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Here's what happened in the Central District.
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/sports/2011/10/10/boys-golf-district-results-2011.html
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/sports/2011/10/10/boys-golf-district-results-2011.html
Boys Golf
Jerome, UA, Coffman advance to Division I state tournamentBy AARON BLANKENSHIP
ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The Dublin Jerome High School boys golf team knew it was in trouble when it found itself in fourth place midway through the Division I district tournament Oct. 11 at Apple Valley, as only the top three squads would advance to the state tournament.
The Celtics shot a 151 on the front nine, but found themselves six strokes behind Upper Arlington, four behind St. Charles and one behind Dublin Coffman.
Yet, the Celtics didn't let any nerves get the better of them, rallying to win the 15-team tournament with a score of 296. Upper Arlington (297) and Dublin Coffman (299) also qualified for state, while two-time defending state champion St. Charles (301) was fourth, barely missing the cut.
Rounding out the scores were New Albany (309), Hilliard Davidson (311), Granville (311), Pickerington North (312), Dresden Tri-Valley (317), Westerville Central (322), Olentangy (327), Carrollton (329), Marietta (330), Olentangy Liberty (333) and Big Walnut (353).
The top three individuals not on qualifying teams — Pickerington North sophomore Alex Weiss (71), St. Charles senior Nate Yankovich (72) and Lancaster's Trevor Cohen (75) — also advanced to state, which will be held Oct. 21 and 22 at Ohio State's Scarlet Course.
"This was a pressure-packed tournament with so many good teams competing for three spots, and we definitely felt the pressure when we were in fourth place through the front nine," Jerome coach Craig Zesiger said. "But our guys are grinders and they never gave up. They just knuckled down and persevered mentally to overcome our poor start."
Jerome, UA and Coffman believe they have a legitimate shot at winning the state championship.
Last year at state, the Celtics finished third (636) behind St. Charles (610) and Cleveland St. Ignatius (621).
Jerome won Division I state championships in 2005 and 2007 and the Division II state title in 2004. Also as a Division I team, the Celtics finished second at state behind UA in 2006, finished second in 2008 behind Cincinnati St. Xavier and finished eighth in 2009.
"The fact that it's a two-day tournament plays in our favor because of our consistency," Zesiger said. "It's tough to sustain a good score for two days, but I feel like our guys are in a position to do that. Our scoring average is 298, and our best score has been a 288 while 312 is our worst score. The key for us is to continue to play consistently well through both days."
Coffman has placed fourth at state the past two years, shooting a 648 last season.
A year ago, the Shamrocks shot a 326 in the first round and were tied for fifth with Cincinnati Moeller, 23 strokes behind leader St. Charles. Coffman coach David Woodmansee said his squad needs to get out to a better start to stay in the hunt for the title.
"I just want us to shoot well enough on the first day to make it into the top three pairing for the second day," Woodmansee said. "Three of our guys played in the state tournament last year, and that's a huge advantage because they know what to expect now. I think our guys have the confidence and experience to challenge for first place, if we play well."
UA will compete at state for the first time since winning the 2006 championship. The Golden Bears have won 17 state titles, which is the most of any high school in the nation.
"I feel like we can win this tournament because we had to beat out some of the best teams in the state just to make it there," UA coach Ron Mautz said. "I'm guessing if we shoot a 307 or 308 we might be in it, because it's a tough course and we may have tough weather. The key for us is to handle our emotions and to just go out and play to our potential."
Mert Selamet shot a 72 to lead Jerome to its first district title since it won three consecutive districts championships from 2006 through 2008.
Brady Bohl (74), Chad Merzbacher (75), Chad Howard (75) and Michael Harris (81) also competed for the Celtics, who qualified for state for the eighth time in their eight years of existence.
"We shot a 1-over-par 145 on the back nine, and that's a testament to how much grit our guys have," Zesiger said. "Mert shot 2-under-par and Brady shot 1-under-par on the back nine. We needed all five of these guys to do this, and none of them gave up."
Coffman senior Satoshi Tanaka shot a 71 to earn co-medalist honors along with Weiss.
Jack Sparling (73), Brian Truckly (77), Nick Sparling (78) and Thomas Shindler (78) also competed for the Shamrocks, who qualified for state for a third consecutive season.
"Satoshi plays well under pressure and he has such a good short game that he's capable of playing well on any course," Woodmansee said. "It's such a huge relief to make it through. This has been the hardest it's ever been to qualify for state because the caliber of golfers in central Ohio is the best I've ever seen. The fact that we had to shoot under 300 just to qualify is insane. There were a couple of teams, like St. Charles, who are good enough to win state who didn't even make it through."
Competing for UA were Justin Wick (72), Kyle Kellogg (73), Josh Wick (75), Will Mason (77) and Ryan Kahle (81).
"We knew it was going to be a shootout coming into it, and our guys responded well to playing under pressure," Mautz said. "Coffman and St. Charles finished before us and Jerome was playing with us, so we knew we needed to put up a pretty impressive score to make it, and the kids got it done."
St. Charles coach Andy MacKinnon was disappointed his team didn't make it back to state, but he was far from upset with how the Cardinals played.
In addition to Yankovich, competing for the Cardinals were F.J. O'Donnell (76), Austin Cuervo (76), Matt Moosavian (77) and Thomas Gallagher (77).
"We shot a great score that would have won this tournament most years," MacKinnon said. "I'm happy with the way all five of our guys played today, as they all shot in the 70s. It just wasn't enough this year, which speaks to how deep the talent is in central Ohio. It's just a shame that only three teams from our district make it out and that the OHSAA doesn't make sure that all the top talent is going to play at the state tournament."
Yankovich will attempt to win his first individual state title. He tied for 10th (155) at state last year after tying for second (75) as a sophomore.
"I wanted to go back to state with my team, but I need to put that behind me and go try to win my first individual state title," said Yankovich, a University of Iowa recruit. "Scarlet is a great test and there will be great competition there, but I played there probably 15 times the past year and I'm comfortable playing there. I just need to stay strong mentally and grind out my best possible score."
