by Rusty Ellis
The Monterey Wildcats and Pickett County Lady Bobcats each won district titles on Thursday afternoon, as every golfer who participated in the tournament will move on to the region tournament.
The Wildcats were paced by an excellent round from Landon Raines, as he shot the low-score of the day at 71. Garrett Wessles followed him with an 80, and Brayden Reams and Hudson Craigo rounded out the team scores with a 94 and 95, respectively.
York Institute (348) finished in second place, and they were led by Carter Gibson’s 81, while Aiden Keen’s 83 paced Clay County (467), who defeated Clarkrange in a one-hole playoff to claim third.
As a result of the playoff, all five of Clarkrange’s golfers will move on to the region as individuals.
On the girls’ side of the tournament, Pickett County shot a 198 as a team and were led by Kaycee Ludick’s 94. Ludick finished in second place, individually, and teammate Emma Buck finished in third with her 104.
Jackson County’s Abigail Scoggins led all girls individuals with a 77.
York (214) also finished in second place, as Sophia Houston and Georgia Williams each shot a 107. Monterey (276) finished in third, led by Payton Lewis’ 126.
Clarkrange’s Addy Stowers and Aubrey Gunter will join Scoggins in the region tournament as individuals.
For MHS head coach Charles “Pokey” Looper, it’s a good day once you factor in the weather, but it also shows how far his girls team has come.
“Considering the weather, I guess we played okay,” Looper said. “Wessles normally shoots anywhere from 72 to 73, so we did okay…I’m really happy with the girls. Payton shot a 147 last year and shot a 126 today, and I was really surprised we finished third, but glad we did.”
Looper’s excitement over the team extended to the fact that regardless of what happens in the region tournament next week, he gets to bring the entire group back next season.
“We’ve got all of them back,” Looper said. “We’re going to be okay next year. Every year I say I’m retiring, but it’s hard to do when you’ve got it like this today, and then they’re all back. You can’t retire.”
Full scores can be found below.
