The Liberty and Olentangy boys golf teams, the top two squads in the recently wrapped up OCC-Buckeye Division championship chase, showed exactly how they got there, keeping their seasons alive by posting a pair of steady rounds at Tuesday’s Division I sectional tournament at Darby Creek.
The Patriots, led by Trey Rath’s 73, finished second with a combined 306. Jerome won with a 293.
Kyle Mitchell (74), Jacob Hickman (77) and Ronnie Foth (82) smoothed out the team’s top four. Rath’s 73 and Mitchell’s 74 were the fourth- and fifth-lowest rounds among individuals.
Hilliard Bradley finished third with a 309 while Olentangy was the fourth and final district qualifying team with a 311.
The Braves were boosted by Matthew Homza’s 72 — a mark good enough for third overall. Jerome’s Jackson Chandler and Jack Herceg nailed down the top two spots with respective rounds of 70 and 71. Garrett Varanelli and Cameron Casto each fired 77s while Ben Nash had an 85 to complement Homza’s steady showing.
Hayes was also in action, carding a combined 365 to finish eighth in what was its final tournament of the season. Logan Keeder (88), David Kelly (89), Jake Ross (91) and Sam Bonofiglio (97) rounded out the team’s top four.
Division I sectional at Turnberry
Orange and Buckeye Valley competed in Tuesday’s Turnberry sectional, carding totals of 325 and 347 to finish sixth and 10th, respectively.
Alex Cabungcal led the Pioneers with a 77 — a round good enough to nab one of four individual district qualifying spots. Spencer Gifford (79), Nate English (83) and Connor Cummins (86) also chipped in.
Jake Kehoe also wrapped up a spot in next week’s district tourney, finishing with a 75 to lead the Barons. Zach Thomson (89), Nick Baesman (91) and Reese Cramer (92) smoothed out BV’s top four.
Division I sectional at Clover Valley
Big Walnut, led by Austin Schone’s 79, finished eighth at Tuesday’s Clover Valley sectional with a combined 345.
Other Golden Eagle contributors included Michael Ford (87), Nick Dimitroff (89) and Henry von Hollen (90).
GIRLS GOLF
Orange secured a sectional title Tuesday, carding a combined 324 to take top honors in a Division I sectional tournament at Royal American.
Sophomore Ashley Au led the Pioneers, and everyone else, with a medal-winning 72. Other Orange standouts included Alyssa Kim (74), Riley Dean (89) and Brittany Miller (89).
Liberty, meanwhile, missed district qualification by three strokes, finishing fourth with a 366.
Kavya Manocha provided a bright spot, advancing to districts as an individual while leading the Patriots with a 79 — the fifth-lowest score among individuals. Makenna Brown (91), Priyasha Kota (94) and Camryn Calus (102) smoothed out the squad’s top four.
Division I sectional at Mentel Memorial
Olentangy punched a ticket to next week’s district rung of competition, finishing third with a combined 345 at Tuesday’s Division I sectional tournament at Mentel Memorial.
Freshman Leila Raines nabbed co-medalist honors with a 71 to lead the way while Alex Cardi fired an 81, Kara Raines finished with an 83 and Madison Gwinn had a 110.
Hayes was also in action, finishing fifth with a team total of 387. The Pacers didn’t qualify as a team, but their leader, senior Bailey Hager, earned a spot in the upcoming district tournament by finishing 11th among individuals with an 86. Sophia Zehner was right behind her, finishing 12th with an 89, while Riley Geiger (105) and Kelly Horvath (107) also contributed.
Division I sectional at Westchester
Big Walnut finished ninth in Tuesday’s Westchester sectional, carding a combined 428.
Mikayla Colvin led the Golden Eagles with a 102 while Sydnie Wright (104), Ashley Dew (111) and Daisy Rooney (111) also contributed.
Division II sectional at Mill Creek (from last week)
Buckeye Valley, led by Madeleine Diley’s 98, finished sixth at last week’s Mill Creek sectional with a 459.
Other Baron contributors included Erin Fridley (109), Mackenzie Furches (119) and Anibel Neill (133).
