South golf team earns state tournament berth

Parkersburg's Barrett Louden qualifies as an individual

CHARLESTON -- Hurricane, George Washington, Cabell Midland and Parkersburg South earned their way to Wheeling on Tuesday by finishing as the top four teams in the Class AAAA South Region golf tournament at Berry Hills Country Club.

Under coach Sam O'Dell, Hurricane figured to be one of the teams that took one of the region's spots for the state tournament Oct. 12-13 at Wheeling's Oglebay Resort. Hurricane backed that up by finishing first in the team standings with a score of 216, compiled by its top three finishers across 18 holes.

"I feel like this is one of our best team wins," O'Dell said. "This place is tough. It's so easy to look the wrong way, and you double bogey."

The host Patriots took second place with a score of 230. Cabell Midland scored 234.

George Washington coach BJ Calabrese said the Patriots worked on chip shots and putts in practice to prepare for Berry Hills, where GW had not played this season before Tuesday.

"I told the kids that if we could get three players under 80, I knew we would have a chance," Calabrese said. "We shot 74, 77 and 79."

Parkersburg South shot a 242 to wrest the final team spot from Parkersburg, which finished with a 250.

The region also qualified the four lowest-scoring players who were not members of the top four teams.

Those spots went to Woodrow Wilson's Tyler Stover, Oak Hill's Josh Maynor and Braxton Sizemore and Parkersburg's Jack Louden. Stover shot a 79 to finish in a three-way tie for eighth place with George Washington's Jay Payne and Hurricane's Parker O'Dell.

Sizemore won his spot in a sudden-death playoff against the Big Reds' Dominic Way and Andrew Matheny to get the final qualifying place. The three were tied at 84 through 18 holes.

All players were chasing Hurricane's Bentley Shirkey, however.

The freshman, who won the Mountain State Athletic Conference individual title last week at Edgewood Country Club, knocked down four birdies at Berry Hills to finish with a 1-under-par 69.

Through 17 holes, Shirkey held a one-stroke lead over teammate Chastyn Viars. A double bogey on 18 left Viars with a 74 but in a two-way tie for third place with George Washington's top finisher, Eli Amburgey.

"Chastyn hasn't gotten the credit she deserves this year, being such a big part of this team," O'Dell said.

The coach added that as Viars headed down the final stretch of holes on the back nine, she knew her score would count toward Hurricane's team total as one of its top three finishers.

That put pressure on her, O'Dell said.

"She finished, I think, bogey and double bogey, but sometimes when you know you've done it, you're good, you know the team is in, and it feels over; it's hard to finish those rounds off sometimes," the coach said. "She putted great. Her getting the confidence is really what we're gonna take from today.”

Cabell Midland was led by Jackson Foster's 76 that put him in fifth place. GW's Brody Westerman took sixth with a 77. Andrew James of Midland shot 78 to take seventh.

Parkersburg South was led by Ruble's 79. Easton Wolfe was just behind his teammate with an 80 that placed him 12th.

Oak Hill finished sixth in the team standings, followed by Woodrow Wilson and Buckhannon-Upshur.

Huntington finished with a score of 322, followed by Riverside at 369.