WHEELING — Fort Frye and Barnesville came into Thursday’s OVAC Class 3A Championship as the clear favorites.
Both the Cadets and Shamrocks delivered at Oglebay Park’s Crispin Course.
In the end, the evenly matched teams both posted a 316 after four scores were compiled, forcing a fifth-score playoff, which allowed the Cadets to claim their first conference title in school history in golf.
“One way or another, we thought we’d be within five strokes of each other,” Fort Frye head coach Doug Pfeffer said. “We played well at the beginning of the year, hit the skids for a few matches and the last three or so matches we’ve kind of gotten back to where we had been playing. These kids were determined to one and bring the first (OVAC golf championship) back to Beverly.”
The Cadets were fueled by three players earning All-OVAC acclaim.
Braiden Allen shot what Pfeffer called “the round of his life” en route to posting a 79. He played as the Cadets fifth player.
“His best, prior to (Thursday), had been an 81,” Pfeffer said. “If you’re going to shoot a career-best round, there was no better time to do it than (in the OVAC).”
Fort Frye played a match at Crispin on Tuesday to get a feel for the course and finished with a 319.
Leading the way for Frye was Dawson Layton, who posted a 77. Kelson McCurdy also signed for a 79 and the fourth score was an 81, which was produced by Brandon Dye.
The difference for the Cadets was the presence of Ella Keffer. She played in the fourth spot for the Fort, but her score was the fifth-best on the team. Though it didn’t figure into the 316, it was six shots better than Barnesville’s fifth score.
“We’re really disappointed,” Barnesville head coach Jerry Robinson said. “We knew it was going to come down to a tight score and we got beat on a tiebreaker. But, I couldn’t be more proud of these kids who have given me all they had. I’d go to battle with these kids on any day.”
The Shamrocks had a four-shot lead in the team standings after the first cards were recorded thanks to senior standout Carter Wells.
After a rough front nine, Wells caught fire on the back, shooting a 1-under 34 to finish with a solid 2-over, 73 for the round. That was good enough for medalist honors.
“I knew had to get it going on the back nine if I wanted to pull something off,” Wells said. “At the turn, I had a number in my mind that I thought I would have to shoot to give myself a chance, but I had to keep applying pressure and keep on playing with the pressure.”
Barnesville had one other player on the All-OVAC squad. Senior Dryden Bauman posted a 79.
Other scores in the Shamrocks 316 were an 81 by Breanna Flood and an 83 by Jude Hannahs.
The runner-up medalist was Linsly freshman Adam Gill. Gill had led much of the round before Wells closed with a birdie and a par on 17 and 18, respectively. Gill posted a solid 75, however.
OVAC Golf Championship
Class 3A
(At Oglebay Park Crispin Course, Par 71)
Team Scores: Fort Frye, 316*; Barnesville, 316; Linsly, 338; Buckeye Local, 351; River, 434; Martins Ferry, NFT; Buckeye Trail, NFT
Individual All-OVAC
1. Carter Wells, Barnesville, 73
2. Adam Gill, Linsly, 75
3. Dawson Layton, FF, 77
4. Braiden Allen, 79
4. Kelson McCurdy, 79
4. Dryden Bauman, 79
Individual Teams
Fort Frye — Dawson Layton, 77; Kelson McCurdy, 79; Braiden Allen, 79; Brandon Dye, 81; Ella Keffer, 85.
Barnesville — Carter Wells, 73; Dryden Bauman, 79; Breanna Flood, 81; Jude Hannahs, 83; Colton Hines, 91.
Linsly — Adam Gill, 75; Jose Coimbra, 83; Matt Scouvart, 85; Connor Roberts, 95.
Buckeye Local — Jacob Berry, 86; Josh Kerkuta, 87; Aiden Polanski, 89; Cameron Best, 89.
River — Keira Saksa, 93; Dustin West, 107; Chris Dubon, 109; Brielle Grimes, 125
Martins Ferry — Collin Snedeker, 99; Braydon Maine, 103; Vinnie West, 107.
Buckeye Trail — Braden St. Clair, 106.