Wildcats Play Three Matches In Four Days
In a busy first week of the season, the Rockbridge County High School golfers competed in three different locations in four days, playing in Staunton on Monday of last week before traveling to Troutville the next day and finishing with a tournament in Palmyra on Thursday.
The season opener was a Shenandoah District match, with all nine district teams playing, on Monday of last week at Gypsy Hill Golf Course in Staunton.
With a team score of 347, the Wildcats placed sixth. Waynesboro won the match with a 323, while Wilson Memorial (337) placed second. Second place through sixth place were separated by only 10 strokes. “It goes to show that every shot matters,” said second-year RC head coach Garret Huffman.
Riverheads (339) placed third, Fort Defiance and Staunton (342) tied for fourth, and RC followed in sixth. Rounding out the standings were Buffalo Gap (359), Alleghany (399) and Stuarts Draft (413).
Junior Davis Welsh led the Wildcats, placing third by firing a 76 on the hilly 18-hole, par-71 course. WM’s Maddox Perry was the medalist, shooting a 74, while Waynesboro’s Berkeley Gibb carded a 75 to place second. Finishing fourth was Fort Defiance’s Carter Bird with a 77.
RC’s second scorer was junior Parker Flint, firing an 86. Senior Finbar Looney turned in the Wildcats’ third score with a 91, and junior Tanner Hickman completed RC’s team scoring by carding a 94 in his first match. Also competing for the Wildcats were junior Hendrick Colvin and sophomore Brody Grue, with each shooting a 97.
Flint Leads Wildcats
Facing challenging competition in a nondistrict match, the Wildcats placed 18th with a score of 360 on Tuesday of last week at Botetourt Golf and Swim Club in Troutville.
Auburn won with a 289, while Cave Spring (303) placed second of 18 teams, and E.C. Glass (305) finished third. “It was a super strong field of teams, but it wasn’t our best day,” said Huffman.
Flint led the Wildcats, firing an 87 on the 18-hole, par-71 course. Colvin and Welsh each shot a 90 to tie for RC’s second score, and Grue completed the Wildcats’ team scoring with a 93. Also competing for RC was Hickman, carding a 107.
RC Eighth Of 14
The Wildcats concluded the first week by placing eighth of 14 teams at the sixth annual George Bockman Memorial Golf Tournament on Thursday at Lake Monticello Golf Course in Palmyra. RC shot a 357 on the challenging course.
The tournament, named after a late coach and bus driver for Fluvanna County Public Schools, raises money for a children’s hospital.
Leading the Wildcats was Flint, firing an 85 on the 18-hole, par-72 course. RC’s second scorer was Welsh, shooting an 88. Looney turned in the Wildcats’ third score with a 91, and Colvin carded a 93 for the Wildcats’ third score. Also playing for RC was Grue, shooting a 97.
Pleased with the Wildcats in this young season, Huffman said, “This team is improving each and every day. I’m excited to see how the season progresses.”
The Wildcats were scheduled to play their second district match of the season on Monday at The Homestead in Hot Springs. They’ll travel to West Virginia next Monday when they take on Greenbrier East (W.Va.), James River and district rival Alleghany in an 18-hole match at The Greenbrier Golf Club in White Sulfur Springs.
