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CLASS AAA REGION IV HIGH SCHOOL GOLF: South’s Parker Vannoy, PHS’ Molly McLean heading to Wheeling

By Josh Hughes 6 min read

RAVENSWOOD -- Late drama ensued on Monday with state title berths on the line at the par 72 Greenhills Country Club in Ravenswood. This year's regional tournament saw Cabell Midland (227) and Hurricane (243) automatically qualify, so the two individual bids were up for grabs. Parkersburg, Parkersburg South and Ripley represented the area, and golfers from the Patriots and Big Reds vied for the opportunity to play next week at Oglebay's Jones Course in Wheeling.

South's Parker Vannoy secured his spot golfing as a part of the first group with a 79. He led his team to a fifth-place showing in the Class AAA Region IV event.

"Today was a good day," Vannoy said. "I've been practicing all weekend and the past week for this, so today was a good day. The course was in good shape, and I just hit the shots when I needed to hit the shots. It feels amazing."

That second spot was far more complicated, and it pitted two friends against each other.

Molly McLean and Brielle Milhoan both fired 81s during their rounds to set the stage, as PHS head coach Vince Guice said it was "an impossible situation to be in."

McLean, the senior, wanted to go back to Wheeling to complete unfinished business. Milhoan, the sophomore, was looking for her first state title appearance as a result of this playoff.

Both girls quickly collected themselves and teed off on the first, once again. Both Big Reds kept pace through the first few shots and were approaching the green when McLean laid a shot up and on the surface. A few miscues from Milhoan around the green allowed McLean to capitalize, winning the hole and second spot with Milhoan on the front of the green. Both teammates embraced each other, as the dramatic showdown came to its conclusion.

"It was a long day. I finished very worried," McLean said of how she felt after completing her initial 18 holes. "I kept listening to all the scores come in and was like, 'Oh my gosh. We have no chance.' When Parker from South shot a 79, I was like, 'Well, that definitely got him in. Is there one lower?' I came to find out that it was jut me and Bri."

The realization of what just occurred wasn't lost on Milhoan. She knew what she had to do.

"Molly is my absolute best friend, and being put against her was really hard," Milhoan said. "I wanted us both to win so much, but the adrenaline I had caused me a little hurt on the hole. I definitely think other playoffs will be easier for me. This one was just really personal. I've got more opportunities to go to state, so I've got to work on that."

As for her thoughts on punching her ticket to Wheeling, McLean was all business.

"I think I'm ready for revenge," she said. "I was even through 13 holes the last time I played there and didn't get to finish. I just want to get it back. I have one week left."

Avery Fife's 97 and Garrett Brown's 98 led Ripley, and through a mountain of troubles faced by the Vikings in 2021, head coach Joel Miller hopes to use Monday's outing as a pathway to success in the future.

"I saw some of our players stepping up and hitting good shots. The scores don't reflect all the good shot we saw, but we haven't played too many 18-hole matches this year," Miller said. "We had a lot of cancellations due to rain and people getting quarantined, so it's been a struggle to find consistency. Next year, we're just going to have to focus on the small things with their games and put it together at the end of the season."

For his part, South head coach John Badgley was more than excited about the progress made by his freshman qualifier and the entire team.

"To have a freshman qualify as an individual to represent our team at the state tournament, man, that's a tremendous honor for Parker," Badgley said. "Parker has shown leadership you could only wish kids would show. For him to be a freshman and provide that leadership, that makes every coach happy, right there. We, as a team, had a great season. I know when you look at it, you go, 'Oh, they finished fourth out of seven teams in the region,' but we were so young. To look where we were in August, I feel like we've made tremendous strides. That gives the kids something to build on for next year."

Badgley added that Vannoy will take advantage of practice rounds at Oglebay, citing some previous rounds played at the course. With every Patriot returning in 2022, Badgley is encouraged by the steps taken by the players to get better with each round.

Having talked earlier about being in an "impossible situation," Guice later talked about his thoughts on the playoff, McLean's triumph and what it means for the red and white going forward. The Big Reds finished third with a combined score of 255.

"It's an impossible situation to have, but it was a terrible, terrible feeling. You can't root for one over the other," Guice said. "I'm happy for Molly. She's the senior, and she gets to go again. Brielle unfortunately gets two more shots at this. It was just impossible, so I wouldn't wish that on any coach, especially a first-year coach. Honestly, I think we all should have just played better, and they all four would have gone. That's the long and the short of it. We put ourselves in this situation to happen. There aren't many sophomores who get that experience, and (Brielle) is in the final group to get to go to the state tournament. That is going to pay dividends later, for sure. (Molly) is ready for this. She had some bad holes today, but other than that, she was ready to play. She played Oglebay well, the last time we were up there."

Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com

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