Achieving perfection

CELINA, Ohio — When Joe Bruns and Jeff Vaughn revived the Indians girls golf program in 2013, they were just trying to get a consistent program.

Eleven years later, the Indians finished perfect in the Midwest Athletic Conference for the first time ever.

With a one-point lead over the Wildcats and only the MAC tournament standing in their way, they are gunning for the title.

The Fort Recovery High School girls golf team escaped with a 205-213 victory over St. Henry on Thursday at Mercer County Elks Golf Club to complete the first perfect season in MAC play in program history.

“I know for sure we haven’t (had a perfect MAC record before),” said FRHS coach Jeff Vaughn. “I don’t even know if we’ve ever had a season where we’ve had (less) than three losses.

“How’d we do it? I mean, the girls did it. I mean the good thing is, the girls picked each other up when we didn’t play so well, like tonight, Georgia (Wenning) comes in, shoots 53 and made up for the two ahead of her. That’s been the difference this year. When we talked, we needed consistency and that’s what we’ve gotten so far.”

Wennings’ round of 53 ended as the third-best score for Fort Recovery (12-2, 8-0) beating out the No. 3 and 4 positions. Despite golfing out of the fifth position, the junior has contributed a score in 10-of-12 matches.

Wenning made par on the 310-yard, par-4 14th hole and added three bogeys, including the 16th, to get to the finish. She started the 135-yard, par-3 with a drive that left her just left of the green, 40 feet away from the hole. Her chip ran a little long, but she still was in range to two-putt for bogey.

Fellow FRHS junior Olivia Knapke fueled the victory for the Indians with a 46. The score earned her match medalist honors for the sixth time this year, beating St. Henry’s top golfer Lillian Rockwell by five strokes.

“I’m feeling good,” Knapke said. “I think we did our best. We definitely had a little bit of nerves coming into here, because we had our record to work for and earn with this being our last MAC match. 

“So, definitely we were a little bit nervous, but we still pulled it off. I think we did a really good job and I’m really proud of all of us.”

Many of the Fort Recovery golfers noted during the match how the greens were playing much faster and had more break then at their home course of Portland Golf Club. Knapke dealt with this problem on the 300-yard, par-4 11th hole.

Knapke’s trip to the green wasn’t the smoothest as her drive flew right into the rough and her second shot put her in a sand trap. Her chip out came up too fast, rolling off the back edge of the green. Another strong chip got her on, but over to the front edge. A good putt put her within a foot before she finished with a double-bogey.

After the struggle on the 11th, the Indians’ No. 1 golfer started to pick things up with a bogey on the 12th. A 155-yard drive and a good second shot got her within two feet of the green on the par-4. Knapke’s chip ran one inch left of the hole and seven feet long to allow another two-putt for par.

By the 14th hole, the junior got things rolling with a bogey and two pars on the 15th and 16th. She also had bogeys on the 10th and 18th to help her score.

“We are not used to the fast greens at all,” Knapke said. “The slopes, the hole placement and everything, we just had to adjust. That was definitely a little bit hard, but we did it and did good.”

Emma Will provided the second-best score for FRHS by shooting a 52. The senior opened with a par on the 10th and added bogeys on the 12th, 14th and 16th.

Despite dipping back into the 50s for the first time since Aug. 22, Mallory Evers put together the fourth score with a round of 54. Evers got over some early struggles to shoot back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th, while adding a par on hole No. 17.

Rounds of 57 and 58 from Eva Kahlig and Evvie Briner did not play into the final.

With the win, the Indians hold the top spot in the MAC, right in front of the Minster Wildcats who finished 7-1 – their only loss a 210-212 against FRHS. One point ahead of the reigning MAC champions, destiny is in the Indians’ hands to claim their first MAC title in school history on Sept. 21 at Stillwater Valley Golf Club in Bradford, Ohio. A first-place finish guarantees an outright-championship, while a second-place finish to Minster creates a share. Dropping lower could potentially let the crown slip away all together to the likes of Minster or third-place St. Henry.

“We’ve just got to go in and play relaxed,” Vaughn said. “It’s just another golf match and they can’t get too hyped up and be nervous. We’ve got to just go play. …

“I’m ecstatic. I know Joe (Bruns) is looking down, he’s happy as hell. Who’d have ever thought when we started this like 11 years ago we’d be doing this? I knew we had potential but we just needed some consistency. So it’s an awesome feeling and if we can in a MAC championship, that’s huge for the program.”