Park U.-bound Orrick grad recognized as KC boys golfer of year after state-title win

In the classroom or on the greens, Dylan Comstock did it all as an Orrick High School senior.

Comstock on Thursday was presented the annual boys Kenneth Smith Award in a special ceremony at the school. The awards are given annually to the top high school golfers in the Kansas City metro: one boy, each spring/early summer, and one girl, awarded each autumn. The girls winner last fall was Megan Propeck of Notre Dame de Sion.

Winners typically embody high academic achievement, leadership and community service. And Comstock checked all those boxes, even if he was a little surprised to learn he’d won.

“I was honestly really shocked, because I didn’t expect, being from such a small town, to even be on a shortlist to win it or anything,” he said. “It means a lot to be selected for it. It shows all the hard work and everything has paid off.”

In honor of Comstock’s achievement, a representative of the Kenneth L. and Eva S. Smith Foundation donated $5,000 to The First Tee of Greater Kansas City.

Comstock placed in the top four in all regular-season tournaments in which he played. He won three of them. He went on to win the Missouri Class 1 state tournament. Winning that state title had been a goal throughout high school, he said.

“Going into it, that was the expectation and the goal,” he said. “But it’s a big tournament; you never know what could happen. ... To be the first one (to win a state title) in school history, just means a lot to be able to accomplish something that no one else has.”

Comstock’s not bad on the basketball court, either. He’s a four-time all-district and three-time all-conference player who scored more than 1,000 points in his career. He led Orrick to back-to-back district championships and the school’s first state-quarterfinal appearance.

Academically, he earned a 3.895 GPA, was on the honor roll and was an active member of the National Honor Society and student council. He served as a tutor and aided in food distribution. He also volunteered as an assistant coach for the Orrick Junior High basketball team and participated in multiple local missions with his church youth group, as well as trips to Colorado and Texas.

“It’s very important to me,” he said of his community service, “because that community has given back to me in so many ways throughout the years with their support and help.”

Comstock’s next stop is Park University in Parkville, where he plans to study exercise management.

This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 6:10 PM.