ALL-CONFERENCE — Earning all-Buckeye 8 golf honors Tuesday were, front row from left, honorable mention Olivia Baker (St. Clairsville); Kamden Kinyo (Buckeye Local); Nolan Zambori (Martins Ferry); Hunter Shutler (Martins Ferry); Mason Gregg (Cambridge) and Britton Hickman (Beaver Local). Back row, from left, are first-team selections Brady Gallagher (Barnesville); Andrew Abel (St. Clairsville); Evan Fix (St. Clairsville); Mavrik Malin (St. Clairsville); Brodi Foster (St. Clairsville and Owen Hill (Beaver Local). – Kim North
CADIZ — The only thing hotter Tuesday than the sweltering temperatures in the Ohio Valley was the St. Clairsville golf team. The red-hot Red Devils won their fourth consecutive Buckeye 8 golf championship by shooting a four-man total of 309 on the sun-baked Steubenville Country Club course..
That score, coupled with a sizzling 300 two weeks ago at the Cadiz Country Club, gave St. Clairsville a solid two-round total of 609, which was an eye-popping 76 shots ahead of second-place Beaver Local, which carded a 685. Only one other team, Barnesville, finished under 700 as the Shamrocks shot 693.
“Four titles in a row is pretty impressive,” St. Clairsville head coach Ryan Clifford assessed. “The three seniors today have been a part of all four. They started as our 3, 4 and 5 players as freshmen and now they are our 1, 2 and 3.
“It’s a great accomplishment. We’ll be trying to do the same here in a couple weeks at the OVAC Class 4A Tournament,” Clifford added. “We built ourselves a pretty nice lead coming into today and we were pretty confident we could hold it.
The Red Devils dominated the 11-team field as five players finished in the top 6 individually. Leading the way, ironically, was sophomore Mavrik Malin, St. Clairsville’s No. 4 player, who held off teammate Brodi Foster by a single stroke for medalist honors. Malin had a 5-shot lead over Foster entering Tuesday after a blistering 70 on the first day. However, he struggled a little with a 77 as Foster carded a 73, but came up just short.
“Luckily for us, he’s only a sophomore,” Clifford noted.
“This was definitely a tough course and tough conditions,” Malin said. “I knew my two teammates were right behind me, so I knew I had to play well today.”
The wide margin of victory was the 10th title for St. Clairsville in 19 Buckeye 8 Tournaments.
“I had an idea that even par would be in play today. I didn’t picture it being this much in play,” Foster, the Red Devils’ No. 1 player, said. “The course was tough … really tough. The greens were quick, hard to read, and there were a lot of trouble spots.
“It feels really good to do,” he said of winning four straight titles. “I think our success is because we all play as a team.”
Finishing third at 152 was senior Evan Fix who backed up his 76 at Cadiz with another 76. Classmate Andrew Abel tied Barnesville’s Brady Gallagher for fifth with a 162.
“It feels amazing. I’m glad my team came together and won it one more time, especially our senior year,” Abel, who lost in a playoff last summer, said.
Fix agreed.
“It feels pretty good. I’m glad we were able to pull through once again,” said Fix. “I’m glad everyone kept their heads on and put another good score down.
“It’s always nice to put a good team score down knowing what we have coming up,” Fix continued. “We’ve got bigger goals. We’re just putting the pieces together right now.”
Beaver Local’s Owen Hill took fourth with a 156 and joined Malin, Foster, Fix, Abel, Gallagher as first-team selections.
Martins Ferry’s duo of Nolan Zambori (163) and Hunter Shutler (172); St. Clairsville’s Olivia Baker (168), Beaver Local’s Britton Hickman (171), Buckeye Local’s Kamden Kinyo (168) and Cambridge’s Mason Gregg (170) on the honorable mention list.
Following St. Clairsville and Beaver Local in the team race were Barnesville (693); Martins Ferry (715); Buckeye Local (717); Brooke (736); Indian Creek (749); Cambridge (756); Union Local (774); Harrison Central (781) and East Liverpool (856).