowlark Hills Golf Course, which hosted last year’s Nebraska State Junior championships. Class B continues their run in Scottsbluff-Gering as Scotts Bluff Country Club will host this week. Class C’s Grand Island contract moves their event to Indianhead Golf Club from Jackrabbit Run.
Defending champion Creightion looked to defend their Class D title at Columbus’ Quail Run.
Up to date championship information will be delivered via the NSAA Golf Championship Central page as the golf championships end the 2025-26 NSAA championship calendar. Championship play will be over 36 holes and medals are awarded to the top-15 and ties in each class.
CLASS A: No surprise anymore, Spartans look to defend title
Lincoln East surprised the Class A state golf field last year with their two-shot win over heavy favorite Omaha Westside.
Were a state championship to happen again this week at Kearney’s Meadowlark Hills Golf Course, it would surprise no one.
While not overwhelming favorites for this week’s championship, the Spartans are certainly a team that has title aspirations. They stand second to Omaha Creighton Prep in the season-long points differential standings.
“We obviously peaked at the right time last year,” East co-coach Lee Plath said. “And, then our kids kind of took that and played well going into the summer and all of that hard work has paid off for them during the season. We have a very competitive group of kids.”
With their “state tournament five” the Spartans have shot over 300 just twice on the season. They head to Kearney off a 1-under par, 287 in last Tuesday’s district meet at Lake Maloney Golf Course south of North Platte.
At districts, the Spartans didn’t count senior Austin Beeman’s 77 and he still finished seventh individually. Max Moss, the surprise 2025 state champion, won the district meet with a 69, while Carter Honnens (70) and Zach Erstad (72) finished second and third, respectively.
East has a season low of 10-under 278 in the Columbus Invitational at Elks Country Club. Both Honnens and Zach Erstad shot 6-under par 66s to share medalist honors and Moss added a 70 in that meet. At the Heartland Athletic Conference meet at Meadowlark, Honnens won with a 66 and the Spartans had a 5-under par 279 team total.
Believe it or not, Omaha Creighton Prep has performed even better this spring based on team differential. The Junior Jays – fourth a season ago – went 1, 2, 4, 7 at the A-1 district at Johnny Goodman Golf Course. Sophomore John Kelley fired a 67 and older brother Tommy, a Nebraska pledge, was two back on 3-under par 69.
While East and Prep will play head-to-head with Westside on day one, Plath knows that doesn’t guarantee a spot in Thursday’s final groups. His Spartans had the best of the round the day last year from the fourth position out ahead of the leaders.
“Last year we had low scores being the fourth seed on day one,” Plath said. “So being up in the final group on day one will be a little different for us, since we won’t be able to go out and do the hunting. The other teams will be going after us. Prep and Westside are very, very good but I think you have a few other teams that can be in the race as well.”
Plath counts Lincoln Southwest, Lincoln Southeast and home team Kearney as other teams that can contend for the championship. Westside edged Millard South (293-297) at the A-3 at Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln, while Kearney won the A-4 at Kearney Country Club with a 302.
Westside and Kearney both will bring two returning medalists to the 2026 meet. Knox Pocras and Oliver DeMars for Westside and A-4 champion Koji Kitabatake and Cooper Feddersen for the Bearcats.
In all, 13 of the 18 medal winners (top-15 and ties) are back for the 2026 state championships.
“Boys golf has been really, really good this year,” Plath said. “Multiple teams have had multiple winners and the level of play has been high. It should be a fun week.”
District Team Champions: Omaha Creighton Prep, Lincoln East, Omaha Westside, Kearney.
Other Team Qualifiers: Elkhorn South, Lincoln Southeast, Lincoln Southwest, Millard North, Millard South, Millard West, Papillon-LaVista, Papillon-LaVista South.
District Individual Champions: John Kelley (Omaha Creighton Prep), Max Moss (Lincoln East), Hayden Tenopir (Lincoln Northeast), Koji Kitabatake (Kearney).
Returning Medalists: Moss (defending champion), Tommy Kelley (Omaha Creighton Prep), Carter Honnens (Lincoln East), Tenopir, Cooper Feddersen (Kearney), Knox Pocras (Omaha Westside), John Kelley, Kitabatake, Oliver DeMars (Omaha Westside), Kreyton Eikmeier (Elkhorn South), Graham Vogel (Millard West), John Bryson (Lincoln Southeast), Zack Erstad (Lincoln East).
Golf Course: Meadowlark Hills Golf Course | 3300 30th Ave., Kearney, NE 68845 | Host professionals: David James and Jay Cottam | Yardage: 6,588 yards | Par: 71 | Website
CLASS B: Bennington, Norris lead team race; title contenders Nietfeldt and Hinze return
It’s an “even” year, which brings a smile to Norris golf coach James Myers face as he gets his team ready for the Class B state golf tournament at Scotts Bluff Country Club.
His Titans head to the 2026 tournament second in the season-long point differential, but have won the last two Class B titles that were played at Scotts Bluff Country Club in 2022 and 2024. In between, at Gering’s Monument Shadows in 2023 and 2025, the Titans were the team runner-up.
“We obviously have some good vibes out west,” Myers said. “The tournament moved out there in 2022 and we have played pretty well each time. But, Scottsbluff is such a good golf course, a demanding golf course. It will take really good golf to win again this year.”
If nothing else, the Titans will see familiar competition.
They joined fellow Eastern Midlands Conference teams Bennington and Gretna East as district champions, while Elkhorn, Elkhorn North and Gretna are also in the field. Elkhorn North is the returning champion after firing a two-day total of 605 last spring.
Bennington has been the season leader in differential this spring and they put all five golfers in the top-seven at the B-1 district meet last Tuesday at Rivers Wild in Blair. Kale Lamberty led the Badgers with a 2-under par 70 and the team shot 289; their second lowest score of the season.
Sophomore Austin Jochum, who finished 11th at state last year, leads the team in scoring average as the Badgers have all five of their players in the top-17 of the Class B individual differential. Myers knows that Bennington will be a tough team to beat.
“I think you have maybe four or five teams that could win the tournament,” Myers said. “But, Bennington has certainly had the best season statistically. They have five excellent players and what’s even better is we play with them all the time and they are just really good kids, too.
“That’s the thing with golf. We talk with them all the time and they are just awesome guys.”
The Titans aren’t too shabby either.
They put their best round of the year together in the B-2 district at Pioneers Golf Course in Lincoln. Landon Moore shot a 7-under par 64 and Kale Baker shot 67 to lead the Titans to a 282 team total as they won by 16 shots over Gretna.
Baker and Moore just missed medals last spring in Gering, but teammate Cooper Rice is a returning medalist for the Titans. Rice shot a two-day 154, tying for 11th. Baker was a member of the 2024 state championship team.
“We bring back four guys, but we kind of started the season with a clean slate,” Myers said. “Everyone has earned their spot and we have been pretty consistent most of the season. You just hope you can put it together one more time.”
Defending champion Andrew Nietfeldt from Elkhorn North returns after topping Jaxson Hinze of York in a playoff last year. Both golfers shot a 3-under par 141. Nietfeldt, a Creighton commit, was fifth at the B-2 district with a 72. He’s second in the season-long differential and Hinze, who won the B-4 and is a Nebraska commit, is first. Hinze was the 2025 Nebraska State Junior champion last summer.
District Team Champions: Bennington, Norris, Sidney, Gretna East.
Other Team Qualifiers: Crete, Elkhorn, Elkhorn North, Gretna, Lincoln Pius X, McCook, Scottsbluff, York.
District Individual Champions: Grady Friedrichsen (Elkhorn), Landon Moore (Norris), Cole Raffelson (Sidney), Jaxson Hinze (York).
Returning Medalists: Andrew Nietfeldt (Elkhorn North, defending champion), Hinze, Friedrichsen, Kaden Ellis (Elkhorn North), Austin Jochum (Bennington), Henry Stempson (Lincoln Pius X), Cooper Rice (Norris), Brett Elwell (Scottsbluff), Zephyr Mowinkel (Milford, 5th Class C).
Golf Course: Scotts Bluff Country Club | 5014 Avenue I, Scottsbluff, NE 69363 | Host professional: Max Hadenfeldt | Yardage: 7,071 yards | Par: 72 | Website
CLASS C: A stable of challengers in the way of fourth straight title for Kearney Catholic
The Kearney Catholic boys golf team has won three consecutive Class C state championships. Getting a fourth will be well earned should the Stars repeat once again.
While they have defending champion Nash Malone, the Stars finished third in the C-4 district at Hastings’ Southern Hills Golf Club last Monday. It was a damp and cool day for the competitors which saw Adams Central win the event on their home course with a 305 team score. The Patriots were state qualifiers in Class B last year and had Braedan Dyer as medalist with four counting scores all under 80.
The challengers won’t stop at Adams Central, however.
Archbishop Bergan won the C-2 district and had district champion Boston Bojanski. Bojanski leads a group of three Bergan golfers who medaled last year at Jackrabbit Run Golf Course when the Knights had a day one lead before finishing second. Jackson Luebbe, who won the Centennial Conference tournament, and Trey Mooney also medaled a season ago.
Add in St. Paul as another who can challenge for the title.
The young Wildcats finished fifth in 2025 and have defeated the Stars three times in head-to-head competition this year, including last week’s district where they were second behind Adams Central. Sophomore Jackson Wegner was the district runner-up, losing to Dyer in a playoff.
The ‘Cats have also made course host Indianhead a second home this spring. They carded a 299 in a state preview to win the Grand Island Central Catholic Invite. Kearney Catholic, Bergan and Adams Central were in the field, as was Class B qualifier Crete. The Stars’ Malone won that individual title with a 4-under par 68.
We’ve also yet to mention Lincoln Christian – the C-1 champion and a Class B team qualifier in 2025 – or Norfolk Catholic, which won the C-3 and returns medalists Callen Marshall and district champion Will Brockhaus.
One of the other district individual champions will also turn heads at Indianhead.
Neumann’s Brooke Theile is one of the top girl juniors in the state; she fired a 76 to win the C-1 district last week at Hidden Valley in Lincoln. The youngest of five Thiele sisters who have all won Nebraska amateur championships, she won 2025 Nebraska Girls Junior last summer.
District Team Champions: Lincoln Christian, Archbishop Bergan, Norfolk Catholic, Adams Central, Ogallala.
Other Team Qualifiers: Battle Creek, Bishop Neumann, Boone Central, Cedar Catholic, Cozad, Gothenburg, Johnson-Brock, Kearney Catholic, Omaha Brownell-Talbot, St. Paul.
District Individual Champions: Brooke Theile (Bishop Neumann), Boston Bojanski (Archbishop Bergan), Will Brockhaus (Norfolk Catholic), Braeden Dyer (Adams Central), Rylan Gilmore (Ogallala).
Returning Medalists: Nash Malone (Kearney Catholic, defending champion), Jackson Luebbe (Archbishop Bergan), Bojanski, Callen Marshall (Norfolk Catholic), Trey Mooney (Archbishop Bergan), Jack Alberts (GICC), Brockhaus, Cayden Wiese (Bishop Neumann), Cope Smith (Amherst), Karter Negus (Central City, 6th Class B), Brenson Underwood (Adams Central, 9th Class B), Dante Horner (Dundy County-Stratton, 13th Class D).
Golf Course: Indianhead Golf Club | 4100 W Husker Hwy, Grand Island, NE 68803 | Club Manager: Tom Jeffers | Yardage: 6,607 yards | Par: 72 | Website
CLASS D: Creighton, North Central could battle for D crown
Creighton has parlayed their 2025 Class D state golf championship into a 2026 district title as they look to defend their team championship beginning on Wednesday at Quail Run Golf Course in Columbus.
The Bulldogs won their first-ever team title last season, while also getting individual medalist Calvin Wilmes. Creighton shot a two-day total of 683 to outpace second place Loomis by 17 shots. Willmes finished fifth at the D-2 district last week, while Creighton put all five golfers between 84-90 to win the district by 13 shots.
The lowest team score during the district round came from North Central, which shot a 334 at Ainsworth Golf Course. The Spartans, who finished third last year, got a 1-under par 71 from Keian Fischer who took medalist honors.
RPAC conference mates Cambridge and Hitchcock County could challenge from out west as well. The Trojans won the D-4, where 2025 runner-up Micah Gerlach was second behind Eli Luther of Overton. Hitchcock County, fifth last year, has district champion and two-time medalist Jack Baker leading an experienced team that has four seniors.
The other district champion is Red Cloud, who shot a 345 at the D-1 to edge Silver Lake (349) and Hastings St. Cecilia (350). The Warriors’ Lukas Armstrong won the district meet and also finished fourth at state last year. St. Cecilia is one of five Centennial Conference teams that advanced to state in Class C or D.
In all, eight medalists return from the 2025 championships.
District Team Champions: Red Cloud, Creighton, North Central, Cambridge, Hitchcock County.
Other Team Qualifiers: Chambers/Wheeler Central, Hastings St. Cecilia, Lutheran High Northeast, Neligh-Oakdale, North Platte St. Patrick’s, Overton, Perkins County, Plainview, Silver Lake, Sutherland.
District Individual Champions: Lukas Armstrong (Red Cloud), Keldon Loecker (Bloomfield), Keian Fischer (North Central), Eli Luther (Overton), Jack Baker (Hitchcock County).
Returning Medalists: Calvin Willmes (Creighton, defending champion), Micah Gerlach (Cambridge), Armstrong, Fischer, Jacob Walker (Mullen), Houston Billeter (Southwest), Baker, Brayden Melchert (Hitchcock County).
Golf Course: Quail Run Golf Course | 327 South 5th Street, Columbus, NE 68601 | Host Professional: Brent McGrew | Yardage: 6,576 yards | Par: 72 | Website