2 big invites highlight week's area golf slate

The 2026 high school fall sports season has begun with golf first out of the blocks. Golf season officially began last week, but the area schedule cranks up this week. The first big boys tournament is Monday's Ralph Hohenstein Classic at Green Hills Golf Course. Six area schools will compete in the Clyde invitational, including defending champion Bellevue. Bellevue's Sam Cooper, who graduated in the spring, was medalist the past two years at the invite. He shot an even-par 71 last year. Among the returning standouts this year for the Redmen are Blake Sutherland and Jackson Decker, who shot 73 and 76, respectively, last year at Green Hills. Preston Spurlock is another varsity regular returning for the Redmen, who were Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division champions last year. Bellevue, which finished fifth at a Division II district at Maumee Bay State Park, will be one of the favorites to win the inaugural Northern Ohio Conference championship. The newly formed NOC includes 10 area schools, but only nine play golf. Sandusky will not field golf teams this year. The nine NOC schools that compete in golf include Bellevue, Clyde, Columbian, Edison, Huron, Norwalk, Perkins, Port Clinton and Vermilion. The NOC will crown one boys champion and one girls champion. The conference champs will be determined based on the results of three 18-hole tournaments. The three tournaments will take place at Maumee Bay State Park on August 10 (boys and girls); Fremont Country Club (girls on Aug. 20, boys on Aug. 21); and Sawmill Creek (girls on Sept. 9, boys on Sept. 10). Schools will be awarded one point for each school they finish in front of in each tournament. The team with the most points after three tournaments will be declared conference champion. Vermilion's boys return almost their entire roster from last year, including senior Noah Penton, who shot a 74 to earn medalist honors at a Division II sectional at Woussickett, and Sam Riddle. Perkins' boys finished second in the SBC Lake last year and are led by Kyle Schaefer and Colton Kelley, who both qualified for district play last year. Schaefer drained a 40-foot putt on the second playoff hole at a sectional to qualify for district play. Norwalk junior Cohen Shoop is a returning Division I district qualifier and reigning SBC Lake Player of the Year Kyle Hepp anchors Columbian's squad. Girls outlook The stacked Edison Invitational on Wednesday at Thunderbird Hills South highlights the area girls golf calendar this week. Seven area teams are in the 18-team field, which includes some northern Ohio Division I powers. Returning medalist Ryan Dickman from Fremont St. Joseph will be back to defend her title. Edison is led by standout senior Annabelle Seville, but also returns its entire roster from a team that won the SBC Bay title and qualified for district play. Seville tied for second last year at the Edison invite and shot a 76 to finish second at a Div. II sectional. The Chargers' team also finished second at the sectional and will rely on Leah Sharp, Ella Rogers, Avery Thurston, Avery Wolf and Lilly Davis. Perkins will join Edison as one of the NOC's top contenders. The Pirates, under first-year coach Stephanie Dubois, return four letter winners. Pirates Ireland Hart and Maycee Bohn both played in a Division I district last year. Hart, the SBC Lake Player of the Year, qualified for district play while playing on a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Hart had a strong summer season that included a third-place finish at the Founders Day Tournament at Inverness Club in Toledo. She won the sportsmanship award at the event. Perkins also will rely on Aubrey Ransom and Lucy Miller. Huron returns Ashtyn Spooner and Lindsay Wainwright while Clyde's Samatha Young adds to the list of returning area standouts. Columbian returns district qualifier Abriella Woessner.