Fort finishes second at state tourney
The VHSL Class 1 state golf tournament was held in the eastern part of the state, but it was teams west of Roanoke that dominated.
Auburn, Fort Chiswell, Patrick Henry and Holston took the top four spots in the team standings on Tuesday at Hobbs Hole Golf Course in Tappahannock.
Patrick Henry senior Kolby Hicks and Holston sophomore Carson Rouse both had top-10 finishes on the individual
leaderboard.
Hicks shot a five-over par 76 in his third state tournament appearance and was four shots off the lead.
“I think my round went pretty good,” Hicks said. “Anytime you can shoot a 76 in a state tournament it’s definitely a good day. I feel like I got myself out of hard spots all day to save some pars.”
Along with Hicks, Porter Blackwell (81), Connor Brown (82) and Hank Rutherford (89) contributed to PH’s team score of 328, which was good enough for third place in the team standings. Whitten Puckett (90) and Bishop Ratliff (111) also played for the Rebels.
“Getting third definitely felt good,” Hicks said. “We played very well as a team and I’m super proud of our guys.”
Patrick Henry’s score was one shot better than Holston as the Hogoheegee District rivals battled closely all season.
Rouse led Holston with a 77.
“My putting today was solid and that was what helped me shoot the score I did today,” Rouse said. “I was well pleased with my finish because there was some tough competition out there today.”
Rouse had an eventful season as he won the Region 1D tournament as well.
“I felt I have just settled in and had more discipline in my game,” Rouse said. “I wanted to finish the season strong.”
Brody Thomas (83), Garrett Steele (84), Easton Sweet (85), Levi Moretz (90) and Maylan Smith (103) competed for the Cavaliers as well.
“I am very proud of our team,” Rouse said. “We have worked very hard as a team. Brody Thomas was a great leader this season. We are a very young team and are looking forward to next season.”
Of course, nobody was catching Auburn on Tuesday as the Eagles finished with a team score of 292. Runner-up Fort Chiswell was 29 shots behind.
Auburn had four of the top five individuals as Liam Smith’s 72 earned medalist honors.
"They are very consistent and talented golfers," Rouse said. "You can tell they work very hard and they want to keep their school tradition in golf."
Castlewood’s Parker King (tied for 11th, 78), Chilhowie’s Lance Teaters (tied for 15th, 79), Patrick Henry’s Blackwell (tied for 18th, 81), Patrick Henry’s Brown (tied for 20th, 82) and Chilhowie’s Spencer Williams (tied for 20th, 82) also had top-20 finishes.
VHSL Class 1 State Tournament
Tuesday
Hobbs Hole Golf Course (Tappahannock)
Par-71
Team Scores
Auburn 292, Fort Chiswell 321, Patrick Henry 328, Holston 329, Northumberland 334, Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy 335, Middlesex 340, Buffalo Gap 380
Individual Results
Auburn – Liam Smith 72, Cody Fleet 73, Gaston Wimmer 73, Brayden Board 74, Cannon Elswick 78, Braxton Pettus 89
Fort Chiswell – Daegan Wolfe 77, Owen Jackson 78, Jax Jackson 82, Jesse Ayers 84, Brady Moore 86, Ty Crockett 86
Patrick Henry – Kolby Hicks 76, Porter Blackwell 81, Connor Brown 82, Hank Rutherford 89, Whitten Puckett 90, Bishop Ratliff 111
Holston – Carson Rouse 77, Brody Thomas 83, Garrett Steele 74, Easton Sweet 85, Levi Moretz 90, Maylan Smith 103
Northumberland – Landon Shirilla 78, Caden Jones 83, Crew Jones 86, Parker Shirilla 87, Tripp Garland 92, Brice Woolard 93
Smith Mountain Lake – Caleb Phillips 74, James Agee 82, Peyton Conley 84, Riley Canipe 95, Davis Plyler 106, Cooper Dooley 107
Middlesex – Grant Walden 79, Kai Evans 81, Marshall Walden 89, Adam Fleet 91, Austin Whittaker 94, Henry Fleet 98
Buffalo Gap – Brady Richie 89, Wyatt Lindsay 95, Will Little 97, Cade Carpenter 99, Ryland Danner 105, Trevor Snyder 119
Individual Qualifiers
Brandon Hubbard (Mathews) 75, Addie Stinnett (Giles) 76, Parker King (Castlewood) 78, Colson Tickle (Giles) 79, Lance Teaters (Chilhowie) 79, Reed Morey (Rappahannock County) 82, Spencer Williams (Chilhowie) 82, Ben Crawford (Riverheads) 85, Dave Sullivan Jr. (Cumberland) 88, Kayson Saunders (Galax) 90, Alex Fulmer (Lancaster) 91, Bentley Moore (Rappahannock) 94,
