BLOOMINGTON — The Delavan Panthers Varsity Boys Golf Team capped an impressive postseason run with a sixth-place finish at the IHSA Class 1A State Finals at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington.

After entering the tournament ranked 10th in the 12-team field, the Panthers exceeded expectations and steadily improved throughout the two-day event. Delavan opened play Friday with a team score of 328 (+40), good for seventh place and a spot among the top eight teams advancing to Saturday’s final round.

The Panthers matched that score on the tournament’s second day, carding another 328 (+40) to finish with a 36-hole total of 656 (+80). The consistent performance allowed Delavan to move up one spot in the standings and secure a sixth-place finish among the state’s best Class 1A programs.

Prairie Vista, host of five IHSA State Finals, provided a stern challenge for competitors. The course produced a field scoring average of 82.2 during the tournament, with holes No. 14, No. 7 and No. 1 ranking among the most difficult.

Junior Grady Burrell led the Panthers throughout the weekend and closed with one of the strongest individual performances in school history. After firing a 76 (+4) on Friday, Burrell improved by two strokes on Saturday with a 74 (+2). His 36-hole total of 150 earned him a 12th-place finish among 112 golfers who qualified for the final standings.

Junior Trace Kight-Garlisch also improved during the final round. After posting an 81 (+9) on Friday, he followed with a 77 (+5) on Saturday, shaving four strokes from his score and providing a major boost to Delavan’s team effort.

Senior Caden Rassi contributed an 82 (+10) during Friday’s opening round and added an 87 (+15) Saturday, wrapping up his high school career with a two-day total of 169.

Junior Drake Neuendorf carded an 89 (+17) on Friday and a 97 (+25) on Saturday, while freshman Izayah Sipka posted rounds of 93 (+21) and 97 (+25) in his first state finals appearance.

Junior Hudson Briggs posted one of the team’s biggest improvements, following a 101 (+29) on Friday with a 90 (+18) on Saturday to lower his score by 11 strokes in the final round.With Burrell, Kight-Garlisch, Neuendorf, Sipka and Briggs all expected to return next season, the Panthers leave Bloomington with momentum and the distinction of finishing sixth in Illinois while outperforming their pre-tournament ranking by six places.