Boys What, when, where: The 41st annual boys Division II and Division III state championships, today and Saturday. Play begins daily at 9 a.m. Division II will be held at the Scarlet Course, Ohio State University, 3605 Tremont Road, Columbus. Call 614-459-4653. Division III will be held at the NorthStar Resort, 1150 Wilson Road, Sunbury. Call 740-524-4653.
Hathaway Brown sophomore Ashley Yarbrough helped the Blazers post the best district score in the state last week.
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(Tim Harrison/Special to The Plain Dealer)
Boys
What, when, where: The 41st annual boys Division II and Division III state championships, today and Saturday. Play begins daily at 9 a.m. Division II will be held at the Scarlet Course, Ohio State University, 3605 Tremont Road, Columbus. Call 614-459-4653. Division III will be held at the NorthStar Resort, 1150 Wilson Road, Sunbury. Call 740-524-4653.
Admission: $9 per day.
What to watch in Division II: Most people see this as a four-team race between Canton Central Catholic, University School, Archbishop Kettering Alter and Canal Fulton Northwest. While two-time state champion CCC looms as the favorite, US, led by seniors Scott Smith, Will Reitan and Steve Kelly, has as good a chance as anyone and is looking to improve on last year's third-place finish. That threesome has played in a combined eight state tournaments. The US program has won five state titles, including three in a row from 2006-08, and is making its sixth consecutive trip to the state tournament. Smith, making his fourth appearance, has been the rock of the program with a stroke average of 74. Reitan and Kelly are averaging 77 and junior John Coughlin and sophomore Sam Bentz are around 79. CCC shot 307 to win the district at Windmill Lakes, followed by US at 315 and Northwest at 316. Archbishop Kettering Alter won its district with a score of 313. Interestingly, three of Kettering Alter's five players are left-handed. Individually, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy senior Jacob Forsythe is the lone area representative after finishing second in the district by two strokes to Waynedale senior Grant Weaver. The Scarlet Course plays to a par of 71 over 7,043 yards.
What to watch in Division III: Gilmour Academy senior Alex Andrews is the reigning state champion and hopes to lead his teammates to the school's first team title since 1994. The Lancers, who won the district title at Seven Hills with a score of 315, have five players capable of breaking 80 in Andrews, fellow seniors Greg Calabrese and Matt Oliver, junior Duncan DeFino and sophomore Andrew Bieber. The Lancers' winning district total was 12 shots better than any other district champ and their biggest competition should come from Lima Central Catholic, which was third last year. Lake Ridge Academy, which finished second to Gilmour in the district, is making its first appearance in the state tournament. Senior Spencer Scheeler led the team with a 79 and senior Nick Nemetz, junior Mitchell Rice and freshman Ryan McCarthy were in the 80s. The area's lone individual qualifier is Trinity junior Jimmy Wild, whose 77 at Seven Hills was the fourth-best district score posted in the state. Minster, last year's state team champion, did not qualify this season. NorthStar plays to a par of 72 over 6,796 yards.
Girls
What, when, where: The third annual girls Division II state championship, today and Saturday, 9 a.m. start both days, Gray Course, Ohio State University, 3605 Tremont Road, Columbus. Call 614-459-4653.
Admission: $9 per day.
What to watch: Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin is the defending state champ but the Lions were bested by Hathaway Brown and Poland Seminary in last week's district at Tam O'Shanter. Hathaway Brown's total of 345 was the lowest winning score of any of the district champions but the Blazers can expect a challenge from NDCL, Poland, Huron and St. Paris Graham. Four of NDCL's players -- seniors Danielle Misencik and Nikki Sarkisian, junior Talia Trovato and sophomore Emily Jereb -- were part of last year's team that set a tournament record of 658, and Misencik, Trovato and Jereb all broke 90 in the second round when the team shot 326. That was nine shots better than anyone else and enabled the Lions to overtake first-round leader Poland Seminary. Hathaway Brown finished fourth last year and has just two returnees from that team in sophomores Ashley Yarbrough and Nia Marshall. But the Blazers have been bolstered by the addition of senior two-sport star Sydney Kirby, who shot a team-best 79 in last week's district. Poland has two big-time players in senior Allison Mitzel and junior Maria Mancini. The twosome finished 1-2 in last week's district with scores of 75 and 76, respectively. Huron has three returnees from last year's team and St. Paris Graham returns two. Individually, Columbus Academy's Morgan Ranson returns after finishing as the runner-up last year with a total score of 147. Orange junior Brynn FitzGerald and Bay senior Sarah Balch are the lone area representatives. The Gray Course has a par of 70 and will play to 5,560 yards.