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| Last Friday Russia topped Versailles at Stillwater as senior Jude Count (right) led the way with an even-par 35. Junior Braylon Cordonnier (center) shot 39, while also scoring for the Raiders were junior Vince Borchers with 36 and senior Felix Francis with 39 |
As a lot of kids are still enjoying the final weeks of summer vacation, the high school golf season teed off last week for schools from the Shelby County Athletic League. Boys teams from Anna, Fairlawn, Ft. Loramie and Russia enjoyed early action playing on Thursday and Friday. This Monday is the annual Shelby County Preview at Shelby Oaks Golf Club in Sidney for all seven league schools and if 2023 turns into anything like 2022, local fans have plenty of excitement ahead.
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| Ross Dietz returns for the Trojans |
Here's a quick recap from last year in case you missed it. Russia won the SCAL with a perfect record of 12-0 while Ft. Loramie senior Adam Ballas earned Player of the Year honors for an amazing fourth consecutive year. In post season, the four teams that qualified for the D-III District Tournament from the 13-team sectional field all came out of the SCAL and that was Russia, Ft. Loramie, Houston and Jackson Center. Botkins sophomore Ross Dietz made it the furthest of anyone, individually advancing to the State Tournament and finishing in 18th-place overall.
This year you can expect a strong group of returning Russia Raiders to be challenged, attempting to defend their league title. The SCAL has an outstanding format that is sure to keep folks entertained all season long. The seven schools will each duel one another in six head-to-head matches. After that, a September 14th league tournament at Arrowhead Golf Club in Minster will determine another six wins or losses (1st place = 6-0, 2nd place = 5-1, 3rd place = 4-2, etc.). One bad drive or one long putt can sometimes determine a championship.
Be on high alert for some possible record breaking individual performances. In the middle of the radar is the previously mentioned Botkins star Ross Dietz. Ross and senior teammate J.J. Meyer stayed sharp over the summer on the Lima Junior Golf circuit and both are capable of sub-par rounds. A couple Russia Raiders on the list of super seniors include Jude Counts & Felix Francis. Jude has the power to drive greens on a short par-4's and Felix led the team twice last year with 37's in key league matches. Other top seniors are Houston's Ethan Lukey leading a resurgent Wildcats program that finished 3rd in the SCAL last year at 8-4, and Anna's Seth Hegemier who also played well this summer on the Lima Junior tour. Maybe hoping to fly under the radar was Ft. Loramie junior Beau Schafer, but after carding a 36 in the Redskin's opener last Friday at Arrowhead, the kid is definitely one to watch for a program that was runner-up in the league last year at 10-2. Fairlawn played their first match of the season last Thursday and were led by senior Aaron Maddy. Finally, we expect Jackson Center's top golfer to be senior Lucas Hartle when the Tiger's tee off on Monday at the Preview. |
| Ethan Lukey already holds five Houston school records and could add to that this season |
