A huge thank you to the many coaches who took the time to send in their team information!
Black River Pirates
Coach- Dave Mate Conference- Lorain County Conference Home Course- Rolling Acres Team Website
Returning Players Nicholas Jackson- 12th Lenny Ramirez- 12th Charlotte Falsone- 11th
Potential New Contributors Hunter Mate
Cardinal Huskies
Coach- Mike Topalian Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Valley) Twitter- @CardinalHSGolf Last Year’s Results- CVC Valley Division 2nd place, 11-2 overall
Returning Players Troy Domen- 12th Matt Hissa- 11th
Coach Comments- Cardinal will be a very inexperienced squad led by our only senior Troy Domen for the 4th straight season. Matt Hissa will be asked to step into the 2 spot after a solid sophomore year. Rotation spots 3 through 6 are wide open and brand new golfers will have to contribute right away.
Columbia Raiders
Coach- Sam Clark Conference- Lorain County Conference Home Course- Pine Brook Last Year’s Results- 8-8 Overall 3-5 Conference Third Place in Conference 8th at Sectional
Potential New Contributors Trenton Hall- 9th David Masters- 9th Geoffrey Malkomson- 9th Nick Klindworth- 9th Troy Fry- 9th Alex Mascher- 9th
Coach Comments- A lot of new players, looking for Seniors Crawford & Hall to lead a young group. A lot of new players will be playing in there first Invitationals and sectional.
East Canton
Coach- Mitchell Sierzant Conference- Inter-Valley Conference Home Course- Clearview Golf Club Last Year’s Results- 7-20 overall, T-9th in IVC. Finished 11th at Sectionals.
Returning Players Isaac Kandel- 11th Kellen Deutschman- 11th Carter Menegay- 11th Owen Geisey- 12th
Potential New Contributors Dominick Reda- 11th Lincoln Bauman- 9th Jayce Pocock- 9th Dominick Sierzant- 9th Logan Fenderson- 9th
Coach Comments- East Canton graduated 2 Seniors from last season, but we have 1 Senior and some Juniors (both existing and incoming) that we will look to take on the task of replacing two of our top three golfers from last year. A similar finish in our league schedule would be expected this season. We should have a pretty exciting competition for our #1 golfer, as there are up to 4 student athletes that could realistically finish as our #1 golfer!
Jackson-Milton Blue Jays
Coach- Dan Crish Conference- Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Home Course- Olde Dutch Mill Team Website Last Year’s Results- 12-6
Coach- Doug Byler Conference- Portage Trail Conference Home Course- Sable Creek Team Website Last Year’s Results- 4-12, 4th place PTC, Dylan Maninga District Qualifier
Potential New Contributors Jacob Rainieri- 9th Nathan Marshalk- 12th
Coach Comments- Look for us to compete for a league title, and district qualifier. I expect Dylan Maninga, Jacob Spickard, Jacob Rainieri to lead us in scoring, all capable of sub par rds
Lowellville Rockets
Coach- Fred Schriner Conference- Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Home Course- Bedford Trails
Potential New Contributors Connor Anderson- 11th Kaden Smith- 9th
McDonald Blue Devils
Coach- Matt Vukovic Conference- Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Home Course- Mahoning Country Club Last Year’s Results- 11-7 overall, 2nd place MVAC, sectionals 7th place, one district qualifier (Caleb Domitrovich)
Returning Players Avery Maley- 12th Gavin Schriner- 11th Marco Pecchia- 11th Chris Ragazzine- 10th Josh Srock- 10th Brady Flere- 10th
Potential New Contributors Jaxson Candel- 10th Derek Hilbun- 10th
Coach Comments- Last year, we relied on a lot of youth, with only one returning lettermen. I am hoping the year of experience leads to better results this year. Each day we practice, we strive to make it our best golf possible. The effort the boys are putting into things should pay off in a big way this year.
Mineral Ridge Rams
Coach- Shawn Brown Conference- Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Home Course- Olde Dutch Mill Team Website Schedule Twitter- @RamGolf1 Last Year’s Results- 15-4, 8-4
Returning Players Chas Colantone- 12th Keaton Kucera- 12th Trey Rigley- 12th Cody Gongaware- 11th RJ Jensen- 11th AJ Sandy- 11th Jackson Geddes- 10th Eric Christoff- 10th Grant Wiscott- 10th
Potential New Contributors Vinny Simone- 9th Kyle Ague- 9th
Coach Comments- The MVAC is wide open this season for 4 or 5 teams and the season should be competitive. The team that is the best on and around the green is going to be leading the way to the league title.
Mogadore Wildcats
Coach- Chris Mossa Conference- Portage Trail Conference Home Course- Paradise Lake CC Last Year’s Results- League champions. Sectional champions. Fifth place at the district.
Potential New Contributors Max Shannon Jackson Lanham
Coach Comments- We have a good team with varsity experience, and young talent. We look to compete for the league title and Sectional title again.
Open Door Christian Patriots
Coach- TBA Conference- Lake Effect Conference Home Course- Grey Hawk Golf Club Team Website Last Year’s Results- Won the Lake Effect Conference last year, Blake Hopkins was conference MVP and low medalist at the conference tournament.
Returning Players Blake Hopkins- 12th Will Giesbrecht- 11th
Rootstown Rovers
Coach- Keith Waesch Conference- Portage Trail Conference Home Course- Sunny Hill Golf Course Last Year’s Results- Overall Record: 15-7; Portage Trail Conference Record: 5-5 (3rd Place); 3rd Place Finish at the Div. III sectional tournament; 7th Place at Div. III district tournament
Returning Players Austin Biggin- 12th Audrey Francis- 12th Luke Flowers- 11th Anthony Cambareri- 11th
Potential New Contributors Joe Weaver- 12th Trentan Sines- 11th Ryan Wolf- 10th
Coach Comments- Senior Austin Biggin has the ability to be a very good high school golfer. Audrey Francis was the P.T.C. girls golfer of the year in 2022. Luke Flowers continues to make huge strides and should have a solid junior season.
Sebring McKinley Trojans
Coach- Shannon Hutchison Conference- Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Home Course- Berlin Lake Golf Course Last Year’s Results- We went 0-12 last year until we reached sectionals where we had two of our golfers play their best 18 holes of golf all season and scored better than four other local teams.
Returning Players Michael Moyer- 11th
Potential New Contributors Jay Zheng- 11th Tate Wickersham- 11th Micheal Parks- 9th Connor Helmick- 9th Alexis Stillion- 9th
Coach Comments- We are looking forward to this season. We have a couple of golfers that are playing well and four that have never played the game before. We have a few more non conference games this year that we are looking forward too as well.
Southern Local Indians
Coach- Kyle Exline Conference- Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference Home Course- Twin Springs Golf Course Team Website Facebook Last Year’s Results- 2nd EOAC / 5th OHSAA Sectionals / 19-5 Overall Record
Coach Comments- After our schools’s most successful season and the departure of four seniors, our program looks to rebuild with a youthful and an inexperienced group. This team will look to continue a tradition and culture established before them, while maintaining a competitive attitude as they compete and learn the game of golf.
Tuslaw Mustangs
Coach- Matthew Halter Conference- Principals Athletic Conference Home Course- The Elms Team Website Schedule Last Year’s Results- 15-11 overall, 7-7 PAC 7 Conference (4th place)
Returning Players Evan Back- 12th Andrew Smith- 12th Lincoln Cocklin- 10th Caden Kiefer- 10th
Potential New Contributors Nick Lytle- 9th
Coach Comments- The players have been working hard in the off-season and I’m looking forward to seeing how it pays off. We will be led by our seniors Evan Back and Andrew Smith. Our goal is to be in contention for the PAC-7 Conference Championship.
Warren JFK Eagles
Coach- James R. LaPolla Conference- Portage Trail Conference Home Course- Trumbull Country Club Last Year’s Results- Second in Portage Trail Conference, sectional winner, district runner up, 7th in state.
Returning Players Bryce Vanhorn- 12th Luke Rupeka- 12th Andrew LaPolla- 10th Henry Phillips- 10th Andrew Fredenberg- 10th Julian Bolino- 10th Ryan Campana- 10th Brennan Sanata- 10th
Potential New Contributors Taggard Confragio- 11th
Coach Comments- Don’t let one bad hole spoil your round because you never know if you’re going to chip your next shot in or make an outstanding putt.
Waterloo Vikings
Coach- Matthew Flanagan Conference- Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Home Course- Paradise Lake Country Club Twitter- @WHSVikingGolf Last Year’s Results- 19-3 overall, 12-0 league, MVAC Champion, T-3 Division 3 Riverview Sectional
A huge thank you to the many coaches who took the time to send in their team information!
Beachwood Bison
Coach- Drew Pierson Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Metro) Home Course- Highland Team Website Schedule Last Year’s Results- 7-5 Overall Record / 2nd Place Chagrin Valley Conference / 4th Place at Sectionals
Coach Comments- This is a young team with a lot of competitive spirit. They are a tight knit group of players that are working hard to improve.
Chagrin Falls Tigers
Coach- Anne Caja Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Chagrin) Home Course- Tanglewood Golf Club Team Website Schedule Last Year’s Results- 4th State Championship; 1st district Championship; 1st Sectional Championship; CVC Champions; 10-0 Match record
Returning Players Sven Nielsen- 12th Charlie Pollock- 11th John Catney- 12th Oliver Tepper- 12th
Potential New Contributors Xander Burnight- 11th Noah Risman- 9th
Coach Comments- We are working toward returning to the State Championship with Sven Nielsen and Charlie Pollock as the leaders from 2022. Additionally, Oliver Tepper and John Catney are returning varsity players and anticipate they will all be stronger players with the experience gained from last year.
Elyria Catholic Panthers
Coach- Rick Montgomery Conference- Great Lakes Conference Home Course- Grey Hawk Last Year’s Results- 17-6, three top ten tournament finishes, one top 5 finish.
Returning Players Sammy Zambataro- 11th Jack Radosevich- 11th Lex Grimes- 12th Brace Dillinger- 11th Giovanni Barb Tyler Suhie Alex Meecha Daniel Justiniani
Potential New Contributors Kellen Burns
Coach Comments- Should be a fun year, looking to get several players more Varsity experience.
Gilmour Academy Lancers
Coach- Andy Deehr Conference- Independent Team Website Schedule Twitter- @GALancerGolf Last Year’s Results- 1st at Sectionals, 6th at Districts
Returning Players Aidan McKito- 12th Charlie Tzefronis- 12th Ryan Panzica- 10th
Potential New Contributors Christian Kerner- 10th Hayden Lee
Coach Comments- Even though we lost three seniors, we will be going into this season with more experience than we did last year. We have two very solid seniors in Aidan McKito and Charlie Tzefronis and we are expecting a big sophomore year from Ryan Panzica. With the leadership from these three, the incoming Varsity players should follow in their footsteps to produce results.
Hubbard Eagles
Coach- David Cooper Conference- Northeast 8 Conference Home Course- Pine Lakes Golf Club Last Year’s Results- NE-8 Record 11-3 Overall Record 12-6
Returning Players Matt Johnston- 12th Lucas Vargo- 12th Gabe Rusnack- 11th Garrett Brajkovich- 11th
Potential New Contributors Danny Scarmack- 12th Sam Wagner- 11th Colten Smith- 10th
Coach Comments- My outlook for the season is good. I see plenty of potential with this group and if they learn to play 18 holes then we could get out of sectionals this year and maybe further. We should be a very competitive team this year . With the addition of Colten our first four players should carry the team with five and six able to win points also
Lake Catholic Cougars
Coach- Bob Forrai Conference- Crown Conference Home Course- Black Brook Golf Course Last Year’s Results- 3rd place Sectional, 2nd place District, 8th place State Tournament.
Returning Players James Hoose- 12th Kyle Boyd- 11th AJ Trobenter- 11th Brayden Mann- 10th
Potential New Contributors Jimmy Meden- 11th Drew Zgela- 10th Patrick Zigman- 10th
The Cougars return a core group of athletic, skilled, and experienced players led by senior captain James Hoose. A competitive group with a good work ethic the 2023 Cougars will look to add to the Cougar golf legacy this fall.
Lutheran West Longhorns
Coach- Dale Lehrke Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Metro) Home Course- Red Tail Golf Club Team Website Schedule Last Year’s Results- 4th in the conference
Returning Players Eric Dill- 12th Ray Pavlick- 10th Trey Kemper- 10th
Potential New Contributors Peyton Wenz- 11th Alex Roland- 10th Brendan Middendorf- 11th
Coach Comments- We have a great deal of inexperienced golfers, but our top 3 players have been working hard this summer. I am cautiously optimistic!!
Manchester Panthers
Coach- Michael Ankrom and Shawn Zavodney Conference- Metro Conference Home Course- Spring Hills GC Last Year’s Results- 1st Place Griffiths Cup Tournament, PAC 7 League Champions, Qualified as a team for State Districts
Coach Comments- Hope to continue to see improvements in their individual games and continue to see them grow as gentlemen on and off the course…….let’s not forget having fun too.
Marlington Dukes
Coach- Rick Snode Conference- Eastern Buckeye Conference Home Course- Tannenhauf Golf Club Last Year’s Results- Finished 2nd in sectional, advanced to Districts. Had individual Garett Dillon, sophomore, go to state.
Returning Players Garett Dillon- 11th Sam Yoder- 11th Jeremy Toole- 12th Noah Jordan- 12th
Potential New Contributors Ben Warner- 9th
Coach Comments- We have some experience, but need to continue to improve this summer.
Orange Lions
Coach- Rick Clark Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Chagrin Division) Home Course- The Country Club and Highland Park Twitter- @OHSBoysGolf Last Year’s Results- District Qualifier as a team. Finished 2nd at Bunker Hill Sectional.
Returning Players Gabe Nemer- 12th Max Eisenberg- 12th Jayden Park- 10th
Coach Comments- While graduating two important players from last year’s team, we hope to continue our string of three straight district team appearances.
Orrville Red Riders
Coach- Chuck Davis Conference- Principals Athletic Conference Home Course- The Pines Team Website Last Year’s Results- PAC record 4-10; Abby Ankenman (SR) 4th place individual finisher @ Sectionals/10th place overall; 2x District qualifier. In 2022 Abby finished 20th out of 60 At Sable Creek District
Returning Players Abby Ankenman- 12th Matt Anderson- 12th Drew Alexander- 10th Caleb Carter- 10th Miles Pertee- 10th Kellen Wayt- 10th
Coach Comments- Last season was tough with 4 starting Freshman, but these season has high expectations with the return of 6 letter winners. Look for Abby Ankenman to make a good run as she has for her Sophomore and Junior seasons.
Springfield Spartans
Coach- Jack Morgan Conference- Metro Athletic Conference Home Course- Chenoweth Golf Course and Ohio Prestwick Country Club Last Year’s Results- 12-6 Overall 10-4 League – Metro Athletic Conference Champions
Returning Players Brady Hahn- 12th Connor Eckenrode- 12th Jacob Thomas- 12th Maddox Warford- 12th Jordan Bradley- 12th Logan Porter- 11th
Coach Comments- With every player from last year’s league championship season, the Springfield Spartans are excited to get the season started and want to make a run in the state tournament.
Streetsboro Rockets
Coach- Bruce Thomas Conference- Metro Athletic Conference Home Course- Boulder Creek Golf Course Last Year’s Results- 2nd place finish at the Ravenna Sectional; 1st time a Streetsboro Golf Team has qualified for the district
Potential New Contributors Andrew Burton- 11th Bryce Pocek- 10th Evan Reger- 10th
Coach Comments- 5 letter winners back from a district qualifying team, last year we were in the running for a league (MAC) championship team and are looking to win it this year.
Triway Titans
Coach- Brian Kiper Conference- Principals Athletic Conference Home Course- Wooster Country Club Team Website Schedule Last Year’s Results- 9 -10, 6-8, 5th Place
Coach Comments- We are not blessed with numbers, but we have two players at the top of our lineup who can go low on any given night. We will look to those two to lead us this year.
Waynedale Golden Bears
Coach- Melinda Budd Conference- Wayne County Athletic League Home Course- Riceland Golf Course Team Website Last Year’s Results- 18-8 overall, 12-6 in Wayne County Athletic League (3rd) Second Place in the WCAL final season tournament, Second Place in the Piines Invitational, Sectional Tournament 5th Place finish at The Elms. Team Consisted of One senior, One Junior and Ten Freshmen.
Returning Players Mark Yoder- 12th Jordan Miller- 10th Hank Miller- 10th Brayden Schlabach- 10th Doug Gingerich- 10th Adi Weirick- 10th
Coach Comments- Our young players experienced several varsity level golf matches and tournaments last season. Look forward to seeing them compete with a season under their belt.
Woodridge Bulldogs
Coach- Jeff Walter Conference- Metro Conference Home Course- Brookledge GC Last Year’s Results- 10-8
Returning Players Alex Schneckenburger- 12th Jack Iglehart- 12th Max Porter- 12th Mason Lorenz Will Rorrer- 10th
Coach Comments- We will be young and inexperienced
A huge thank you to the many coaches who took the time to send in their team information!
Alliance Aviators
Coach- Jeff Graffice Conference- Eastern Buckeye Conference Home Course- Sleepy Hollow Team Website
Returning Players Sam Gress- 12th Ben Craig- 11th Jacob Smith- 11th
Potential New Contributors Brock Runion- 9th Ethan Jackson- 9th
Coach Comments- Looking to improve this summer to be competitive this year
Amherst Comets
Coach- Mitchell T. Gillam Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Fox Creek Golf Club Team Website Schedule
Returning Players Ryan Yoder- 12th Landen Bray- 12th Prince Tran- 11th Alek Kissane- 10th
Potential New Contributors Mitchell Diehl- 12th Jacob Sprinkle- 11th Michael Haddix- 11th Jordan Miller- 10th Landon Wolf- 10th
Coach Comments- We return 3 players that were 1st or 2nd team all conference. Ryan Yoder, Prince Tran, Landen Bray
Avon Eagles
Coach- Jeff Stevens Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Bob-O-Link Golf Course Team Website Schedule Last Year’s Results- 2nd Place – SWC, 6th Place – Sectional, Hunter McCourt – District Qualifier
Returning Players Hunter McCourt- 12th Jack Cherrstrom- 12th Zane Austin- 12th Tommy Urbancic- 11th Tim Mai- 11th
Avon Lake Shoremen
Coach- Matt Perry Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Sweetbriar Team Website
Coach- David Kaser Conference- Suburban League (American) Home Course- Pine Valley Team Website Instagram- magics_golf Last Year’s Results- Dual record: 11-1, Suburban League American Conference: 6th out of 8
Returning Players Marco Silva- 11th Cole Macko, 11th Christian White- 11th Devin Miller- 12th
Coach Comments- Marco Silva had led the team each of the last two years. He advanced out of sectionals and missed a playoff to go to the state tournament by a stroke. We are hoping to build off of last year’s success and take the next step this fall. Cole Macko also made great strides last season. I am expecting more of the same this year. The team will have four returning starters on varsity, but graduating three will challenge the entire team.
Bay Rockets
Coach- Rick Manderine Conference- Great Lakes Conference Home Course- Sweetbriar Legacy Team Website Twitter- @BHS_BoysGolf Last Year’s Results- Overall Record 91-33 Great Lake Conference 26-4 Dual Record 11-3, 1st GLC Championship, 2nd Pioneer Classic, 3rd GLC Preview, 5th Comet Invitational
Returning Players Josh Hammond- 12th Ian Williams- 11th Jack Chalmers- 11th
Potential New Contributors Ben Shuster- 11th Aaron Bergstresser- 12th Travis Ropeleski- 10th Jayson Miller- 10th Ben Wagner- 10th Jayden Perrine- 10th Trevor Ormsby- 10th
Coach Comments- The Bay Village squad is returning three high level players from last season. Senior Josh Hammond will be the elder statesman. Josh has been an integral player the past two seasons. Juniors Ian Williams and Jack Chalmers will join forces with Josh to be the catalysts of the squad.
Josh earned 2nd team GLC honors the past two seasons. Ian Williams was a first team GLC member. At the GLC Championship (Grey Hawk Golf Club), Ian fired a 76 to earn 2nd place individual honors. The Rockets surprised the field and finished first place @ the GLC Championship.
Jack Chalmers will round-out the top three. Jack gained valuable experience at the varsity level. Jack is a smart player. He grinds out pars. All three are strong iron players. With improved short games, they can catapult into elite players in the area. These fellas have been putting in the work hard and are ready to make some noise.
The remaining three varsity sports will be highly contested. Potential candidates include sophomores Travis Ropelski, Jayson Miller, Ben Wagner, Jayden Perrine and Trevor Ormsby. The “Fab Five” freshmen made noise at the JV level. It’s time for these sophomores to take their games to the next level. It will be a heated competition.
We are looking forward to a competitive season. Our hope is to surprise the teams in the area. We are youthful…but have a big upside. The Great Lakes Conference has some of the strongest players in the area. It will be an exciting conference to follow this season.
Berea-Midpark Titans
Coach- Jim Cook Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Royal Crest Golf Club Team Website Twitter- @BMHSTitanGolf Last Year’s Results- 3-9 record, first at the Titan Invitational, 5th in conference
Returning Players Andrew Greger- 11th LJ Krek- 11th Luke Nedoma- 10th
Potential New Contributors Luka Santori- 11th Leo Smith- 11th Braeden Kinnard- 11th
Coach Comments- The graduation of 3 seniors has made our team young, however our 3 returning players have veteran experience in matches & tournaments. It will be interesting to see who shows up for those varsity spots. We have a very talented incoming Freshman class that should push the upperclassmen.
Brunswick Blue Devils
Coach- Colin Smith and Chad Thompson Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference Home Course- Pine Hills and Bunker Hill Team Website Schedule Twitter- @brunswickhsgolf Last Year’s Results- 5th as a team at the Good Park Sectional (335). Individual qualifier Max Heilbrun shot 73. Max shot 78 at the Pine Hills District.
Returning Players Eric Carbone- 12th Cayden De Wever- 12th Dayten Bobula- 11th
Potential New Contributors Dylan Piatak- 12th Mikey Makara- 12th Mike Samano- 12th Jonas Hinderer- 11th Ethan Kovacs- 10th
Coach Comments- We are extremely excited for new players to have the opportunity to compete for the Blue Devils this season. We will be extremely young and relatively inexperienced, but many of these young players are putting in a lot of work in this offseason. We are also looking forward to continuing to compete at an extremely high level, participating in some of the best tournaments in Northeast Ohio. We are extremely grateful to those coaches that give our players the opportunity to play in their events year in and year out.
Chardon Hilltoppers
Coach- Dan McGuigan Conference- Western Reserve Conference Home Course- St. Denis
GlenOak Golden Eagles
Coach- Scott McCahan Conference- Federal League Home Course- Sanctuary Golf Club
Returning Players Anthony Morabito- 12th Colin Whitmer- 12th
Potential New Contributors Tyler Tolin- 12th Gavin France- 10th Evan Negulis- 10th Patrick Arway- 10th Ben Sibert- 11th JP Parkinson- 11th Dylan Wiles- 11th
Coach Comments- GlenOak will look to rebuild after losing 6 seniors last fall. We will return (2) 3 year letter winners and add a lot of new and younger golfers to fill the void.
Harvey Red Raiders
Coach- Scott Cummings Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Valley) Home Course- Painesville Country Club Team Website Facebook- Harvey Red Raider Golf Last Year’s Results- 6-14
Coach Comments- We are trying to take a step up as we had 3 freshman last year.
Archbishop Hoban Knights
Coach- Quinn Parker Conference- Independence Home Course- Mud Run, Portage Country Club, Brookside Country Club, Firestone Country Club Team Website Twitter- @HobanBoysGolf Last Year’s Results- 4th Place State (Division I, Ohio State Golf Course), 2nd Place District (Division I, Pine Hills Golf Club, 1st Place Sectional (Division I, Good Park Golf Course).
Returning Players Jack Vojtko- 12th Kord Ready- 12th Charlie Hite- 12th Chris Pollack- 11th Ray Dress- 11th Braden Herstich- 11th Brett Bagatti- 11th Ethan Cooper- 10th
Potential New Contributors Ben Berridge- 9th
Coach Comments- 9 returning varsity golfers for the 2023 high school golf season. Very experienced group of golfers. Looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish this year. Team will be lead by our three seniors Jack Vojtko (Ohio State Golf Recruit) Kord Ready, and Charlie Hite. We have a very strong junior class – Chris Pollak, Ray Dress, Braden Herstich , and Brett Bagatti. Two strong underclassmen golfers Ethan Cooper (Soph.) and Ben Berridge (Fr.).
Hoover Vikings
Coach- Scott Snyder Conference- Federal League Home Course- Arrowhead Golf Course Team Website Last Year’s Results- 3rd in league, 3rd in sectional tournament, 15th in district tournament
Returning Players Ernie Otte- 12th Luke Stutzman- 11th Daniel Gambone- 11th Jake Bowling- 10th Carter Russell- 11th
Coach Comments- We look forward to competing and growing as the season progresses.
Hudson Explorers
Coach- Matt Villenauve Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- The Country Club of Hudson Team Website Twitter- @hudsongolfrocks Last Year’s Results- 1st Place Sectionals, 16th place Districts, Suburban League Champions
Returning Players Sam Fauver- 11th Callahan Lawler- 12th Adam Ruffer- 11th
Jackson Polar Bears
Coach- Jim Kish Conference- Federal League Home Course- Shady Hollow CC, The Legends of Massillon Last Year’s Results- Federal League Pre-Season 1st, Hudson Invitational 1st, Stark County Invite 1st, Post Season Federal League 1st, Sectionals 1st, District 3rd, State 10th.
Returning Players Jordan Kish- 12th Ethan Kasler- 12th Aidan Loy- 12th Max Weber- 11th Raffeale Scassa- 10th
Jackson looks to be very competitive this year with a solid group of returning letter winners. Jordan Kish, Stark Co. Player Of The Year, will look to continue his success heading into his senior year.
Kent Roosevelt Rough Riders
Coach- Ben Curtis Conference- Suburban League (American) Home Course- Windmill Lakes GC Instagram- @rooseveltboysgolf Last Year’s Results- Suburban League Champions
Returning Players Liam Curtis- 11th Christian Mineo- 12th Rowan Baynes- 12th Jack Puhalla- 11th
Potential New Contributors Jack Flynn- 10th Owen Puhalla- 9th
Coach Comments- Players to Watch- Liam Curtis (POY last year and State Qualifier), Christian Mineo and Rowan Baynes. Team- Looking forward to great competition, playing on some great courses. This is a great group of kids who enjoy playing and competing against each other and their peers
Lorain Titans
Coach- Dino Pappas Conference- Lake Erie League Home Course- Pinebrook
Returning Players Landis Jarvis- 12th
Potential New Contributors Antonio Rosario- 12th Shane Hargreaves- 12th Janai Marrero- 12th Jousleirys Villanueva- 11th
Coach Comments- We are a mixed (boys/girls) team of mostly beginners. We have been working hard in the off season learning the game and are looking forward to competing against other similar teams in the area.
Louisville Leopards
Coach- Michael McFerren Conference- Independent Home Course- Sleepy Hollow Golf Club – Alliance, Ohio Last Year’s Results- 10-1 record, 9th in the Tannenhauf Sectional
Potential New Contributors Zach Ganser- 12th Michael Filipowicz- 11th Joey Duncan- 11th Braden Franks- 11th Ethan Gruber- 9th
Coach Comments- We are returning 3 players that will wind up being 4 year letter winners. Outside of those three guys, we are going to be very inexperienced at the varsity level. Two of these three returnees have qualified for the District tournament in the past, so I look for 1 or more of them to challenge to get back to Pine Hills again this year. This year we are going to be looking for that solid 4th score as many other programs are throughout the area, if we can find that score, we will be very competitive in matches and tournaments.
Massillon Tigers
Coach- Josh Sykora Conference- Independent Home Course- Legends of Massillon Twitter- @MTigerBGolf Last Year’s Results- 1st place at the Smithville Invitational at Hawks Nest, 2nd place at the CVCA Invitational at Glenmoore Country Club, Played 16 Invitationals, Played 3 9 hole matches and went 2-1
Potential New Contributors Preston Reinhart- 11th Hayden Smith- 12th
Coach Comments- 4 of our top 5 players are returning this season. Brock and Trey have both played very well this summer. They are both going to be players to watch for the 2023 season.
Medina Bees
Coach- Mike Mozingo Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference Home Course- Fox Meadow Country Club Twitter- @Medinabeesgolf Last Year’s Results- Fourth consecutive GCC title, Qualified for State tournament, Finished 12th
Returning Players Cam Stafford- 10th Eli Zimmerman- 11th Coen Miller- 11th Ethan Cole- 12th William Guest- 12th
Coach Comments- We’re just trying to build upon last year’s success and try to play our best.
Mentor Cardinals
Coach- Eric Vinborg Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference Home Course- Black Brook
Returning Players Andrew Betz- 12th John Prentice- 11th
Midview Middies
Coach- Kyle Zimmer Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Brentwood Twitter- @MidviewBoysGolf Last Year’s Results- League 4-3, overall duals 9-3, Edison Invite champions, Pioneer Invite champions
Coach- Scott Lawrence Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- Ellsworth Meadows Golf Course Twitter- @NordoniaGolf Last Year’s Results- 6th in the Suburban (National), 2nd in the OHSAA Sectional at Windmill Lakes
Returning Players Drew Kitzmiller- 12th Ben Mallis- 12th Caden Cook- 11th Ryan Mallis- 10th
Potential New Contributors Carter Bretz- 10th Brody Gopalkrishna- 11th Gran Lucician- 12th Cameron Yanok- 10th
Coach Comments- We bring back a solid core of players that have been working hard over the summer to improve upon last year’s performance. The team will be lead by our two senior returning lettermen, Drew Kitzmiller and Ben Mallis.
North Ridgeville Rangers
Coach- Mike Belpulsi Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Pine Brook Twitter- @coachbelpulsi Last Year’s Results- SWC 1-6 Overall 1-7
Potential New Contributors Tyeson Carter- 11th Nick Forristal- 11th Parker Prince- 11th Ethan Crevda- 10th Jakob Holland- 10th
North Royalton Bears
Coach- Steven Sprunger Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- Hinckley Hills Golf Course Last Year’s Results- 4th place in the Suburban League National Division. Tournament winners at Madison Rams Invitational, Placed 4th at Sectionals and advanced to Districts at Pine Hills
Returning Players Lukas Cengic- 12th Ryan Kuchta- 12th Brandon Jenkins- 12th Andy Kovalak- 12th Daniel Lee- 12th Charlie Wilson- 11th
Potential New Contributors Roman Gambino- 12th Ryan Wilson- 9th Lucas Stringer- 9th
Coach Comments- The Bears are loaded with senior leadership and are looking to compete in the S.L. National Division this year.
Norton Panthers
Coach- Mike Maile Conference- Metro Conference Home Course- Spring Hills Team Website Last Year’s Results- Last season regular season record was 0-16, Norton finished 1st in Metro Athletic Conference tournament
Returning Players Charlie Gabor- 12th Eric Frantz- 12th Regis Vargo- 12th Matt Fowler- 11th Evan Easterling- 11th
Olmsted Falls Bulldogs
Coach- Damon DeMarco Conference- Southwestern Conference Twitter- @OFBoysGolf1 Last Year’s Results- SWC Champions, 1 Tournament Win, 2 Individual District Qualifiers
Potential New Contributors Connor Lehmann- 10th Owen Timura- 11th
The Bulldogs lost a 4 year letterman and conference MVP – Ben Scheeff (Cleveland State), but returns 4 full time varsity players and a few players that did get some varsity experience last year. There will be a rotation at the bottom of the lineup and there will be some good competition for those final 2 spots each week across several capable players. The team will be lead by Dylan Sowers (Sr) who will be in his 4th year as a Varsity player coming off his best year (1st Team All-SWC, District Qualifier, 18 hole avg – 78.0, 9 hole avg – 38.15)
Revere Minutement
Coach- David Archer II Conference- Suburban League (American) Home Course- Fairlawn Country Club Schedule Last Year’s Results- Suburban League American Division – 4th Place, Suburban League American Division 2nd Team Honoree – Jack Kinder, Suburban League American Division Honorable Mention – Grant Banning, Suburban League Boys Golf Athlete of the Month, October – Jack Kinder, Jack Kinder advanced to the State District Tournament as an Individual
Returning Players Grant Banning- 12th Jack Kinder- 11th Giovanni Lucarelli-Devorak- 12th Angelo Levak- 11th
Potential New Contributors Michael Zachary- 12th Jack Skidmore- 11th Langston Ford- 10th Tommy Kinder- 9th
Coach Comments- Revere will be hosting our 3rd Annual “Revere Cup – Friday Night Lights Experience” on Saturday, August 26th @ Fairlawn Country Club. The event has grown both in popularity and notoriety drawing nearly 300 fans/patrons this past season.
Riverside Beavers
Coach- Mike Pickett, PGA Conference- Western Reserve Conference Home Course- Little Mountain/Quail Hollow Last Year’s Results- Brayden Abbott- ALL WRC Conference, Walker Young- All WRC Conference
Coach- David Hendrickson Conference- Great Lakes Conference Home Course- Big Met Golf Course Team Website Schedule Twitter- @RR_BoysGolf Last Year’s Results- 8-2 in matches, GLC Champions, Midview Invitational Champions (305 at Columbia Hills CC – season low), Sectional Champions (328 at Greyhawk)
Returning Players Luke Dietrich- 12th Nick Tianello- 12th Dan Capka- 12th Jack Hurt- 12th Jack Petrus- 12th Luke Petrus- 12th
Coach Comments- We’re looking forward to a great season with an experienced group!
Shaker Heights Raiders
Coach- Paul Sampliner Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference Home Course- Shaker Country Club and Highland Park Last Year’s Results- Reached Districts for the 3rd year in a row finishing 10 strokes away from a trip to Columbus. 2022 Winners of the CVCA Invitational, PC Classic, and the NDCL Invitational (306 here, our best team score of the year).
Coach Comments- Shaker is looking to build from a solid 2022 campaign that included three tournament wins and a 9th place finish at Districts. Five experienced returning Seniors are charging back to earn a trip to Columbus for their final year. We are also looking forward the challenge of conference play in our re entrance into the Greater Cleveland Conference.
St. Edward Eagles
Coach- Douglas Sessor Conference- Independent Home Course- Grey Hawk GC Team Website Twitter- @sehs_golf Last Year’s Results- 5th place Sectionals
Returning Players Jack Myslenski- 12th
Potential New Contributors Thomas Marshall- 12th Vinh Lai- 11th Sean Curran- 11th Michael Tyler Polca- 11th Logan Zaremba- 12th Jack Wallenhorst- 11th Ryan McGuire- 11th Luke Schramko- 11th Chris Nadja- 10th Nickolas Torres- 10th
Coach Comments- Very pleased where we are entering the season! The bulk of our program put in a rigorous offseason with strength/conditioning programs and competing in local tournaments. The Eagles are led by two seniors Jack Myslenski and Thomas Marshall with a accompanying deep 2025 class. As we enter this season we are set on making a run at qualifing for OHSAA States.
St. Ignatius Wildcats
Coach- Kevin Neitzel Conference- Independent Home Course- Elyria Country Club Team Website Last Year’s Results- 2022 Division 1 State Champions
Potential New Contributors Frank Adamo- 12th Alexander Stiegele- 10th Joe Maloof- 10th Craig Carneval- 11th
Coach Comments- Bradley Chill and Julian Dugan return from the 2022 State Championship team and both are capable of leading us to a state title run. We have a strong group of underclassmen that will be pushing for a place on the Varsity roster. Our goal is to win a third straight State Championship.
St. Vincent-St. Mary Irish
Coach- Jim Currie Conference- Independent Home Course- Good Park GC Team Website Twitter- @stvmboysgolf Last Year’s Results- 10-4 Overall Match Record, 9th place Sectional finish, 2nd Place Alliance and Cardinal Classic, 3rd Place Tuscarawas Central Catholic and Field Tournaments, 4th Place Nordonia Tournament, 13 Place CVCA Tournament, 9th Place St Eds Tournament
Returning Players Harrison Pumphrey- 12th Paul Merkle- 12th Nick Wierzbicki- 11th Paul Witschey- 10th
Potential New Contributors Ben McKnight- 12th Jackson Vesco- 11th Angelo Puglia- 11th Nate Sparhawk- 10th Mario Case- 10th
Coach Comments- For us to do well our 4 returning players will have to play well every time we are on the course. Whoever gets the 2 open varsity spots will have to step in and play well to help us.
Stow-Munroe Falls Bulldogs
Coach- Chet Feldman Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- Fox Den Last Year’s Results- 2nd in league, made it through sectionals and just missed going to state. Last year senior, Ben Skripac, did end up going to state and finished 11th overall individually. Sophomore (Junior to be) Austin Wilhoit missed going to state by one stroke.
Returning Players Matt Kurtz- 12th Austin Wilhoit- 11th Eddie Norman- 10th Tyler Cheetham- 10th
Potential New Contributors Anderson Hurst- 11th
Coach Comments- We are going to be very young, but the kids will be playing in tournaments in the off season to gain some experience that hopefully will help us going into the season.
Tallmadge Blue Devils
Coach- Scott Campbell Conference- Suburban League (American) Home Course- Brookledge Team Website Twitter- @Tallmadge_BGolf
Returning Players Alex Wise- 12th Gabe Jones- 11th Warner Carter- 10th
Coach Comments- We will have 3 returning Varsity players and a lot of new faces. We are excited to see the younger players compete for spots.
Twinsburg Tigers
Coach- Scott Levey Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- Gleneagles Last Year’s Results- 12/4
Twinsburg expects to be competitive in 2023, led by senior Rob Prevette.
University School Preppers
Coach- Mike Sarris Conference- Independent Home Course- Sand Ridge Golf Club Team Website Last Year’s Results- 3rd Place Sectionals, 7th Place Districts, Jackson Pinney Individual State Qual.
Returning Players Adam Sands- 11th Ethan Roberts- 11th Jackson Pinney- 11th
Valley Forge Patriots
Coach- Mitchell Hartel Conference- Great Lakes Conference Home Course- Ridgewood Golf Course Twitter- @forge_golf Instagram- vfhartel Last Year’s Results- Record: 12-2, Conference Record: 3-2, GLC Tournament: 6th Place Finish
Returning Players Anthony Donley- 12th Ryan Repko- 12th Garrett Hollon- 12th Stefan Stjepanovich- 12th Bill Jobes- 11th
Coach Comments- Our team is full of a lot of experience, talent and mental strength. Over the past four years, our players have improved their abilities on the course significantly. Led by Captains Anthony Donley and Ryan Repko, the team is in great hands when it comes to putting up low scores. Other Senior leaders, Stefan Stjepanovic and Gary Hollon also look to continue having solid careers here at Valley Forge. It will be fun to see the progress and steps they take toward posting another successful year for the Patriots.
Wadsworth Grizzlies
Coach- Steve Ferris Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- Pine Valley Last Year’s Results- District Qualifier
Coach Comments- Last season’s District Qualifying has garnered attention- expecting good things this year.
Walsh Jesuit Warriors
Coach- Bill Reilly, PGA Conference- Crown Conference Home Course- Brookledge and Ellsworth Meadows Last Year’s Results- 6 Tournament wins in 2022 (tied) most of the last 15 yrs. Crown conf champs 5th straight year
Returning Players Parker Barrett- 12th Anthony Spain- 10th Ryan Czenzak- 10th Steven Voinovich- 11th
Potential New Contributors Dominic Calleri- 12th Matthew DiMare- 12th Ben Yeager- 10th
Coach Comments- I believe this team will be very hungry for the post season.2022 was a bitter setback for a talented team who overlooked State Sectional Qualifier for the District tournament and missed the District Tournament for the first time in 22 yrs
West Geauga Wolverines
Coach- Jay Kletecka Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Chagrin)
Potential New Contributors Aiden Hinds- 9th JJ Rubinski- 9th
Westlake Demons
Coach- Luke Harris Conference- Great Lakes Conference Home Course- Sweetbriar Team Website Schedule Last Year’s Results- 2nd in GLC, 3rd in Amherst Invitational, 1st in Comet Classic, 1st in Elyria Catholic Invitational, 3rd in Midview Invitational, 4th at Sectionals and qualified for Districts as a team. 2nd year in a row for that, 13th at Districts, Sion Park was 2nd at Sectionals and qualified for States as an Individual.
Returning Players Sion Park- 12th Michael Labenz- 12th Michael Ambrosino- 12th Mitchell England- 11th Matthew Brown- 10th
Potential New Contributors Josh Turk- 11th Peyton Wolf- 9th
Coach Comments- This is my first year as coach so I don’t know much. I have been told to watch out for Sion Park. He had a great year last year and should be able to compete for states.
Willoughby South Rebels
Coach- Matt Fundak Conference- Western Reserve Conference Home Course- Manakiki Twitter- @SouthRebelGolf Last Year’s Results- 5-9, graduated the player of the year
Returning Players Michael Lavrisha- 11th Tyler Hace- 10th James Miller- 11th Andrew Schrenk- 12th
Potential New Contributors Chase Stafford- 11th Austin Parker- 11th Ralph Zappola- 9th
Coach Comments- We will be young, but we will be competitive.
The Lake Erie Girls Golf Association typically is a competitive league made up of teams from the Great Lakes Conference, the Lorain County Conference, and others. The team to beat in 2023 looks to be the Rocky River Pirates under coach Jeff Hammond, led by senior Chloe Holton and junior Mia Ginetti. Other teams in contention include Westlake, who perennially sits near the top of the conference standings and has won the conference the last two years, and North Olmsted, who is a more recent addition to the conference. Columbia and Keystone, who will have a new coach in Greg Morgan, are still building their programs while Fairview, with new coach Chris Kaminski, and Bay will look to set a solid base for the future.
Impact Players
Emma Feakins (JR) Keystone Megan Forshey (SR) Westlake Charlotte Fox (SO) Bay Mia Ginetti (JR) Rocky River Chloe Holton (SR) Rocky River Taylor Kuhrt (SR) Columbia Rose Lane (JR) North Olmsted Jessica Paracsi (SR) Fairview
Freshmen to Watch
Katie May Baum (Columbia) Nina Scott (North Olmsted)
Head Coach- Victoria Budzyn Last Year’s Results- 15th at Springvale Sectional, regular season: 5 wins, 11 losses Coach Comments- Bay High School has a young team with a lot of underclassmen who are consistently improving.
Head Coach- Rebecca Brendza Last Year’s Results- 4th at The Pines Sectional, 11th at Districts, Overall Record: 9 – 5; Conference Record: 7 – 3; Won the Choke/Prize ball at LEGGA Preview; 3rd place in the LEGGA Championship Coach Comments- Looking for some strong leadership from our four seniors!
Head Coach- Jeff Hammond Last Year’s Results- 7th at Springvale Sectional, 20-1 match play, Regular season LEGGA Champions, 1st place LEGGA preview, 2nd place LEGGA championship, 7th place at Edison Invitation,7th place at Parma Flamingo Frenzy Coach Comments- Top 3 scorers return from record setting season last year. Chloe Holton and Mia Ginnetti tied for the final district qualifying spot and are back looking to lead the team to another LEGGA Championship and first ever District appearance.
Head Coach- Traci Edmunds Last Year’s Results- 12th at Springvale Sectional, 10-2 record, Back-to-Back 1st place LEEGA Tournament Championships Coach Comments- I’m excited for golf season! We graduated 5 of our varsity players last season so we will be a young team but I’m confident in our returning varsity players and the talent and experience they bring to our team. I’m also looking forward to seeing the young and upcoming talent to contribute to our teams success!
Attached you will find a registration form for the Portage County Amateurs including the Matt Mishler Junior Portage County Amateur and the Kids Am.
The dates at the end of July are fast approaching.
Just a reminder: The Kids Am is a great first tournament for junior golfers from age 6 and under through ninth grade. Coaches, high school golfers and graduates are on the course at Sunny Hill to help with rules and scorecards if needed.
The Junior Amateur includes youth in several divisions including 12 and under, 13-15 and 16-19 for both boys and girls.. If you have team members playing in the tournament you would like to watch, please let me know and I can arrange to include them in consecutive tee times.
High school golfers are welcome to play in the Portage County Amateur. We have found the adult golfers enjoy seeing the prep golfers and competing against the talented high school students from across northeast Ohio.
The Kids Am is at Sunny Hill Golf Course (Brimfield) for one day; four, six or nine holes depending on the grade.
The Junior Am plays two consecutive days at Windmill Golf Course (Ravenna) and Sunny Hill, 18-holes for 13-19 each day and nine holes each day for 12 and under but youth golfers used to playing 18-holes may move up an age division.
The Amateur competes at Raccoon Hill (Kent) and Windmill Lakes.
Registration is available via mail-in, on-site at host golf courses or visiting the website PCGolf.net for online registration and payment.
This is the 93rd season for the Portage County Amateur, the 17th Junior Amateur and the ninth Kids Am. (The Amateurs also host the Senior Amateur at the end of August for men and women ages 50 and older.)
If you have any questions, would like to register numerous members of your team or need additional information, please do not hesitate to text (330-206-9083) or return email (golffam2@gmail.com).
Looking forward to seeing the junior golfers during the month of July.
The Amateurs appreciate the golf courses providing a great experience for the youth golfers as well as the Fairways at Twin Lakes and Birdie Shack (Kent) for sponsoring this season’s Kids and Junior Amateur.
Laurel School in Shaker Heights is looking for a JV golf coach this upcoming season. It is a paid position and will go from July 31-September 19. There are 6-7 girls on the JV roster that are excited to play golf this season. Please contact Marti Hardy at mHardy@LaurelSchool.org if interested.
This article is used with permission from the Hudson Explorer School Newspaper and Ellie Davis. The original article can be viewed by clicking here.
By Ellie Davis, Hudson High School Class of 2024
Sherry Du, a junior here at Hudson High School, is an incredibly talented student and an even better friend, teammate and just person in general. According to her peers, she is driven, kind, hardworking, hilarious, thoughtful and someone they know they can rely on no matter what. She is taking and has taken some of the most rigorous AP courses at Hudson, has been a varsity golfer since freshman year and is involved in a plethora of extracurricular activities both in and out of Hudson. The most impressive part about Du is that in the face of everything she does she is incredibly personable and has been described as “a really good friend” by her coaches and peers alike. The purpose of this article is not only to highlight Du and the amazing things she does, but also to portray her perspective on her life and everything that she does so people can understand the answer to the question: Who is Sherry Du?
It is no secret that Du is an excellent student, golfer and musician, but exactly how many activities is she involved in? Du gave a list consisting of golf, Spanish Honors Society, National Honors Society, Science Olympiad, which Du happens to be a Vice President of, Hudson Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO). Du spoke enthusiastically about all of these activities and it was clear that she truly cares about and enjoys being a member of all of them. Something Du mentioned specifically about golf is that “it has been really fun and definitely a really great experience for me getting to meet all my amazing teammates.” Du is a three-year varsity golfer for Hudson and according to head coach Mr. Bolin, she is “a positive role model not only for her peers but for younger people as well.” Du also specified that she spends about four hours in Cleveland every weekend as a part of COYO, and that in her spare time she likes to practice her violin because according to Du, “if I don’t I’ll get yelled at.” This casual remark, aside from showcasing Du’s amazing sense of humor, is a great example of how dedicated she is to always doing her best.
So, how exactly does one go about managing a life as busy as this? A life like Du’s can be incredibly challenging and demanding, but as Du has gotten older she has gotten better at managing her time so that she may succeed in everything she does. “I would definitely say that time management, in and of itself as a skill that I’ve acquired, has definitely been one of my biggest challenges. Especially during my freshman year and early parts of my sophomore year, I wasn’t really effective with study techniques and that gave me a lot of grief and caused me to lose a lot of sleep.“ For Du, overcoming this challenge was a big part of her early high school career because “sometimes it meant not spending so much time on certain activities in order to prioritize others in order to have a balance of how well [she] was doing in everything overall.“ Finding the study techniques that work best for her has allowed Du to take on more and be successful in everything she does. Additionally, if Du could give one piece of advice to a freshman it would be “learn your study techniques first, and always prioritize your sleep over everything else.“ Doing these things herself has enabled Du to manage her busy schedule and still stay sane while doing it.
In order to truly understand who Sherry Du is, it is important to hear from someone who knows her well and can speak to her abilities, especially in golf. When asked to describe Du, Mr. Bolin, her golf coach, said that “Sherry is one of the most driven, motivated people that I have ever come across – and it’s not just on the golf course. It seems like anything she puts her mind to she excels and exceeds at. It’s honestly incredible how good she is at everything she does.” Mr. Bolin, or Coach Bolin as Du knows him, has coached her for three years and said that not only has her golf ability continued to improve, but also her confidence as a teammate and leader. “I think Sherry realized that she had potential in a lot of things, and I think her growth has been in deciding where she wants to utilize her talents.” Mr. Bolin also thinks that “she came with a wide range of abilities, and she’s done a really great job determining which of those things she is going to use for her future when it comes to selecting a college and career.” As her golf coach, Mr. Bolin understands and sees the amount of potential Du has, as well as her ability to continually grow in something she is already fantastic at.
Mr. Bolin also looks forward to Du’s upcoming golf season and thinks that she “has the potential to have a fantastic senior year on the golf course. I’m excited to see her senior year because this is the culmination of everything she’s been working towards, and I think both individually and as a team we have the ability to do some pretty cool things this year.” Last year Du almost made it to States, and this year both she and her coach look forward to trying to make that goal a reality. Du is an incredible golfer, but it is her qualities as a leader that set her apart from the rest. These qualities are what her coach looks the most forward to seeing this year and says that “it has been really awesome to see Sherry jump into a leadership position on the team whether it’s running our social media account or setting up practices in the weight room.” Past seniors have done an incredible job leading the team, and Mr. Bolin thinks that Du and her fellow seniors are doing an amazing job “taking the baton” from them and living up to the high standards they set.
By now it is clear that Du is an amazing student and golfer, but according to Bolin “what a lot of people overlook is how good of a person she is. She is a really good friend. She is reliable. She’s always there when you need her and she’ll go out of her way to do something for someone else.” Du credits her parents as her biggest inspiration and reason for who she is today. “Apart from that, I think there have always been a couple of teachers who I think have been really inspiring, and my teammates have always been a big inspiration for me. I think they show me what a leader should look like.” It is these people, Du believes, who have inspired her to be the person she is today and helped her continue to be a person they can be proud of.
Who is Sherry Du? She is everything that has just been said and so much more. She prides herself on being someone her peers can look up to, and she continues to find inspiration in those around her. She is a phenomenal student, stellar golfer, show-stopping musician, incredibly supportive friend and all around good person that anyone would be extremely lucky to know.
By Krystine Frisch, Avon Lake High School Girls Varsity Golf Coach
The Ohio Girls Golf Foundation is hosting its high school showcase on Monday, July 31 at Avon Oaks Country Club. Incoming freshmen are invited to play as well as out-going seniors, so girls have the opportunity to play for five years.
This year LPGA Tour Professional Barb Mucha will headline this premier golf event, which consists of game improvement clinics, an 18 hole individual and team tournament, plus an awards dinner.
Former player and scholarship recipient Emma Davies has only good things to say about the event. “I loved the OGGF event because it was so organized and it was an amazing way to bond with your team before the school year starts. I also loved how they included pre-freshman year and post-senior year because it was a great way to meet more people,” Davies said.
Her former teammate Maggie Owens had this to say: “OGGF was one of my favorite tournaments while playing golf in high school. This was a fun and calming tournament to play during the summer. Since this tournament was before the season had begun, it was always an event that my teammates and I looked forward to. Overall, it was a refreshing and relaxing day that started out with clinics and warming up, followed by an 18-hole tournament, “ Owens said.
Liv Ritter will be a senior and has played in the OGGF. “It’s a good ready-to-go tournament. It is a great pre-season event before the season starts. It gave me advice to improve my short-game…which is half of my game. My short game is important.”
Natalie Kostalnick from Strongsville High School is a Student Scholar Athlete with a 4.3 grade point average, the Greater Cleveland Conference Golfer of the Year for the past two seasons, and a future veterinarian who is already shadowing at some of the largest clinics in the Cleveland area. If those accomplishments and aspirations were all that made Natalie who she has become, it would be an amazing story. But there is more.
Since 2016, Natalie has worked to raise over $25,000 to donate to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus working for a non-profit she started called Drive Out Child Cancer. “There are kids who cannot get out of their hospital rooms for days or even months to do the things they love,” Natalie explained. After playing in a tournament at Ohio State, Natalie and her father made it their mission to raise money for those individuals who need it the most. “I went to the local bar that my family eats at and cleaned bar stools and bar rails. I made $100 and came up with my own $150 more.” She became the first person to donate money to Nationwide that way and decided she could help even more, leading to the beginning of her nonprofit. She mentioned that it has been hard to get the fundraising going since the Covid pandemic, but she is working hard to get it back on track.
Natalie Kostalnick started playing golf at the age of eight. The story began at Mr. Divot’s Sports Center in North Royalton where she was watching her sister hit softballs at the batting cages. “I was not talented enough to hit a softball,” Natalie recalled, “so my dad sent me and my mom to grab me a cut down shaft golf club. And now I’m 10 years into playing the sport.” She started playing in tournaments shortly after that and realized that she had talent when she started to see her name appearing at the top of those leaderboards.
As soon as Natalie stepped on the golf course her freshman year she immediately became the number one player on the team. “I was horrified to play on the team,” she said. “I was going to be the youngest one with some of the best scores. I was definitely intimidated. But there was nothing to worry about because they all welcomed me without any hesitation.” One player that had a huge impact on Natalie is Madison Gilbert, who is one year ahead of Natalie and a recent graduate who will be attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. “We were in elementary school together,” Natalie said. “She is the person I would run to when we had to pick partners at practice. When we have conversations she always listens and gives me the best advice.” Those conversations range from golf to traditional teenage girl talk. “I am very sad to see her leave this year but I know she will go on and do AMAZING things at Miami. Everyone needs a Madison!”
According to Strongsville coach Kevin Weir, “Natalie has changed the culture of our program and has turned it into a contender each year.” They won back-to-back Greater Cleveland Conference Championships in 2021 and 2022, with 2021 being their first in a decade. Natalie led the Mustangs to the District Tournament her freshman year by shooting an 83 at the Sectional Tournament at Sweetbriar Golf Course and followed it up with an 83 at Districts at Ellsworth Meadows. The Sectional Tournament was moved to Springvale Golf Course in 2021, a move that helped Natalie take her game to a whole new level as her 74 helped Strongsville finish in second place. Again, she performed well at the District Tournament at Brookledge with an 82, earning a top 20 finish. She matched her 74 at Sectionals this past season. Natalie knew that she had played well, but was not sure exactly how well. “I did not keep score in my head. When I heard I shot 74 I was honestly surprised. My game felt good but not that good.” It was that good. Natalie finished tied for second place overall in the tournament and her team advanced to Districts yet again.
The weather worsened for Districts at Brookledge in 2022 and high scores were common all around the golf course. Natalie was disappointed with an 89. “The temperature was everywhere,” she said. “It’s hard to play with multiple layers.” That was not meant to be an excuse because other factors were at play. “I also think that nerves got the best of me,” she added. “It is hard to play with the top players in your area and keep that off your mind. It’s much easier said than done.” She is already looking at it as a learning experience.
Natalie is also very happy to share what she has already learned and her experiences with her younger teammates. “I try to give advice (not only golf), try to help them with the game, and I am just always an open ear to help them with anything,” she said. She has had a huge impact on one player for sure. The number two player on the Strongsville varsity team is Hannah Lee, a talented up and coming junior who has some serious golf skills. “It’s amazing to see the golfer and the person that she has become in the last two years,” Natalie said proudly. “I hope I’ve taught her a few things before I leave next year.” What are some of those things? “I try to help her out as much as I can, like reminding her to not four-putt at least once a round,” she responded with a smile. “We know each other’s attitudes and know when we need to be consoled and when to leave each other alone.” Some teams struggle with building chemistry, but because of Natalie along with her past and current teammates, Strongsville is not one of them. “I am very lucky to have such a tight knit team,” she explained.
Coach Weir agrees that Natalie has been a transformative influence on his program. “Natalie has completely changed who Strongsville Golf is as a program since she has been a freshman,” he explained. “Natalie is a natural leader and has shown it since day one.” He added that she is the player who keeps the rest of the team on the same page, and has been doing it since she was named a captain as a sophomore. Coach Weir added, “She communicates with the team as needed during the offseason and makes sure everyone is doing okay on and off the course during the season.”
Coach Weir mentioned that one of the keys to being successful in high school golf is using the summer to improve. Between the end of the school year and the beginning of August, the time typically goes by very quickly. Natalie tries to simulate the rigor of the high school season when she plays over the summer. She typically plays in well over ten tournaments and gets out as often as possible to get practice rounds in. There is one key aspect to all of the practice and competition. “I make sure that I am prioritizing having fun,” she said. Some of the most fun that many junior golfers have over the summer is at the Hudson Junior Invitational, which takes place toward the end of June each year. Natalie was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to play in the Hudson Junior last summer. “It was hard with my dad not being there because he was out of town, but my friends came out to watch,” Natalie explained. “It was also nice to get paired up with one of my friends (Isabella Paez from Magnificat) for the first two rounds.”
An amazing quality shared by the talented high school golfers in Northeast Ohio is how they are able to excel on the golf course while still having a huge impact on their respective communities as well. Natalie Kostalnick is another fine example of a top tier golfer whose impact reaches far beyond the fairways and greens. Coach Weir put it perfectly: “She has the biggest heart and is truly willing to do anything for anyone.”
Wadsworth High School is in need of a girls varsity golf coach (and a boys JV golf coach) for the 2023-24 season. The Grizzlies compete in the National Division of the Suburban League and have a solid program history. Wadsworth has a good amount of depth as a program and looks to return most of last year’s starting lineup. Please share with anyone interested in taking over this program. If interested, please contact Wadsworth Athletic Director Brad Musgrave at bmusgrave@wadsworthschools.org.
Lake Forest Country Club is making an investment to establish a caddie program at the club.
Well established caddie programs have at their core a solid training program, caddies who love the game, and players who understand that walking is a better golf experience. In addition to being a great way for a teen to earn money, they also learn responsibility, make connections in their community, and gain a deeper appreciation for the game of golf.
Lake Forest Country Club has partnered with ClubUp, a leading provider of caddie solutions, to establish a caddie program at the club. We are looking for prospective caddies who would like to participate in a formal training program to develop the skills needed to be an effective caddie and to provide caddying services at the club this summer. Interested participants will be expected to attend training the evenings of May 9-10 at Lake Forest (100 Lake Forest Drive, Hudson.) Training will include some classroom style learning as well as outdoors, on-course training. Participants will learn the finer points of caddying and the basics of the course to prepare them to caddie. Caddies will be certified after completing training and passing a test.
After certification, caddies will have access to an app where they can be hired by golfers to provide caddying services. Members will request a caddie when they make a tee time (typically a week ahead of the date of play.) The tee time system will automatically notify all certified caddies that the loop is available. Caddies can review the date and time and decide if they want to accept the offer. After the round, caddies will receive feedback on their performance via the app.
Caddies are considered independent contractors and are not employees of Lake Forest. The caddie fees are negotiated between the caddie and the golfer prior to the round. Suggested ranges of fees are provided to both the caddy and the golfer and are based on relative experience and skill of the caddie.
Please pass this note along to anyone who may be interested in caddying this summer. Anyone interested in attending training is asked to email LFCCCaddie@gmail.com to notify us of your interest. Further information will be sent to anyone interested.
“I love golf. I love the game. And it’s the people that make it that way.”
These are the words of Alexandria Vardon, a senior at Firestone CLC in Akron and the top player on the Falcons girls golf team. She is a future engineer, a district qualifier in golf, an example to young student-athletes, and is wise beyond her years. She has already experienced success on the golf course and knows that her attitude toward the game will help her experience success in much bigger ways.
Alexandria Vardon lives and breathes golf and is passing the message along. She remembers getting a set of golf clubs from her father at a really young age and started learning the game at the First Tee of Akron not too long after. “I owe it all to my coach, Jimmy Beers,” she explained. “He has seen my game develop and he is the reason I play.” Alexandria knew that she enjoyed the game when she joined the PGA Junior League with Beers as her coach. She realized that she could have an impact on girls golf at that point, but did not realize how much of an overall impact she would have. Alexandria, along with other first tee standouts Raygan Hoover and Reese Latta from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, would often play and volunteer with the First Tee of Greater Akron. While helping at a clinic not long before the Covid pandemic, a girl participating in the clinic made it a point to single out Alexandria. “She’s my favorite coach because she’s the only girl here!” the young lady exclaimed. A thirteen year old Alexandria was humbled, but it was at that point she realized just how important she was to others. That young player still attends matches just to watch Alexandria and the Falcons play.
Alexandria took the confidence and humility she gained from that special moment with her straight into high school. She was so committed to Firestone CLC that she planned to play on the boys team because they were not expecting to have enough numbers to even field a girls team. In her freshman year, they were able to get enough interest to revitalize their girls program and by her sophomore year they had a new coach who was immediately invested in the program. Jon Bozeka, still at the helm of the program, looks to Alexandria almost as if she is one of his coaches. “Alex has a really tough job revitalizing the program,” he said in respect to his top player. “Her success is laying the groundwork for the future of the team.” Coach Bozeka speaks highly of Alexandria’s amazing work ethic, meticulous approach to the game, and most importantly, her leadership, which he describes as her greatest asset to the team.
Alexandria did not just walk in one day and determine that she was the team leader. “It just happens,” she explained. “It’s about who rises up and fills in where they need to.” She uses the offseason to get the “vibe” of the team and works hard to set an example for the other players to follow. “My teammates are newer to the game but they have passion for it,” she said. “We all enjoy each other’s company.” Firestone is in a great place, returning all their players from last year’s team, including three seniors. That staying power is also a testament to Alexandria’s leadership. “It’s amazing to see how the program has grown,” she reminisced. “We went from having to scrape six players out to having nine total.”
Coach Bozeka is very aware of the difficulties being the best player and team leader can bring. “It is tough to be a leader in golf because you still need to be there for teammates regardless of how you play,” he explained. “Alex is able to do that. The little things she brings have rubbed off on the other players. She is the first on the course and the last to leave. We have a lot of beginners. Alex manages everything and takes it in stride.” After she is finished playing, usually in the first group, she makes it a point to go back to check on her teammates and make sure everything is going well.
Golf is a microcosm of so many aspects of life. Alexandria plays golf the way she lives and her personality is on wide display on the golf course. “Great players grind in tough situations,” Coach Bozeka said, referring to her gritty effort at the District Tournament last fall. By all accounts, Brookledge Golf Course in Cuyahoga Falls played exceptionally difficult last October. Alexandria got off to a rough start and shot 52 on the back nine, her first nine holes of the day. Even though she knew qualifying for the State Tournament was out of the picture at that point, she settled in and because of her determination she ended up with a more than respectable 42 on Brookledge’s front nine. It was the round that got her to Brookledge that had people talking, however.
The Sectional Tournament at Fox Den Golf Course in Stow is typically one of the most competitive sectionals in the state. Highland, who seem to punch a ticket to Columbus every year, was the unquestioned best team at Fox Den. Nordonia and Hudson, both of whom respectively had one of their best teams in school history, each looked to have a good chance to get out. The final spot looked to be a battle between Walsh Jesuit, North Royalton, and Streetsboro. Firestone knew they would have a tough time advancing out as a team but Alexandria was also up against some pretty talented individuals from non-qualifying teams. Alexandria got off to a good start. “The first drive was a good one, and that set the tone.” She played well on the front nine, shooting a solid 43, and continued at a steady pace. Alexandria and Coach Bozeka both knew there was a chance for her to advance. The pressure was on. Nobody in recent memory from Firestone had ever advanced to the District Tournament. Alexandria had that in the back of her mind. On the 16th hole, a short par four, Alexandria hit a great approach shot and knocked in the birdie putt to put her in great shape to advance. That approach shot was the key. It took the pressure off and let her coast in to the clubhouse with confidence and a final score of 83. “That’s what separates her,” Coach Bozeka reiterated, “When a big shot is needed, she makes the shot look easy. She responds late in the round when the pressure is rising.” Athletes refer to this phenomenon in many ways: the “it” factor, being clutch, stepping up under the spotlight. No matter what it is called, it’s pretty clear that Alexandria Vardon possesses it.
Alexandria’s 83 looked like it would last, but that didn’t stop the jitters during the wait after the round, which any golfer will tell you is the most difficult part of any tournament. “It was a wonderful day,” Alexandria recalled. “I knew I played well. I was on the edge of my seat for 45 minutes. It was the longest day of my life.” It was now out of her control and many things were happening at once. North Royalton came in with an excellent team score and beat out both Walsh Jesuit and Streetsboro. That was bad news for Alexandria because Annie Stencel from Walsh Jesuit shot an 80 to all but guarantee herself one of the four individual qualifying spots. Alexandria had beaten all five of North Royalton’s players. There were several good players out on the course still and it got even more nerve-racking when Emily Lamb from Shaker Heights came in with a 79. Alexandria continued to wait but by the end of the day, nobody else came within three shots of taking her spot. She ended up with the third qualifying spot and Lauren Iannetta from Eastlake North took the final spot with an 86, winning a tiebreaker over Walsh Jesuit’s Annie Cors.
Alexandria Vardon had become the first female golfer at Firestone in this century, possibly ever, to qualify for the District Tournament. Districts is a different animal and that experience will be crucial to Alexandria’s progression. It was not a great day at Brookledge, although the front nine provided a lot of positive points. The six hour round was grueling and her group never did quite find a rhythm. The takeaways are extremely important as Alexandria hopes to have a chance to tackle Brookledge again. “Shot making was important,” she explained. “It’s a tournament of perseverance.” Her goal is to get back there her senior year and take the next step. There will undoubtedly be another quality field descending on Brookledge in 2023 but Alexandria has a very good chance to be in the mix yet again.
Not many golfers have played even nine holes under par. Alexandria accomplished that feat on August 29th of 2022 in a match against Canton South at Mud Run Golf Course in Akron, carding a one under par 33. “I’m not a very long hitter,” she mentioned. “So I have to make up for it on and around the green.” That she does and her continuous improvement is evidence. Alexandria plans to play over the summer on the Northern Ohio PGA Tour and will still be around the game of golf working at Portage Country Club when she is not playing. Her goals for 2023 are high and include shooting consistently in the low 80s, breaking 80 for the first time, and hopefully having a chance to play golf in Columbus in late October at the State Tournament. Off the course, Alexandria is planning to pursue a degree in chemical, aerospace, or mechanical engineering. She has qualified for States and Nationals in the robotics competitions the past two years. She also is a member of the International Baccalaureate.
Alexandria loves golf for a few reasons. “The fact you are outside is great,” she explained. “And that pure shot that keeps you coming back.” Her favorite part about playing in Districts was how it reminded her of playing in the summer. “I played with Madolyn Kost (from Kent Roosevelt) and it was so much fun. That was when I knew that I made it.” Alexandria Vardon definitely has made it both on and off the golf course and will be a force to be reckoned with her senior year.
Ohio High School Golf 