WVSSAC H.S. GOLF CLASS A REGION I TOURNAMENT: By a Stroke
St. Marys captures regional; going for three-peat at state
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ELIZABETH -- Brandon Lawhon fired a 3-over par 72 here Tuesday at Mingo Bottom Golf Club during the Class A, Region I, golf championship to help St. Marys three-peat as the Blue Devils nipped runner-up Wheeling Central, 236-237.
"Today was a giant weight lifted off my shoulders. I've been so excited for this day all season," admitted SMHS head coach Catie Hamilton of her two-time defending state champs. "I'm so excited and I know the team is excited. That was the goal going into today was to get a top two finish and have a run for it in Wheeling next week.
"We knew coming into today that it wasn't going to be an easy round. We have a very competitive region so we weren't taking anything for granted. We were very anxious, but we knew that the way we've been playing that we should at least secure a spot in the top two and that was the main goal."
The senior Lawhon was joined in the team scoring by fellow 12th-grader Grant Barnhart (80) and freshman brother Preston Lawhon (81). Fellow ninth grader Trent Renner carded an 85.
Wheeling Central was led by Ryan Constanzo's 77. Last year's Class A state runner-up Justin Doerr tied teammate Nate Woods with an 80.
"The course was playing pretty tough. There really wasn't like a whole lot of low scores," admitted the medalist Brandon Lawhon. "I know everybody thought they could've played better, including myself. I made just as many mistakes as everybody.
"It's just I had five birdies on four, six, 12, 14 and 16. I took two double bogeys and I had three three-putts and four bogeys. I definitely was not mistake free, but I had some good holes. My typical scoreboard you see a bunch of squares and circles. It's a roller coaster."
Parkersburg Catholic junior Blake Lewis, who was the single-A state champ in 2020, played alongside Lawhon and Doerr. The threesome were the first to the clubhouse and the Crusader wasn't sure if his 7-over par 79 would be good enough to make a return trip to Wheeling.
"Last week in the LKC I shot 78 and I figured that would be probably not even enough to get there," he said. "Today, shooting a 79, I didn't think it was going to hold. It was really stressful sitting in there knowing somebody would have to come in above you and four people had a chance to beat me and for that to hold up is just amazing."
The 79 by Lewis allowed him to be one of the top two individuals not on an advancing team to qualify. PCHS had a 283 with its only other scores coming from Evan Cowan (94) and Carter McMinn (110).
"I had some pretty good shots and some pretty bad ones, but they shaped up to put it together," admitted the Crusader. "On number 11 I hit an 8-iron, (was) 200 yards out, flew it, hit it really well and I looked down at my club and the head is not there. We're going to try and get that fixed before next week. It was the only birdie of the day."
After the scores were in, Williamstown's Gavin Bosgraf and Ritchie County's Logan Hilkey went to the par-4 first hole for a playoff after carding respective rounds of 80.
Bosgraf's was a little closer to the hole after the drive, but Hilkey's ball went just a little right and found itself behind a tree, which forced him to punch out into the fairway. Despite a good look for par, Hilkey's putt didn't drop and the Yellowjacket made a four to advance.
Williamstown, which also got an 82 from William Barniak and a 94 by Tyler Fenton, finished in third place with a 256. Ritchie County was two strokes back in fourth as Cole Darnold carded an 85 while fellow teammates Andrew Freeland and Ryan Weekley each had 93s.
Mason Nichols, who earned all-LKC honors last week, led Tyler Consolidated with an 85 as the Silver Knights finished with a 268. Landen Miller shot a 91 and Chandler Ash had a 92.
Will McGinnis' 96 led Paden City and Magnolia was paced by the lone female golfer at the regional, Faith Yoho's 109.
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com