Headlines

Warriors headed back to state tournament

Two post season tournaments down, one to go. The Western Albemarle golf team is back in the state tournament for the third year in a row after taking first place at the Region II tournament in Harrisonburg on an extremely windy Wednesday, winning by 10 strokes over second place Loundoun County with it’s cumulative score of 310.

Getting to the Group AA tournament was the goal for the Warriors coming in, and now that their invitation is set in stone, the team is somewhat relieved.

“The region tournament is probably more nerve racking than any of the events we play,” said Western coach Darren Maynard. “We feel good about the state tournament because you get two rounds. If you don’t play well in the first round it’s okay because you’ve got the second round to make up, so it’s a little less pressure in that sense.”

As has been the case for the last two years, the Warriors were paced by Patrick Leisure, who’s even par 72 gave him the Region II individual title. But while Leisure was his predictable self on the course, the Warriors enjoyed a surprise from Ethan Lohr, who was Western’s second best shooter with a 3-over 75.

“That was awfully nice for our sixth man to shoot that high,” Maynard said. “We sure enjoy having that depth at the bottom of the roster.”

Alex O’Dell and Scott Wakely were the other two members of the team that posted scores for the Warriors. O’Dell shot a 6-over 79 and Wakely put in a 9-over 81.  Given the conditions at the event anyone who shot in the seventies was more than happy with their score.

“They said that wind was projected to be about 40 miles per hour at times but at times it seemed well above that,” Maynard said. “I know Patrick said that if you had told him that he’d shoot a 75 in those conditions he’d be happy to take that.”

Monticello, the second team to make it out of the Jefferson District tournament last week, finished in fifth place which will end the season for the team. However, sophomore Evan Childress will get to play another week as his 1-over 73 was the second best score of the day. The Mustangs’ Michael Comer and Tim Brandon each posted 88’s to go along with Carson Wilmer’s 91.

Two other JD golfers will join the Warriors and Childress in Williamsburg next week. Charlottesville’s Ben Kayton earned fifth overall with a 5-over 77, while Fluvanna’s Mikey Toy shot a 7-over 79 and won a playoff to take the sixth and final spot.

The final tournament of the year kicks off at Williamsburg National Golf Club on Monday.

Comments

comments