Parkersburg High takes down rival South in duel
Photos by Josh Hughes Parkersburg’s Molly McLean follows through on a drive during Tuesday’s high school golf match against Parkersburg South at Parkersburg Country Club.
Parkersburg South’s Parker Vannoy follows through on a drive during Tuesday’s high school golf match against Parkersburg at Parkersburg Country Club.
Photos by Josh Hughes Parkersburg’s Molly McLean follows through on a drive during Tuesday’s high school golf match against Parkersburg South at Parkersburg Country Club.
Parkersburg South’s Parker Vannoy follows through on a drive during Tuesday’s high school golf match against Parkersburg at Parkersburg Country Club.
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VIENNA --A week out from the annual City Cup, rivals Parkersburg and Parkersburg South squared off in stroke play on Tuesday from the Parkersburg Country Club. The preamble to the City Cup proved to be a war of attrition, as a light rain hit the skies just as the first group hit the back nine. When the dust settled, PHS came away with a 342-377 win over South.
An added wrinkle to this edition of the rivalry was that both the Patriots and Big Reds were being led by new head coaches (PHS head coach Vince Guice and South head coach John Badgley). While the teams have already participated in a few events this season, the first meeting between the two schools carried plenty of weight.
The Big Reds' duo of Molly McLean and Brielle Milhoan got the day started by clashing with the Patriots' duo of Parker Vannoy and Austin Reeves, as McLean led the charge with an 83. Vannoy followed closely behind with an 85 in the less than ideal conditions. Despite four-putting the final green, Milhoan finished with an 86 on the afternoon. Reeves rebounded following a front-nine 55, as he rallied for a 46 on the back. That gave him a 101, which tied him with teammate Brandt Butcher. The low score on the afternoon belonged to PHS's Hayden Leavitt. The junior set a blistering pace on the front nine, with a 37. That led all golfers, and he finished his performance with a 43 on the back. In total, he led the field with an 80, so his score alongside those of McLean, Milhoan and Anna Earl (who finished in PHS's top four with a 93), did more than enough to claim victory.
Outside the top four were Vinnie Guice (105) and Dylan Bond (107).
South's Nate Gilpin scored a 90 when it was all over, as his performance made up for a couple of the higher scores posted. Vannoy, Gilpin, and the 101s from Butcher and Reeves made up the PSHS top four, while Olivia Foley (102) and Lauren Cline (112) were just off the pace. Both teams have their sights set on bigger things throughout the season. Still, the upcoming City Cup looms large.
"She played well. She had one bad hole," PHS's Guice said of McLean. "She doubled No. 1 and had a nine on 16. Other than those, she was good. I'll take that. Match play (next week) is a whole different thing, so I think we'll be fine. If we can get production out of Hayden like we did today, we've got a shot. Hayden played great today. Hayden and Anna coming in at 3 and 4 with an 80 and 93, that's what seeled it here for us. Three scores in the 80s with one in the low-90s? I'll take that."
PHS's top four play again Saturday at the Marion County Invitational in Fairmont. As for the Patriots, Badgley and company are preparing for next week with the City Cup in mind.
"I know from our standpoint, the biggest thing we need to work on is our consistency," Badgley said. "We have a very young team, and today, we played four freshmen in our starting six. With youth comes inexperience, so our goal is to become more experienced as the season goes on. Well, get that with more play. We had a steady rain, but overall, we thought that team number would be lower. We have been playing lower, and the Parkersburg Country Club is in great shape. It's a tough course. It's a long course, and with our freshmen, they're not used to the length of this course, so it was challenging, but we need to be able to play better in those circumstances."
Following the match, South's Vannoy said he had difficulties, but it's a work in progress for the Patriot low-scorer.
"Well, today was a rough day, but I still shot an 85," he said. "I didn't make a putt today, which was my fault for not preparing well enough. I definitely need to come back out here, and work on my putting. Putting and iron-play are going to be the two biggest things."
PHS's McLean also hopes for more consistency at the Country Club when these two squads meet again.
"I wasn't doing anything as well as I should have," she admitted. "I wasn't putting great. I wasn't hitting the ball great, but it worked out OK. I'm really excited (for the City Cup). I love match play, and I have confidence that we're going to get it back this year. I need to improve my ball striking. It was not up to par today, at all."
Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com