Sherrard, Illinois - The Highland Community College Men's Golf Team showed grit and competitiveness against one of the deepest fields in JUCO golf, finishing 6th at the inaugural Battle for the Mississippi at the iconic Fyre Lake Golf Club. The Cougars carded rounds of 298-301 for a 599 total, finishing just 11 strokes behind champion Northeast Community College in a tournament that brought together many of the nation's top junior college programs.

This event — JUCO golf's version of the Ryder Cup — matched the seven best programs from Illinois against the top teams west of the Mississippi (mostly Iowa) and one program from Northeastern Nebraska. Points were at stake for state pride, and in the end the West claimed the first annual Battle trophy after their top three teams compiled the lowest combined point total.

Head Coach Javier Jazo praised the strength of the field and the tightness at the top. "This is one of the deepest fields you'll see all year in JUCO golf. I believe 7–8 of the teams here will be in the NJCAA DII Top 25 when the Scoreboard Clippd rankings come out in mid-October," Jazo said.

Leading the Cougars was AJ Anderson, who opened with a brilliant 68 before closing with a 76 over the challenging Fyre Lake layout. This marked AJ's fourth consecutive top-10 finish, a streak that underscores his consistency and confidence. Francisco Roubineau was Highland's best on Day 2, firing rounds of 76–72 to finish 12th in the strong field.

Highland Individual Results (Par 70 — two rounds = par 140)

• AJ Anderson — 68 / 76 = 144 (+4) — Fourth straight top-10 finish

• Francisco Roubineau — 76 / 72 = 148 (+8) — Team leader on Day 2

• Luis Duffy — 76 / 76 = 152 (+12)

• Brock Brown — 78 / 75 = 153 (+13)

• Jake Maloret — 78 / 77 = 155 (+15)

• Parma Walker — 86 / 79 = 165 (+25)

• Roman Johnson — 83 / 87 = 170 (+30)

• Brady Read — 81 / 89 = 170 (+30)

Team Standings (Over Par)

1. Northeast Community College +28

2. Black Hawk College +29

3. Heartland Community College +29

4. Des Moines Area Community College +31

5. Iowa Central Community College +33

6. Highland Community College +39

7. Illinois Central College +55

8. Southwestern Community College (Iowa) +61

9. North Iowa Area CC +69

10. Danville Area Community College +79

11. Carl Sandburg College +89

12. Iowa Lakes Community College +95

13. Hawkeye Community College +101

14. Sauk Valley Community College +117

The tight margins at the top — and Highland's performance amid such elite competition — provide a valuable measuring stick for the program. The Cougars will now close out their fall season as they look to defend their Arrowhead Conference Title at Prairie View Golf Club in Byron on October 6–7.

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