Big Reds’ Louden makes all-state in golf
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WHEELING - A few tense moments were all for nothing as Parkersburg High School senior Jack Louden earned a spot on the Class AAAA All-Tournament Team at Tuesday's WVSSAC High School State Golf Tournament.
After Louden closed out the two-day event with a 12-over par 83, he was on the bubble of a Top 10 finish and waiting to see where he placed overall on the individual leaderboard.
As the final groups finished their rounds an hour later at Oglebay Golf Course, Louden was finally able to celebrate his eighth place finish, which guaranteed him all-tourney status. He ended his high school career with a two-day total of 160 after opening with a 77 on Monday.
Louden tied Woodrow Wilson's Tyler Stover for eighth place. Washington's Tommy Evans went wire-to-wire to claim medalist honors at 70-74=144.
Led by Parker O'Dell's runner-up finish, Hurricane successfully defended its state title with a team score of 456, while University placed second at 478. Three Hurricane golfers, all underclassmen, placed in the top 5.
As for Parkersburg South's second straight trip to the Class AAAA state golf tournament, the Patriot golfers experienced a better vibe after a tumultuous first day.
All four golfers representing the Patriots cut strokes off from their opening round - including senior Cooper Sams, who concluded his high school career by slicing 12 strokes off and shooting a 91.
Even though South didn't climb out of eighth place with its composite team score of 525, coach Holmes Marty was extremely proud of his kids for leaving Wheeling with a better taste.
"The takeaway from this tournament, the Northern Regional is better than we thought," Marty said. "We knew what the Southern Regional had, so this week was a good learning experience. It was a very rough day on Monday, but much better today.
"The adjustment from Day 1 to Day 2 was tremendous. Getting that experience, especially for my three underclassmen experience was a godsend."
South's No. 3 golfer, sophomore Cooper Welch, gave the team its highest individual finish by placing 16th after finishing with two-day total of 166 (84-82).
"Obviously, we didn't play the greatest on Day 1," said Welch, who posted career rounds at Oglebay on consecutive days. "Nobody expected us to play great the second day, so we stopped worrying about us and played our own game. We finally got back around and today we were all smiles coming off the 18th green."
The top three golfers on South return, in addition to a handful of incoming freshmen who figure to make an immediate impact.
"I've seen a few of the middle schoolers out - I'm looking to see how they adjust to the blue tees," Welch said. "It's definitely a big jump. Obviously, I'm excited to see what they can do."
Rounding out the individual results for South were junior Jackson Ruble (89-86=175), sophomore Easton Wolfe (94-90=184) and Sams (103-91=194).
Joining the team for this week's state meet was junior Garrett Cline, who declined the coach's offer to golf on Day 2. Instead, Cline felt Sams playing in his final state tournament deserved another opportunity, and the senior took full advantage.
"Next year, the guys will have a full summer doing the Callaway Junior Tour because this year they didn't have a coach," Marty said. "By playing the Callaway, that will allow the guys to play these kinds of courses (like Oglebay) multiple times. Including this week, some of them had only played the course three or four times."
In Class AAA, Bridgeport won with a team score of 473 behind a medalist performance from Alexander Rudolph (72-70=142). Last year's state champ Shady Spring tied Winfield for second place at 482.
WVSSAC State Golf Tournament
At Oglebay Golf Course, Wheeling
Par 71
Class AAAA
Team Standings: 1. Hurricane 456; 2. University 478; 3.. Washington 489; 4. Morgantown 490; 5. Cabell Midland 492; 6. Wheeling Park 501; 7. George Washington 503; 8. Parkersburg South 525
Parkersburg South: Jackson Ruble 89-86=175; ; Easton Wolfe 94-90=184; Cooper Welch 84-82=166; Cooper Sams 103-91=194
Top 10 Individuals (All-Tournament): 1. Tommy Evans, Washington 70-74=144; 2. Parker O'Dell, Hurricane, 70-74=144; 3. Brayden Rickman, University, 79-70=149; 4. Bentley Shirkey, Hurricane, 73-80-153; 5T. Isaac Hayes, Hurricane, 83-74=157; 5T. Wyatt Maynard, Cabell Midland, 85-72=157; 5T. Seth Weidner, Wheeling Park, 79-78=157; 8T. Jack Louden, Parkersburg, 77-83=160; 8T. Tyler Stover, Woodrow Wilson, 85-75=160; 10. Will Biddington, University, 79-82=161.
Class AAA
Team Standings: Bridgeport 473; T2. Shady Spring and Winfield 482; 3. Shady Spring; 4. Greenbrier East 483; 5. John Marshall 488; 6. Hampshire 505; 7. Fairmont Senior 540; 8. St. Albans
Top 10 Individuals (All-Tournament): 1. Alexander Randolph, Bridgeport, 72-70=142; 2. Drew Maring, John Marshall, 74-75=149; 3. Isaac Hutchinson, Greenbrier East, 79-72=151; 4. Grant Winkler, Shady Spring 75-82=157; 5T. Ayden Pavlik, Shady Spring, 80-78=158; 5T. Owen Taylor, Winfield, 81-77=158; 7. Blaine Morgan, Princeton, 82-77=159; 8. Trace Tucker, East Fairmont, 86-75=161; 9. Gavin Martin, Winfield, 77-85=162; 10. Eli Bailey, Princeton, 84-79=163