Hunter Schmidt

MANKATO — Martin County West’s Hunter Schmidt and Mitchell Weber will pack their golf clubs and make the annual trek to Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker for next week’s Class A state golf meet.

Schmidt captured the Section 2 Meet’s individual championship at North Links Golf Course in Mankato on Monday, while Weber earned a three-way tie for the bronze medal to qualify for fairway play Tuesday, June 13, and Wednesday, June 14.

Schmidt carded a 2-under second-round score of 70 to close sectional action with a first-place total of 146 — six strokes better than runner-up and fellow state qualifier Ben Pearson of Minnesota Valley Lutheran.

Weber penciled in a second-round total of 79 to finish the two-day sectional with a 154 to share third place overall with Logan Thell and Steven Dimmel.

Thell and Dimmel powered Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton to the Section 2 team crown with a 658 — an incredible 35 shots better than New Ulm Cathedral’s second-place mark.

United South Central took third in the team portion of the sectional with a 695, while Minnesota Valley Lutheran finished fourth at 719.

Schmidt connected for four birdies — the par-5 No. 1, par-4 No. 11, par-5 No. 13 and par-5 No. 15 — to complement a dozen pars to highlight his mark of 37-33-70 on Monday.

Weber collected three birdies — the par-4 No. 10, par-5 No. 13 and par-4 No. 17 — to go with six pars to pace a 41-38-79.

Truman/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Martin Luther’s Gavin Kester placed 10th overall by closing with a two-round mark of 173 to finish 15 shots off the fifth and final individual state-qualifying total.

Kester posted a 45-44-89 score during Monday’s second round, highlighted by birdies on the par-4 second hole and the par-3 No. 12. Kester also made two pars on the day.

Madelia’s Noah Tierney closed with a two-day total of 174 to place 11th overall, Blackhawk teammate Cross Schmidt netted a 180 to tie for 20th, while Madelia’s Josiah DeMaris shared 29th overall by generating a 193.

Pearson (152), Sleepy Eye United’s Carson Erickson and USC’s Kadyn Neubauer round out the five individual state qualifiers from Section 2.

Erickson fired a two-day mark of 155 to collect sixth overall, while Neubauer tallied a seventh-place score of 158.