After having their first week of competitions postponed or canceled due to weather, the Panorama Panther boys golf team teed off their season Thursday morning in Polk County. The Panthers were one of six schools competing in the annual Des Moines Christian Invitational at Jester Park in Granger. The 18-hole meet saw the Panthers finish third overall in the team standings with a score of 351. PCM won the 2018 Des Moines Christian Invitational with the lowest collective result of 310.

Highlighting Panorama’s scorecard was sophomore Kolby Shackelford with runner-up medalist honors, completing the course in 72 strokes (+3). Watching Shackelford’s round as a spectator was former Panorama boys golf coach Hal Rossow, who led the Panthers to back-to-back state championships in 2015 and 2016. Rossow spoke to Raccoon Valley Radio after the round was over about his impressions of this year’s Panorama boys golf team. “They are going to be very inexperienced,” Rossow said, “They lost some pretty good kids as most people know. It’s going to be the Kolby Shackelford show as far as top scoring and then a lot of young kids.”

Among the youngest members of the team are two freshmen who made their varsity debuts at the Des Moines Christian Invitational tournament. Ryan Klinge and Wyatt Appleseth both carded rounds below 96 in their initial high school tournament. Both scores didn’t qualify for Panorama’s team score. Rounding out Panorama’s scoring golfers are junior Jacob Iseminger at 90 strokes, junior Trey Cobb shooting 94, and junior Dylan Douglas completing his round in 95 shots.

The Panorama boys golf team resumes their season Tuesday afternoon in a quadrangular meet versus Earlham, North Polk and West Central Valley at the 5 x 80 Golf Course in Menlo. Hear an interview with Rossow and members of the Panorama boys golf team on this week’s Karl Chevrolet of Stuart Guthrie County PM Sports Page, Monday at 6 p.m. on True Country K 107.9.