July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
JC golfers beat Stars
JCHS/SAHS boys golf
JC golfers beat Stars
The last time the Patriots had two golfers shoot in the 30s, they posted a 165 for their best score of the season. They did it again Thursday.
This time it was the Evans — Mathias and Ryder — leading the way in the Jay County High School boys golf team’s 165-186 victory over the visiting South Adams Starfires at Portland Golf Club.
Evan Mathias led the Patriots with a 37, and Evan Ryder was just two strokes behind his freshman teammate with a 39. Both were career-best scores.
Mark Muselman had the top score for South Adams with a 40.
“He came through tonight,” said JCHS coach Butch Gray of Ryder, who solidified his spot in the starting lineup for Saturday’s New Castle Invitational with his 4-over-par round. “It’s been an interesting group in that if somebody gets down, somebody else picks them up. Evan did that tonight for us. He picked us up and gave us a score when we needed it.”
Mathias turned in his first par of the day on the 370-yard, par-4 11th hole after hitting his drive down the right side of the fairway. His second shot from about 110 yards out went off the back of the green, and his chip rolled past the hole to the front fringe. However, he came through with a strong putt, using a bit of body language to help it fall into the left side of the cup.
“He’s always just a solid putter,” said Gray. “He’s always right around the hole. … It’s like anything else in this game — sometimes you get hot and that makes up if you’re not doing the other parts of the game well.”
A bogey on the par-5 12th hole dropped Mathias to 2-over-par after three holes, but that’s where he stayed with pars on the final six holes.
His chip on the 344-yard, par-4 17th hole settled about 6 feet above the hole, and he converted the par putt. The freshman just missed a birdie on the 178-yard, par-3 18th, leaving his putt from the front fringe just an inch short of the cup before tapping in for his final par.
“I thought I was putting pretty well,” said Mathias. “I had some bad chips, but I made up for them with the putts.
“It feels pretty good. … This is what I need to shoot … because I’m going to need to shoot a 77 or 78 to get out of sectional. I think I’m working up to that.”
Ryder broke into the 30s for the first time, tallying his first par of the day after dropping his second shot on No. 11 on the front of the green. He two-putted for the par, and then kept the success rolling.
His first three shots were right down the middle on the 498-yard, par-5 12th hole, the third settling about seven feet above the hole on the sloping green. He hit a firm downhill putt that tracked right into the hole for a birdie.
“I was just trying to get it close to par it,” said Ryder, “and it just happened to go in.
“I hit the ball straight, hit the fairways, putted pretty decent. I played pretty solid.”
See Golfers page 9
Continued from page 10
“Some of those putts can just make your round,” added Gray. “If you make them, you start feeling good about yourself.
“He started well, which really means something. He was even par after the first three holes.
“Coming up with a 39, that was excellent.”
Drew Houck followed Mathias and Ryder with a 42, and Justen Keller completed the team score with a 47. Austin Mann shot 52.
Trailing Muselman for the Starfires were Mark Smith (45), Chase Mosser (49) and Daniel Heckard (53). Derek Fox finished with a 52.
Gray, whose team has now had four different players post scores in the 30s this season, said he believes his team is heading in the right direction through the second half of the season.
“I really believe, if we solidify that four and five spot, when you’re talking about sectional (teams), you’ve got to talk about us,” said Gray. “I really think if we get that, and get some weather that will allow us to play a few days in a row, that will really make a difference for us. I’m real happy shooting a 165.”
The Patriots finished ninth out of 14 teams in the sectional tournament last season. The top three teams earn regional berths, and host Monroe Central nabbed the No. 3 spot with a 331.
Junior varsity
Ritchie Carducci and Seth Ainsworth came up big for the Patriots to lead them to a 212-229 victory over South Adams.
Carducci paced the Jay County squad with a 43, and Ainsworth followed with a 46. Mark Houck shot 61, and Michael Bruggeman was one stroke back with a 62.
Zach Grabau had the top score for the Starfires with a 51. Zach LeFever followed with a 56, Peter Amstutz shot 57 and Tim Horton had a 65.
The last time the Patriots had two golfers shoot in the 30s, they posted a 165 for their best score of the season. They did it again Thursday.
This time it was the Evans — Mathias and Ryder — leading the way in the Jay County High School boys golf team’s 165-186 victory over the visiting South Adams Starfires at Portland Golf Club.
Evan Mathias led the Patriots with a 37, and Evan Ryder was just two strokes behind his freshman teammate with a 39. Both were career-best scores.
Mark Muselman had the top score for South Adams with a 40.
“He came through tonight,” said JCHS coach Butch Gray of Ryder, who solidified his spot in the starting lineup for Saturday’s New Castle Invitational with his 4-over-par round. “It’s been an interesting group in that if somebody gets down, somebody else picks them up. Evan did that tonight for us. He picked us up and gave us a score when we needed it.”
Mathias turned in his first par of the day on the 370-yard, par-4 11th hole after hitting his drive down the right side of the fairway. His second shot from about 110 yards out went off the back of the green, and his chip rolled past the hole to the front fringe. However, he came through with a strong putt, using a bit of body language to help it fall into the left side of the cup.
“He’s always just a solid putter,” said Gray. “He’s always right around the hole. … It’s like anything else in this game — sometimes you get hot and that makes up if you’re not doing the other parts of the game well.”
A bogey on the par-5 12th hole dropped Mathias to 2-over-par after three holes, but that’s where he stayed with pars on the final six holes.
His chip on the 344-yard, par-4 17th hole settled about 6 feet above the hole, and he converted the par putt. The freshman just missed a birdie on the 178-yard, par-3 18th, leaving his putt from the front fringe just an inch short of the cup before tapping in for his final par.
“I thought I was putting pretty well,” said Mathias. “I had some bad chips, but I made up for them with the putts.
“It feels pretty good. … This is what I need to shoot … because I’m going to need to shoot a 77 or 78 to get out of sectional. I think I’m working up to that.”
Ryder broke into the 30s for the first time, tallying his first par of the day after dropping his second shot on No. 11 on the front of the green. He two-putted for the par, and then kept the success rolling.
His first three shots were right down the middle on the 498-yard, par-5 12th hole, the third settling about seven feet above the hole on the sloping green. He hit a firm downhill putt that tracked right into the hole for a birdie.
“I was just trying to get it close to par it,” said Ryder, “and it just happened to go in.
“I hit the ball straight, hit the fairways, putted pretty decent. I played pretty solid.”
“Some of those putts can just make your round,” added Gray. “If you make them, you start feeling good about yourself.
“He started well, which really means something. He was even par after the first three holes.
“Coming up with a 39, that was excellent.”
Drew Houck followed Mathias and Ryder with a 42, and Justen Keller completed the team score with a 47. Austin Mann shot 52.
Trailing Muselman for the Starfires were Mark Smith (45), Chase Mosser (49) and Daniel Heckard (53). Derek Fox finished with a 52.
Gray, whose team has now had four different players post scores in the 30s this season, said he believes his team is heading in the right direction through the second half of the season.
“I really believe, if we solidify that four and five spot, when you’re talking about sectional (teams), you’ve got to talk about us,” said Gray. “I really think if we get that, and get some weather that will allow us to play a few days in a row, that will really make a difference for us. I’m real happy shooting a 165.”
The Patriots finished ninth out of 14 teams in the sectional tournament last season. The top three teams earn regional berths, and host Monroe Central nabbed the No. 3 spot with a 331.
Junior varsity
Ritchie Carducci and Seth Ainsworth came up big for the Patriots to lead them to a 212-229 victory over South Adams.
Carducci paced the Jay County squad with a 43, and Ainsworth followed with a 46. Mark Houck shot 61, and Michael Bruggeman was one stroke back with a 62.
Zach Grabau had the top score for the Starfires with a 51. Zach LeFever followed with a 56, Peter Amstutz shot 57 and Tim Horton had a 65.
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