The top levels of Division 2 golf in Northeast Ohio tend to be more fluid than are seen in Division 1. With smaller rosters and less depth across the board, teams have more opportunities to compete for District and State tournament bids. One superstar player could be all a team needs to make a deep run in conference and postseason tournaments. The parity makes Division 2 hard to predict, especially several months before the beginning of the season. Here are some thoughts and observations on how the landscape of Division 2 golf looks as of the end of January 2025.

Contending

Teams that have good depth are rare in Division 2, and teams that have that depth immediately gain contender status. No team in Division 2 has more depth than the Southeast Pirates. Even losing distinguished star Taylor Blazek, Southeast will return some quality players, including sophomore Samantha Morgan and senior Aubree Varga along with sisters Jennifer and Jessi Mix.

Chagrin Falls climbed over the hump and made an appearance at the State Tournament in 2024 and they will look to go back in 2025. Much of that success can be attributed to Elizabeth Pollock, who had a memorable freshman season. She will be back and better than ever for the Tigers and will be joined by senior Reagan Burnight and juniors Kate Murphy and Natalie Vernosky.

The Columbiana Clippers had one of their best seasons in recent memory in 2024, even though they had hoped they would go another round in the tournament season. Columbiana is another team that has a large, deep roster with many players who can contribute. 2025 should be another strong season for Columbiana as they return much of their core. Seniors Sophia Perry and Alyssa Kakavros along with juniors Maddie Jackson and Victoria Buckingham provide a solid starting four players. Look for senior Sydney Spaite to make an impact this fall as well.

Junior Anuja Patel has already had a huge impact on the Northeast Ohio golf scene and she will be back at work with her Orange Lions in 2025. Orange has developed a nice supporting cast to complement Patel and they will be fighting for Chagrin Valley Conference supremacy as well as District and State tournament berths. Seniors Bree Turner and Alex O’Connor will be significant role players for the Lions.

It will be hard to get used to seeing the Edgewood Warriors without Avery Vencill, but seniors Annie Johnston and Zoe Naus have both grown as players and leaders over the past several years. They will keep the Warriors in the conversation throughout 2025. The team’s success could be dependent on sophomores Rylee McCumber and Bella Welton as they progress.

Canton South is a program that has been knocking on the door in recent years, and with a senior laden top of the lineup 2025 will be the season where the Wildcats can make a play to make their presence known. Hailey Franks and Leah Kramer are the two senior stars for Canton South and they will be joined by junior Hannah Samblanet. If the Wildcats find a high quality fourth score, they will be a team to be reckoned with.

Trending

There are many teams whose stock is currently on the rise, many who have the chance to make a run at conference, Sectional, and District championships. Keystone is at the top of that list, led by Sophia Clarico, who is coming off an impressive freshman season. She will be joined by experienced teammates Alexis Askew, Caseabella Fye, and Kennedy Accavallo. Pymatuning Valley has had a group of players putting in hard work over the past couple years and they look for that work to pay off this year. Senior Kylie Luke and juniors McCamey Compan and Allison Clark form the terrific trio for the Lakers. Rootstown has a dynamic senior class that has grown together and is poised to have a really good year. The top four seniors look to be Anna Drago, Alex Biggin, Ava Miller, and Chloe Gardner. Lake Catholic is another senior dominated team. Emma Madsen, Ella Zampedro, and Angela Kerwood look to cap off their careers as they compete in the North Coast Conference and throughout the postseason. They will be joined by highly regarded sophomore Mao Edwards. Tuslaw came out of nowhere to have a really good season in 2024 and they will still be one of the youngest teams in the area as they compete in 2025. Junior Avery Rodocker has already established herself as a prime time player and with young developing sophomores Emilee Urbas, Mollie Berbari, Alexis McCabe, and Hadley Porter, the Mustangs could become a dominant team for years to come. Our Lady of the Elms is continuing to build after a strong performance last year. Senior Becca Padgett and junior Brooklyn Berkowitz are ready to compete all over the Akron area in the fall. Also in greater Akron, senior Maggie Putt of the Springfield Spartans has become one of the most improved players in Northeast Ohio. She will lead Springfield as they look to dethrone Cloverleaf in the Metro Conference. The Spartans will return several key members of their 2024 team. A final team to watch is the Champion Golden Flashes. Champion will look to an incoming freshman class to add to the depth they have already created as they look to continue a program with a very strong tradition.

Mending

After a decade long run of dominance, the Independence Blue Devils will have some work to do to reach the same heights they did under coach Karl Schuld. The best thing going for Independence is that they have a young core of players with a ton of potential. 2025 will act as a stepping stone year for this group, led by eight sophomores. Laurel has typically had a superstar player with an important supporting cast. Senior Elizabeth Weingart will once again look to step into that role this fall while the team will look to several upper and lowerclassmen to work their way into the lineup. Without Kennedy Lewis, one of the program’s top all time players, Southern Local will also be looking to returning players to take on new important roles on the team. The Indians have a deep roster and several candidates to take a big step, including three seniors: Lola Perfetto, Alyssa Deeley, and Caty Brewer.

A few schools will have some talent back but will need to fill end the back end of their rosters in order to make a splash in Division 2. Perry senior Jillian Peters will be joined by senior Lilay Yeager at the top of the lineup. Elyria Catholic will be led by senior Nicole Ferguson. Bristol will rely on junior Anistyn Williams. All three of these teams have depth in their program but will need to see improvement from their role players.