Looking Ahead to the 2026 D2 Season

April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

Division 2 girls golf in Northeast Ohio is always fun because new teams are able to make a push each year. There are, of course, some programs that are constantly in the hunt, but every year there are schools that come out of nowhere to make heroic runs at District and State tournament berths. Here are 15 teams that we see contending in 2026. There are definitely more out there but we may not know who they are yet.

Starstruck

The Keystone Wildcats get better every year. Having the phenomenal skills and talents of Sophia Clarico the last two years has been a big reason why. Keystone is a contender, though, because of the improvement of their 2-4 players on the roster, including seniors Caseabella Fye and Kennedy Accavallo. The three of them, led by Clarico, will look for a final piece in 2026 and could very possibly return to the State Tournament.

Another Class of 2028 superstar is Elizabeth Pollock of Chagrin Falls. She has led the Tigers on and off the course over the past two seasons and 2026 should be no different. Chagrin Falls will have a new coach, Tom Porten, this fall and will rely on a similar supporting class with a lot of returning skill. Senior Natalie Venorsky and Kate Murphy should help form a formidable lineup as the Tigers look to be one of the top teams again.

This year’s deep junior class also features Samantha Morgan of Southeast High School. Following in the footsteps of some stellar performers, Morgan is the next in line for the Pirates. Add in junior Jennifer Mix and sophomore Emily Morrison, and Southeast will also be in the hunt to advance a long way during tournament season.

Last year’s super freshman Avery Robinette from Champion is back and will be looking to lead the Flashes on a long run into October. Senior Brilea Woods will be her tag team partner and Champion will hope to build up their depth spots in an effort to continue their program’s recent success.

Anuja Patel will be one of the top seniors in the state of Ohio as she embarks on her final season at Orange High School. The Lions lose some pieces to graduation but could also see strong incoming freshman class. Orange is a team to watch out for as their players will continue to get better throughout the season.

Reloading

Columbiana might be the best example of a small school that just keeps bringing in talented players on a yearly basis. The Clippers are always competitive and always have one of the deeper large rosters in Northeast Ohio. Senior Maddie Jackson will be the player to watch for the Clippers and the exceptional senior class will be rounded out with both Claire Banner and Victoria Buckingham.

Gilmour is a team on the rebound, much because of the emergence of Callie Dennison, a freshman last year who turned into one of the top players on the roster. Dennison should be the top player on Gilmour’s roster and will be helped by a strong senior class that includes Brooke Leedy and Mae Steigerwald.

The Norris/Morris duo at Lakeview has been fun to watch over the past two years and this year junior Olivia Norris and senior Parker Morris will once again be key pieces for the Bulldogs. Add in junior Madeline Isenberg along with one other potential piece and Lakeview could be right at the top of the District Tournament.

After coming out of nowhere over the last two seasons, Tuslaw’s youth has matured into a fine golf team. The Mustangs will once again be paced by now senior Avery Rodocker with a strong group behind her. Juniors Hadley Porter and Emilee Urbas are the next two up as Tuslaw should continue with another strong season.

In Beloit, Ohio, senior Bella Linger will lead the the West Branch Warriors on the course in 2026. Teaming up with junior Emma McLaughlin and building on the depth that the team has shown, West Branch will make a mark in the Mahoning Valley yet again this upcoming fall.

On the Doorstep

Not long ago, people didn’t even know that Mapleton High School in Ashland County even existed. Now they are a contender in D2 golf in Northeast Ohio. With a huge junior class that has grown together, the Mounties are excited to see what the next chapter has in store for them. Kail Callihan, Reagan Hickey, and Payten Frye are the three top juniors that will pace Mapleton this fall.

The Poland Bulldogs are consistently a top performer in the Northeast 8 Conference. They don’t have the star power at the top of the lineup but they make up for it with depth throughout. Junior Cadence berendt and sophomore Capri Carchedi will be the top players on the roster this year as Poland plans to be competitive throughout the season.

Independence is another team that had a youthful group two years ago that has continued to grow together. Juniors Abbey Cottrell and Jamie Tresp along with several other juniors will look to bring the Blue Devils and coach Mike Gruber back to where the program expects to be.

Seniors Alayna Valley and Savannah Turek have been mainstays on Mineral Ridge’s roster since they arrived at the high school. The Rams are a team that has been right on the edge of competitiveness and 2026 could be the breakout season that they have been hoping for.

Lake Catholic has gotten better every single year under coach Tony Zampedro. Last year was one of, if not the top year in program history. The Cougars will have a lot to make up for with the loss of Ella Zampedro and Emma Madsen to graduation. Stepping into the top spot on the roster will be Mao Edwards, a junior who has come out of nowhere to be a solid player, along with senior Maddie Cox.

The D1 Girls Golf Landscape

April 18, 2026April 19, 2026 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

As Spring has finally appeared, golf is starting to make its way back into the mainstream discussions around Northeast Ohio. Coaches are starting to focus on scheduling matches and tournaments while figuring out what their rosters may look like at the beginning of August. Here are some teams to keep tabs on throughout the spring and summer as they prepare for the season.

Still On Top

Nobody is going out on a limb by predicted Magnificat to once again be the best team in the area. The Blue Streaks finished second in the state last year as they defended their 2024 State Championship. While they lose standout player Kristina Chill, they still have plenty of depth to build on. Calli Reed is a legitimate superstar player along with Korrine and Kayla Knaze returning from last year’s lineup. Junior Kellen Gleason looks to be the next player up and will provide a solid fourth score.

Everybody Back

One of the best storylines from last year’s tournament season was the emergence of Canfield as a top team in the area. They have been building over the last several years and finally saw that hard work culminate in a trip to the State Tournament. The Cardinals look to run things back behind the veteran leadership of seniors Aubree Philibin and Alex Conley.

In a very similar situation to Canfield are the Minutemen from Revere. They have one of the deepest, most talented senior classes around and they are another team right on the precipice of a run to Dayton. The senior class features the balanced scoring of Ryenne Harpley, Amrita Deo, Kate Banning, and Maddy Addessi, but also seniors providing depth, including Riley Boring and Sarah Riley. Second year coach Mike Clark will have high expectations for his team this fall.

The Lake Blue Streaks lose senior Olivia Gant but bring back several scorers in a competitive lineup. Junior Charlie Brophy has developed into the team leader and the pieces have filled in around her. Look for sophomore Audrey Goebelt to make a big jump this season in Uniontown.

Finding the Missing Piece

Walsh Jesuit will definitely be looking to make another trip to the State Tournament in 2026. Losing Gianna Rodenhauser and Colleen Stadler could be a big hurdle for the Warriors, who will be relying on superstars Sarah Vojtko, Yumi Kohara, and Vivian Eich once again. Finding the fourth score is what Walsh will need to do to ensure another magical run. The frontrunner for this is senior Brooke Tercek, who is a veteran in the program.

Brunswick is also a team that is in the window of contention and will be looking to fill a spot throughout the offseason. After losing Jess Buzinski to graduation, it will be up to Brianna Behrend and a large group of returners to join the very talented top three of the Blue Devils. Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble is one of the best players in the state and along with her sister Emma and senior Rylee Roth, Brunswick will once again be a top contender.

2026 will be the last year in the Ellie Hutzler era at Hoover and her mere presence is enough to give the Vikings another shot to contend in tournament season. Her sister Frankie is going to take a big step and will provide a good second contributor. Even with some significant senior losses, Hoover has the depth to still be a strong team and will rely on senior Lauren Kemp and junior Gia Remark to fill out the roster.

A move to the Suburban League might be a huge benefit for the Kenston Bombers and longtime coach Kip Freeman. Kenston has been making a quiet run to the top of tournament leaderboards the last few years. Behind seniors Ava Solak and Stefania Mighton, Kenston will once again be a quality team, potentially challenging Revere in the Suburban League’s American Division. It will be up to sophomores Lainey Lombardo and Camryn Joyner to keep scores low for the Bombers.

On the Cusp

Senior Elena Varga and sophomore Rachel Rush proved to be one of the top one-two punches in the area last season and will look to lead an eager Hudson Explorers team in 2026. Juniors Kiley Gorog and Molly Stock were contributors last year and will look to make an even bigger impact while the Explorers also have some young players coming up that could have a say in the Explorers’ success.

Avon Lake took their coaching change right in stride as Kevin Fitch took the reins once again in 2025. The young Shoregals team exceeded expectations and have a lot of talent returning. Sophomores Presley Martter and Adalyn Becker will join junior Lily Dorsey to give Avon Lake a good chance at taking home the SWC championship and maybe even more.

Hathaway Brown is another young team with most of their contributors returning. Junior Saijal Jawa will once again lead the Blazers. Look for big improvement from junior Adelyn Ehlers and sophomore Cecilia Voelker as Hathaway Brown hopes to continue to climb the ladder.

Kent Roosevelt has been possibly the most stable program over the past several decades and will once again field a strong team in 2026. It will be junior Brooke Beatty and senior Coco Golden putting up the top scores for the Rough Riders this season as Kent will take their talents to the Metro Athletic Conference and immediately be the favorites to win the conference.

It was a transition year at Avon High School as the Eagles had many contributing seniors but also a very talented freshman class. This year will be the opportunity for those incoming sophomores to step up and take over the team. Jenavieve Plantner, Jocelyn England, and Isabella Bernhart will join senior Rylan Owens as the Eagles have a chance to be really good in the SWC.

The Jackson Polar Bears will take a different approach towards success in 2026. They have a good number of returning experienced players who are ready to step up and lead the team to success. Senior Kennedy Farrell will be the unquestioned number one in the lineup and will be joined by several other upperclassmen as Jackson will look to be the team to finally dethrone Hoover in the Federal League.

In Contention

North Royalton had one of their best seasons in recent memory last year. Seniors Maddie Pehanic and Madison Cutright look to lead a group that wins their first Suburban League title in the 2020s.

Riverside still has a relatively new program and are seeing success every year. Sydney Barker, Kaylee Naymik, and Kaylee Kirk, three talented seniors, will join sophomore Morliana Victor for the Beavers.

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin has risen back to the top of their league over the past few years. Senior Alexis Urigel will be the player to watch for the Lions this fall.

Padua has become one of the deeper teams in Northeast Ohio. Their success will ride on the performance of multi-sport junior Giulia Reginelli, who is also a contributor on the volleyball team in the fall.

It will be business as usual for GlenOak this season. They once again have a strong player at the top of their lineup, senior Maci Crihfield with a good combination of experience and youth behind her.

Cloverleaf will face some strong competition to try to once again repeat as Metro Conference champions. Quinn Malarkey will hope to have a magical senior year as the Colts will continue to develop their supporting cast.

Big Shoes to Fill

It will definitely be a different feel on Rocky River Drive as the St. Joseph Academy Jaguars will be replacing an extremely talented graduating class, but also will have a slightly different look on the coaching staff. Maureen Adler will not be at the helm but will continue to be an asset to new coaches Lauren Demirjian and Amanda Schwab. Seniors Vera Swartz, Ella Babcock, and Willa Streeter will hope to continue the legacy left at St. Joseph.

It will be a new look at Green High School as head coach Jake Shocklee will not have one of his daughters on the roster for the first time in several years. The Shocklees were a staple on some talented to Bulldogs teams. Now it will fall on senior Leah Dang and a large group of fellow seniors to flip the page for the Bulldogs.

Graduation will hit no team harder than the Solon Comets as they lose generational phenom Serena Wu, who was named Cleveland.com’s Player of the Year and OhioHSGolf’s co-player of the year in 2025. It’s not possible to replace everything she brought to the table, but the Comets have players that can help the program reload, including senior Alexis Brown, who took a huge step forward last season.

Senior Polly Loney and junior Kayla Joo will be thrust into the spotlight at Nordonia after the Knights lost three strong players to graduation in Natalie Barnes, Maddie Eisner, and Carley Sutton. Nordonia is one of the best coached teams in the area and their players are always able to confidently step into the arena, so it’s important never to sleep on this team.

It’s the end of an all-time legacy at Highland High School as Mary Becker, the only coach in school history, has retired. New coach Chris Kestner will inherit a young team that lost an entire lineup of seniors after another run to the State Tournament last season. History says to never count out the Hornets, though. Juniors Anna Coleman and Charlotte Chester, both who have long lasting family ties to the program will be the players who take over the tradition at Highland.

Potential New Division 1 Programs

Buckeye High School is on the precipice of being able to start a team this fall. Coach Nick Shea has been working hard over the past few years to build a group that is ready to compete this fall and the Bucks are in good position to make that happen. There are also rumblings in Parma about the potential of a girls team at Valley Forge High School. There is still a lot of work to do but Coach Mitchell Hartel is optimistic that there may be a team in the future.

New Leadership

Several other teams have found new coaches to take over their programs for this fall. Aurora will see long time assistant Tim Baczkowski take over the varsity team. Bay has hired Nick Pacholski to replace Victoria Budzyn and lead the Rockets. Max Rauch is the new coach at Berea-Midpark as they will look to be more competitive in the Southwestern Conference. Finally, Mark Chicone is now in charge at Mentor High School as he will replace James Hrusovsky. Check out our Coaching Changes Page for all the moves that schools have made this offseason.

2025 Postseason iWanamaker Rankings

October 23, 2025 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

Notes

Only events that were scored using the OHSAA app were used in making these rankings
These rankings are solely from iWanamaker, they were not created by OhioHSGolf
The system takes the top four nine hole rounds for each player and team to calculate the rankings
Teams and players need to have posted at least 6 nine hole rounds to qualify

Division 1 Team Rankings

Ranking	Team	iWR
1	Magnificat	2.091
2	Walsh Jesuit	8.590
3	Highland	11.073
4	Brunswick	13.624
5	St. Joseph Academy	14.620
6	Hoover	16.371
7	Nordonia	18.590
8	Canfield	18.667
9	Lake	19.011
10	Hudson	20.559
11	Revere	22.947
12	North Royalton	26.543
13	Solon	26.704
14	Kent Roosevelt	28.164
15	Jackson	29.107
16	Hathaway Brown	33.241
17	Medina	33.265
18	Rocky River	33.886
19	NDCL	35.171
20	Green	35.329
21	Avon Lake	35.660
22	GlenOak	37.851
23	Avon Lake	38.115
24	Kenston	38.842
25	Cloverleaf	39.075

Division 1 Player Rankings

Ranking	Player	Team	Grade	iWR
1	Elizabeth Coleman	Highland	Senior	-3.117
2	Serena Wu	Solon	Senior	-2.133
3	Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble	Brunswick	Sophomore	-1.433
4	Calli Reed	Magnificat	Sophomore	-1.283
5	Kayla Knaze	Magnificat	Junior	-1.267
6	Korrine Knaze	Magnificat	Freshman	-1.167
7	Ellie Hutzler	Hoover	Junior	-0.583
8	Sarah Vojtko	Walsh Jesuit	Sophomore	0.073
9	Elena Varga	Hudson	Junior	0.342
10	Kristina Chill	Magnificat	Senior	0.450
11	Vivian Eich	Walsh Jesuit	Sophomore	0.464
12	Emerson Glending	St. Joseph Academy	Senior	0.472
13	Yumi Kohara	Walsh Jesuit	Junior	0.766
14	Natalie Barnes	Nordonia	Senior	1.137
15	Rachel Rush	Hudson	Freshman	1.284
16	Charlie Brophy	Lake	Sophomore	1.392
17	Emma Gonzalez-Ribble	Brunswick	Freshman	1.522
18	Mirabella Shelton	Highland	Senior	1.620
19	Saijal Jawa	Hathaway Brown	Sophomore	1.771
20	Kellan Gleason	Magnificat	Sophomore	1.986
21	Kennedy Farrell	Jackson	Junior	2.090
22	Gianna Rodenhauser	Walsh Jesuit	Senior	2.479
23	Maddie Eisner	Nordonia	Senior	2.736
24	Quinn Malarkey	Cloverleaf	Junior	2.870
25	Audrey Goebelt	Lake	Freshman	2.916

Division 1 Freshman Rankings

Ranking	Freshman	Team	iWR
1	Korrine Knaze	Magnificat	-1.167
2	Rachel Rush	Hudson	1.284
3	Emma Gonzalez-Ribble	Brunswick	1.522
4	Audrey Goebelt	Lake	2.916
5	Frankie Hutzler	Hoover	3.433
6	Jenavieve Plantner	Avon	7.033
7	Presley Martter	Avon Lake	7.459
8	Jocelyn England	Avon	7.826
9	Rachel Thomas	GlenOak	7.991
10	Adalyn Becker	Avon Lake	8.088

Division 2 Team Rankings

Ranking	Team	iWR
1	Keystone	25.632
2	Southeast	31.087
3	Chagrin Falls	34.085
4	Columbiana	36.846
5	Lake Catholic	37.183
6	Orange	39.891
7	Canton South	43.511
8	Gilmour	44.344
9	Rootstown	46.956
10	Champion	51.407
11	Springfield	51.708
12	Independence	55.183
13	Edgewood	56.250
14	United	57.357
15	Tuslaw	57.458
16	Southern Local	66.478
17	Northwest	67.542
18	Canton Central Catholic	69.103
19	Laurel	74.328
20	Columbia	75.776
21	Lake Center Christian	80.377
22	Fairless	80.381
23	Hearland Christian	80.830
24	Our Lady of the Elms	82.315
25	Lutheran West	82.577

Division 2 Player Rankings

Ranking	Player	Team	Grade	iWR
1	Sophia Clarico	Keystone	Sophomore	0.263
2	Elizabeth Pollock	Chagrin Falls	Sophomore	0.478
3	Anuja Patel	Orange	Junior	1.309
4	Samantha Morgan	Southeast	Sophomore	2.449
5	Annie Johnston	Edgewood	Senior	3.712
6	Avery Robinette	Champion	Freshman	4.356
7	Maddie Jackson	Columbiana	Junior	6.355
8	Kennedy Accavallo	Keystone	Junior	6.394
9	Alexis Askew	Keystone	Senior	6.532
10	Caseabella Fye	Keystone	Junior	6.586
11	Hailey Franks	Canton South	Senior	6.866
12	Ella Zampedro	Lake Catholic	Senior	7.248
13	Hannah Samblanet	Canton South	Junior	7.584
14	Aubree Varga	Southeast	Senior	7.64
15	Emma Madsen	Lake Catholic	Senior	7.657
16	Alyssa Kakavros	Columbiana	Senior	8.032
17	Payton Lamson	Edgewood	Freshman	8.093
18	Natalie Venorsky	Chagrin Falls	Junior	8.111
19	Brilea Woods	Champion	Junior	8.305
20	Jillian Peters	Perry	Senior	8.425
21	Jennifer Mix	Southeast	Sophomore	8.716
22	Mao Edwards	Lake Catholic	Sophomore	8.717
23	Lily Headley	Springfield	Junior	8.72
24	Ava Miller	Rootstown	Senior	8.983
25	Isabella Linger	West Branch	Junior	9.002

Division 2 Freshman Rankings

Ranking	Freshman	Team	iWR
1	Avery Robinette	Champion	4.356
2	Payton Lamson	Edgewood	8.093
3	Emily Morrison	Southeast	9.098
4	Sophie Heiser	Orange	13.608
5	Claire Whetstone	United	14.266
6	Leah Hednrick	Champion	18.854
7	Olivia Boggs	Champion	19.614
8	Charlie Wilson	Rootstown	20.93
9	Alyssa Rowley	Springfield	24.884
10	Scarlett Adkins	Garfield	27.529

This Week in Golf (9/29/25)

September 28, 2025 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

This year, we have started a new column of local golf quick hitters called This Week in Golf (TWIG). We are looking to highlight special moments, school records, impactful people, and other unique stories as the golf season unfolds. We don’t hear about everything, so if there is something you would like to be included, please reach out to us on social media or email us with a small recap of what you would like to be posted.

Tournament Results

We are trying to keep tabs on all tournament scores. We will have separate pages for Conference Tournaments and Regular Tournaments. Any scores that are not posted, please feel free to send over (bolinr@hudson.k12.oh.us). Unfortunately, we aren’t able to post scores from 9 hole matches as there are too many to keep track of.

Conference Updates

A few more conference champions were crowned last week. Congratulations to the Hoover Vikings on winning their fourth consecutive Federal League Championship. Brunswick swept all four tournaments to win their first ever Greater Cleveland Conference Championship. In the Suburban League, Highland took all four American Division tournaments and Nordonia won all four in the National Division.

Sectional Results

The Division 2 District field is set. As predicted, the Keystone Wildcats and Columbiana Clippers both easily won their Sectional championships, and also as predicted, the Punderson Sectional proved to be a battle royale. Punderson was packed with several quality teams that would probably have advanced from the other two sites, but only four teams were able to advance to Good Park. In the end, four total strokes separated the Sectional Champion from the sixth place team. Lake Catholic was the team that prevailed, earning a one shot victory over Southeast and Chagrin Falls with a 369. Fourth place went to Gilmour Academy, as they edged out both Orange and Edgewood by a single shot. Medalists from each Sectional were junior Anuja Patel of Orange from Punderson with a 76, freshman Avery Robinette of Champion from Pine Lakes with a 79, and sophomore Sophia Clarico of Keystone from Pine Lakes with a 79. A full list of teams and individuals headed to Good Park on Wednesday can be found at this link.

Hole in One

Another Hole in One! Congratulations to St. Joseph Academy junior Willa Streeter who got her ace at the New Albany Co-Ed Invitational at the Links at Echo Springs!

This Week in Golf (9/22/25)

September 21, 2025September 21, 2025 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

Tournament Results

Conference Updates

Tons of Conference races have wrapped up over the past week. If we missed anything or got anything wrong, please let us know.

Here is a list of conference champions that we know about:

AAC- Canfield
CVC- TBA
Federal League- Hoover leads (Postseason Tournament pending)
GCC- Brunswick leads (Tournament #4 pending)
LEGGA- Keystone
MVAC- Southeast
MAC- Cloverleaf
NCC- NDCL
PAC- TBA
SWC- Avon
Suburban (American)- Highland leads (Tournament #4 pending)
Suburban (National)- Nordonia leads (Tournament #4 pending)
Tri-County- TBA
WRC- Kenston/Riverside

Hole in One

It seems like we are seeing a hole in one every week in our This Week in Golf column. Congratulations to Norton senior Abigail Collins on her ace at Pine Valley during the Metro Conference Postseason Tournament on Tuesday!

Congratulations to senior golfer Abigail Collins who got a hole in one at the girls’ MAC Golf Tournament today! #GoPanthers pic.twitter.com/GuP0OPbr0u
— Norton Panthers Athletics Insider (@nhsath_insider) September 16, 2025

Terlesky Invitational

The Highland Hornets and the Southeast Pirates took the crowns in their respective divisions at the annual Christine Terlesky Invitational at The Lake Club. Teams rave about how well they are treated at this tournament and 2025 was no exception. Highland took the big school division with a 320 while Southeast fired a 362 to win the small school division. Elizabeth Coleman of Highland shot 70 to take medalist honors in the D1 category while Olivia Norris of Lakeview shot 82 for the D2 medalist position.

This Week in Golf (9/15/25)

September 14, 2025 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

Tournament Results

Conference Updates

We are starting to get close to Conference Tournament Season and there are some really good races to watch. The Southwestern Conference is still up for grabs as Avon, Avon Lake, and Olmsted Falls are battling it out to the finish. Lake Catholic and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin continue to go back and forth in the North Coast Conference. Chagrin Falls and Orange are struggling for Chagrin Valley Conference Supremacy. Keystone appears they may run away with the Lake Erie Girls Golf Association but are still getting some pushback from Rocky River.

In many other cases, the conference championships are all but wrapped up. Hoover has a commanding lead in the Federal League, Nordonia sits high atop the Suburban League National Division, while Highland once again is dominating the Suburban League American Division, and Brunswick has pretty much locked up the Greater Cleveland Conference.

Low Scores

United set a new 18 hole school record at Salem Hills in the Ursuline Invitational. They bested their previous record of 415 by a whopping 20 shots. The 395 marks the first time in school history that the Eagles have broken 400 as a team.

The Medina Invitational has traditionally featured some remarkable scoring. 2025 was no exception. Magnificat broke 300 as a team as they won the tournament with a 295, eleven strokes better than second place Walsh Jesuit. Individual scores were off the charts. Elizabeth Coleman set a Highland High School and Medina County record by shooting a 9 under par 63 at Fox Meadow Country Club. Brunswick’s Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble, also setting her own school record, and Solon’s Serena Wu finished with matching 7 under par 65s. Also under par were Magnificat’s Calli Reed with a 68 and Korrine Knaze with a 70.

Shout Out

Marti Hardy, the head coach at Laurel School has been a constant bright spot in the high school girls golf scene. A huge thank you to Marti, Laurel School, and Canterbury Golf Club for giving back to high school golf. The course saw two days of excellent play from the boys at the Kiely Cup then opened up for the girls event last Tuesday. Nobody does it better than Canterbury, and their amazing staff led by head pro Jason Carbone. Mike Kiely, the legendary caddie master at Canterbury, could be seen all three days supporting all the players at the Cleveland golf mecca. Thank you so much to all involved!

This Week in Golf (9/8/25)

September 7, 2025September 9, 2025 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

Tournament Results

Conference Updates

North Coast Conference supremacy was decided at Black Brook Golf Course in Mentor and it came down to the closest margin possible in a high school golf match. Notre Dame Cathedral Latin and Lake Catholic matched 180 scores and went to the fifth score tiebreaker. NDCL’s Taylor Wallingford shot a 51, which was one shot better than Lake Catholic’s Koreen Leukulich. NDCL took the match and gives them a big conference victory. Alexis Urigel of NDCL was the medalist with a 38.

Hoover continues to roll in the Federal League. Led by Ellie and Frankie Hutzler, the Vikings stayed undefeated with two match victories this past week.

Weekly Recap

Magnificat took home yet another title by winning the girls side of the Brunswick Coed Classic with a team score of 308, holding off Highland by 12 strokes. Blue Streak golfer Korrine Knaze tied with Amelia Buettner from Olentangy Orange for medalist honors. Walsh Jesuit won on the boys side and the Warriors were able to take the overall crown.

Speaking of Magnificat and the Brunswick Coed Classic, top golfer Calli Reed carded a hole in one on the 16th hole at Pine Hills. She became the third member of her family to get an ace in a high school match.

Rootstown continues to have their best season in school history. They have already shot their school record for best nine hole score and they are coming close to matching it every time on the course. This week they had a close loss to Copley and win over Lake Center Christian.

Teams to Watch

As Sectionals quickly approach, here are a couple teams to keep an eye on:

The Lake Blue Streaks have put up some good numbers this year. The team seems to go as their number one player, Charlie Brophy, goes. Lake is a team that has some good depth and experienced players and could surprise some teams.

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin is not back to the team they were in the mid-2010s, but they are definitely on the right track. They could compete for a return to the District Tournament this season.

North Royalton is looking to jump ahead of some teams at the Fox Den Sectional. They have the potential to cause some waves as they keep getting better throughout the year.

Revere is another team at Fox Den to watch for. They are looking primed to get to the District Tournament and with a good round from a couple of their key players, they could go even further than that.

Keystone is the highest ranked team in Division 2 right now and they are rolling. The Wildcats are looking to get to the State Tournament as a team and sophomore Sophia Clarico may help them do that.

Tuslaw is a team that is looking to get out of The Pines Sectional. They have one of the youngest teams in Northeast Ohio and are competing with some much bigger schools in their regular season matches. The Mustangs will have a say in what goes on later this month.

Giving Back

Last week, the St. Joseph Academy golf team could be found at St. Herman’s Homeless Shelter bagging lunches for those in need. A huge shoutout to Coach Maureen Adler and her team for doing good things in the community.

This Week in Golf (9/1/25)

August 31, 2025August 31, 2025 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

Tournament Results

Conference Updates

The Southwestern Conference continues to be one of the tightest races we have seen. Avon got a huge win over Olmsted Falls on Tuesday. Emma Fitch led the Eagles with a 42. Avon, Avon Lake, and Olmsted Falls are all now tied at the top of the SWC head to head match standings.

Cloverleaf stayed undefeated in Metro Conference play and continues their MAC dominance. Quinn Malarky continues to put up good numbers for the Colts.

Hudson defeated Nordonia in a close match in difficult conditions on Thursday at Ellsworth Meadows. Elena Varga shot 36 to lead the Explorers. The Suburban League does not take individual matches into consideration and Nordonia still controls their own destiny in the National Division. Highland is in the same position in the American Division.

Weekly Recap

Grey Hawk Golf Club proved to be very challenging as Brunswick hosted a shootout there on Friday. Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble of Brunswick may disagree. Her -4 68 easily topped the entire field. Magnificat brought home the tournament victory.

Brunswick took the title at the Rocky River Invitational at Big Met on Wednesday. Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble was again the medalist as she carded a 74.

Elizabeth Coleman is making a run at being the best golfer in the state. The Highland senior took home medalist honors at the Country Club of Hudson as her Hornets took home the team championship in the Walsh Jesuit Invitational.

The Minerva Lions stayed undefeated on the season as they set yet another school record shooting 163 against West Branch on Thursday.

This Week in Golf (8/25/25)

August 24, 2025August 24, 2025 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

Tournament Results

Conference Updates

At Twin Lakes on Thursday, Cloverleaf and Norton visited the Streetsboro Rockets in the most significant MAC matchup of the season. Cloverleaf pulled out a narrow four shot victory over Streetsboro and Norton finished in 3rd place. Quinn Malarkey of Cloverleaf led the scoring with a 45 on the tricky Sandy Alves design.

The Southwestern Conference is going to feature a fun race to watch throughout the year. While Avon and Avon Lake tend to be the favorites in the conference, it is the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs who are currently sitting atop the league standings. Olmsted Falls had a huge win against Avon Lake at Springvale and now control their own destiny to win the league title.

In the Federal League, North Canton Hoover continues their streak of superiority. The Vikings easily took the first league tournament and are currently undefeated in league matches once again in 2025. Ellie Hutzler has proven to be not only the top player in the league but one of the best in Northeast Ohio.

Nordonia and Highland both have gotten off to strong starts in their respective divisions of the Suburban League. Highland continues their dominance while Nordonia has won both tournaments by slim margins over Hudson. Elizabeth Coleman from Highland has reached a whole new level of golf acumen and is playing the best of her life. Natalie Barnes is still the top golfer at Nordonia but it has really been senior Maddie Eisner who has been the key for their success. She posted both her best 18 hole score and best 9 hole score within a week of each other.

Keystone having a good team is not a surprise to anyone, but just how good they are might be turning some heads. The Wildcats took full control of the first LEGGA tournament and have put up some really low numbers so far this season. Most of that is due to serious improvement from their supporting cast. Rocky River might still have something to say in the conference but Keystone is going to be hard to catch.

The Brunswick Blue Devils dominated both of the first two Greater Cleveland Conference tournaments, winning by 43 strokes at Ridgewood and 61 strokes at Big Met. The Blue Devils should be able to cruise to a GCC Title.

Canfield will easily run away with the All American Conference again this year but they have their sights set much higher. This is the culmination of developing a core group of players and the results speak for themselves. Look for the Cardinals to make a run in Sectionals and Districts this year.

Baum’s Page

Gary Baumgartner created Baumspage to keep track of wrestling results well over a decade ago. He then offered his website to the OHSAA to keep track of multiple sports including golf. In 2025 Baumspage is still going strong and is a wonderful resource for coaches, administrators, and media. Even with the advent of live scoring in OHSAA events, Baumspage is still a go to place for OHSAA golf information.

Weekly Recap

Our stats are not nearly good enough to track this, but we may have witnessed the greatest one day turnaround in the history of high school golf last week. The Strongsville Mustangs struggled at Lake Forest in the Lady Explorer Invitational and put up a score of 484, possibly the highest score in Strongsville golf history. The following day at the Flamingo Frenzy, Strongsville shot 363 with nearly the same lineup, an improvement of 121 shots in a one day period. If the trend continues, the Mustangs will look to have a strong finish this fall.

A team to watch out for this year is Lake Catholic. The Cougars have been building up their program over the last several years and they have put themselves in a place to contend for a District and possibly even a State Tournament berth. Lake Catholic is led by seniors Emma Madsen and Ella Zampedro, while fellow senior Angela Kerwood and sophomore Mao Edwards have stepped up in a huge way.

Good things are happening in Stark County as the Canton South Wildcats won back to back tournaments earlier this season. At The Pines, in the Principals Athletic Conference Tournament, Canton South Each girl on the team had their personal best score. It was the first time in Canton South history for three scores in the 90s and it was their team record low at The Pines.

Ace Alert

Hudson junior Elena Varga recorded her first ever hole in one on the 6th hole at Brookledge Golf Course on Friday during a practice round. She used a 7 iron on the 150 yard par 3. Congratulations Elena!

This Week in Golf

August 16, 2025August 16, 2025 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

This year, we will be starting a new column of local golf quick hitters called This Week in Golf (TWIG). We are looking to highlight special moments, school records, impactful people, and other unique stories as the golf season unfolds. We don’t hear about everything, so if there is something you would like to be included, please reach out to us on social media or email us with a small recap of what you would like to be posted.

Our first ever This Week in Golf will actually be covering a couple weeks. We plan to release these each weekend throughout the season.

Special Moments

Cardinal High School in Middlefield is fielding a girls golf team for the first time in school history. Their season is underway and something special is brewing for the Huskies.

There are several new coaches around Northeast Ohio this season. Kevin Fitch (in his second tenure) of Avon Lake and Grace May at Cloverleaf have both hit the ground running. The Shoregals may very well be the favorites to win the SWC and the Colts are already dominating the Metro Conference with the help of their superstar Quinn Malarkey.

Big Shots

Avery Olson from Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy recorded a hole in one on the 9th hole at Fox Den Golf Course in a match against Notre Dame Cathedral Latin.

Hudson boys golfer Barrett Atchison recorded an albatross on the 7th hole at Pine Hills during the Brunswick Tee Off Classic. Amazingly, it was Barrett’s second albatross this summer!

Not to be outdone, Walsh Jesuit senior Ben Vasas got an ace on the par 4 5th hole at Turkeyfoot Golf Links, which also goes down as an albatross on the scorecard.

School Records

We can’t even keep up with the Brunswick Blue Devils right now. They are setting school records right and left. The most recent came at the second GCC Tournament, where they blew away the field shooting a 306.

At Ridgewood Golf Course in Parma, St. Joseph Academy had all five players in their lineup shoot their career best score. The Jaguars also set a school record in the process, shooting 303. Emerson Glending also was the tournament medalist with a two under par 70.

Champion High School and freshman superstar Avery Robinette will be constantly rewriting the school record books this year. The team has already set their nine hole record and Avery has set the school record, shooting a 35 in the team’s first match.

The Rootstown Rovers are getting better every year. Their 176 at Sable Creek earlier this month is the new point of reference for best nine hole round in school history. This is another team that’s just going to keep improving.

Minerva, even though they are not technically in the Northeast District, are an honorary member of our coverage area. The Lions have already set two 18 hole school records as they look to make a run through Districts and possibly to State.

Best of the Best

As far as we know, Magnificat has won every tournament they have played in this year. The Blue Streaks are on their way to competing for their second consecutive State Championship. Recently the team shot a 287, one under par as a team, at Ridgewood Golf Course. This came less than 24 hours after winning the Lady Explorer Invitational, a tournament that has one of the best fields in the state of Ohio.

As expected, Walsh Jesuit is the real deal this year. The Warriors have performed well in each of their events and they have all the key pieces needed to go to State.

We still don’t know how they do it every year, but Highland has been remarkable at reloading their roster with quality players and developing their players into exceptional golfers. The Hornets once again are a favorite to get to the State Tournament, but there are many talented teams trying to chase them down.

Shout Outs

There are many individuals that significantly contribute to showcasing our local high school teams.

Susan Jenior has been covering golf in Portage Country pretty much forever. If you want to stay on the beat of all the teams in the area, her articles can be found on Tom Nader’s fantastic Portage County Sports website.

Kevin Leigh, athletic director at Padua High School, runs one of the finest tournaments in Northeast Ohio, the Lady Bruin Invitational at Pine Hills, every year.

Personally, we want to thank golf director John Goodson and superintendent Tom Bolon along with their amazing staff at Lake Forest Country Club for making the Lady Explorer Invitational one of the premier tournaments in the state of Ohio. This year the course was absolutely stunning and was extremely challenging yet impressively fair.

Dave Chuba and Ridgewood Golf Course have been incredible to work with. When someone comes to you with the idea of having 123 girls play golf dressed as flamingos, saying yes is not a guarantee. Dave and his staff have embraced the Flamingo Frenzy and the tournament has become a favorite of many teams in the area.

Being a girl golfer at a school that does not have a girls golf team can be very challenging. We have many girls who represent themselves and Northeast Ohio girls golf in the boys game on a regular basis. Some players that we have recently run across are Grace Palermo from Buckeye High School, Sophia Goheen from Western Reserve Academy, Olivia Andregg from Lakewood High School, Maggie Kothera from Kirtland High School, Alaina Sovacool from Barberton High School, and Sophie Whang from Beachwood High School. Keep up the good work!

If you stopped by Washington Park Golf Center in Newburgh Heights in the morning of the first Saturday of the golf season, you would have seen no less than four high school teams getting in work. A huge thank you to Washington Park and the rest of the Cleveland Metroparks golf courses for being so supportive of local girls golf.

The Chagrin Valley Conference probably does the best job of showcasing its girls golf teams. Make sure to follow along on their website.

Conference Battles

Avon and Avon Lake are once again going to be in a battle for Southwestern Conference Supremacy. Avon Lake recently won the Edison tournament with Avon finishing second. This sets up some real drama as conference play gets underway.

Nordonia and Hudson have been going back and forth since the beginning of this decade. The Knights won the first Suburban League tournament on a 5th score tiebreaker and finished strong to take the second league tournament by seven shots at Fox Den. Hudson will need to finish first in both of the remaining tournaments to claim a share of the title.

Minerva, Carrollton, Louisville, and Massillon were all within a few strokes of each other in the Preseason Tri-County tournament. Minerva edged out Carrollton by four strokes and Louisville by six. This will be a fun race to watch.

The Miller Cup

We had never heard of the Miller Cup before this year. It is an annual tradition where the CVC takes on the WRC in a multi-format round of golf at Erie Shores. This year the WRC took the title as they won 11 of the 17 available points in the tournament featuring partner match play, partner scramble, and alternate shot.

Flamingo Thief

Caitrin Coyle from St. Vincent-St. Mary wanted a lasting memory of the Parma Flamingo Frenzy so she escaped from Ridgewood with one of our signature flamingo tee markers. We typically don’t condone petty larceny at Ohio High School Golf, but we’ll let it slide this time.

Welcome to the 2025 Golf Season

July 28, 2025 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

It is July 28th, 2025! This is the day we have been looking forward to ever since the State Championship tournaments wrapped up last year. Schools are now able to officially start tryouts, practices, matches, and tournaments.

This will be our third season covering Girls Golf in Northeast Ohio. We will be releasing previews for every girls golf team in the OHSAA Northeast District later this week. Coaches have been sending in information throughout the entire summer. We also will have previews for approximately 65 boys teams that responded to our survey.

If there is any content that you would like to see published on our website and social media, please feel free to send it to bolinr@hudson.k12.oh.us and we will try to get it out there. You can also contact us through our Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook accounts. We are trying to promote the sport and shed positive light on all of our teams.

For the first time in well over a decade, the defending Division 1 State Champion is from Northeast Ohio. One last time, we would like to congratulate Magnificat and coach Danny Gallagher on this amazing feat. They will be looking to repeat and will bring back a team that is more than capable of doing so.

On the boys side, Archbishop Hoban and coach Quinn Parker are no strangers to being at the top of the State Tournament. This year, it will be held right in their backyard at Firestone Country Club. The amount of talent in our part of the state is incredible, and there are multiple teams that have a chance to make a run at the title.

We also make sure to cover Division 2 and boys Division 3 golf, teams that sometimes get overlooked by much of the news media. There are a lot of regional media outlets that cover their local schools (shoutout to Tom Nader, Susan Jenior, YSN, the News Herald, the Medina Gazette, and many others) but we try to be a little more comprehensive to get all teams the attention they deserve.

The race to the State Tournament in Girls Division 2 is going to be really excited to follow this season. Based on our projections and models, there are six or seven schools that will have at least an outside shot of representing the Northeast District at Heatherwoode in October.

After following summer golf, there are some insanely good players to watch. Northeast Ohio is fortunate to be a hotbed of quality players and teams that are exciting to watch play. While we can’t name them all right here, look for our “Players to Watch” post that comes out with the previews later this week. These players will be following a legacy set by some amazing athletes that are still making waves in the college and professional golf scenes.

Personally, I am so excited for this season with my team, the Hudson Explorers. We are returning some quality players, but even more importantly, some quality people. It is truly an honor to be able to work with our players and their families on a yearly basis. I cannot tell you how much I look forward to this every year. Most importantly, I am anticipating that we have nine freshmen trying out for our teams, and all of them having been working hard in the offseason.

Once again, we absolutely love covering this sport and we appreciate all the followers, coaches, players, and parents who help make this possible. We are hoping that everyone has a wonderful season in which you reach all your goals and stay healthy through the process. We look forward to promoting our teams and making 2025 the best season yet!

Rocky River Seeks JV Girls Coach

July 10, 2025 Bobby BolinLeave a comment

Rocky River High School is looking to hire a JV girls golf coach for the 2025 season. The team competes in the Lake Erie Girls Golf Association. Anyone who is interested should contact head coach Jeffrey Hammond at Hammond.jeffrey@rrcs.org.