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MUSCATINE, Iowa – With the Mississippi Athletic Conference golf meet just two weeks away, Jerry Teel is trying to solidify his lineup.

And with just two events remaining before the Muscatine golf coach finalizes his top six players for the conference and district meets, the Muskies have six golfers vying for four spots.

“Our kids have a lot of pressure on them right now to perform, and they’re feeling the pressure,” Teel said Thursday evening after the Muskies upended Clinton in a dual meet at Geneva Golf and Country Club, 168-179.

Sophomores Michael Canfield and Josh Anderson are guaranteed a place in the top six. Canfield has had his score count in seven of Muscatine’s eight meets and Anderson has been among the low four in six events.

From there, the picture is cloudy.

Drake Decker, Jacob Koch and Austin Young have the inside track for three of the remaining four spots, while Brody Smock, Chris Lawhead and Tyler Askren are in the mix, too.

However, the difference between No. 1 and 8 was miniscule Thursday.

Anderson earned medalist honors with a six-over 41, and Lawhead – designated as the team’s No. 8 player – fired a 43. In fact, only five shots separated Muscatine’s lowest and highest score.

Still, the scores aren’t as low as Teel would like to see from his team.

“Right now we’re in a funk and we can’t play out of it,” he said. “We’ve had very few practice days where we’ve just got to practice. That’s the problem when you have a back-ended schedule like we have.”

Muscatine had meets Wednesday and Thursday. It’ll practice today before hosting Davenport North on Monday and Burlington in an 18-hole meet Tuesday.

Teel wants to see his team take advantage of its home course.

“I haven’t seen us take that next step,” he said. “We haven’t been very good the last couple of years and now we’re kind of good. How good are we? I don’t know.

“But shooting in the low 40s in this conference with Pleasant Valley and Bettendorf isn’t great, just OK.”

Anderson isn’t too concerned.

“The way we’ve been looking at it, what matters is what we shoot at districts,” he said. “It’s how we finish rather than how we are now. I’m not worried about it too much.”

In addition to medal play, Thursday’s dual was scored as a match play event, too. Muscatine won that, 65-31, as seven of its eight players won their respective head-to-head matches.

“It’s different and something we never get to do,” junior Austin Young said. “It was fun.”

Anderson used a solid ball-striking round to overcome a three-putt on the par-5 fourth and some shaky shots around the green.

“I felt like I hit the ball well today, but the score just isn’t very good,” he said. “Putting has been a huge issue. I three-putt way too much. I need to start making those short putts.

“Today, it was one hole that did me in.”

Young tied Canfield with a 42. After a double-bogey on the 357-yard first hole, Young rebounded with a birdie at No. 2 after sticking his approach shot on the 377-yard par 4 to nearly 10 feet.

“That birdie on No. 2 got me up a little bit and helped my confidence,” he said. “I was pretty pleased with how I played after that first hole.”

Medal play

Muscatine 168, Clinton 179

Clinton (179) — Jeremy Miller 41, Christian Rowan 43, Conner Hood 47, Tony Balk 48.

Muscatine (168) — Josh Anderson 41, Michael Canfield 42, Austin Young 42, Chris Lawhead 43, Jacob Koch 44, Tyler Askren 44, Brody Smock 45, Drake Decker 46.

Note: Anderson was the meet medalist based on a cardback with Miller.

Match play

Muscatine 65, Clinton 31

Miller (C) def. Canfield 81/2-31/2; Anderson (M) def. Rowan 81/2-31/2; Decker (M) def. Balk 71/2-41/2; Koch (M) def. L. Hood 8-4; Smock (M) def. Davis 8-4; Young (M) def. Baker 9-3; Askren (M) def. C. Hood 101/2-11/2; Lawhead (M) def. Rolston 10-2.

Note: Each match was worth 12 points as the player with the low score on each hole earned a point. The low score for the nine holes earned three points.