Perkins boys finish 3rd at Hohenstein Classic

CLYDE — Perkins wasn't far off the pace. The Pirates' boys golf team tallied a score of 314 at the Ralph Hohenstein Classic hosted by Clyde at Green Hills Golf Course. That was good enough for third place Monday. Ian Krecic paced Perkins with a round of 74 on the par-71 course. He was followed by Kyle Schaefer (77), Colton Kelley (79) and Ty Obergefell (84) in the scoring. Hunter Schwerer also competed, tallying an 89. "I'm happy with the way we hung in after a pretty shaky start today," Pirates coach Tim Zapadka said. "Great for Ian to get a good round under his belt." Mansfield Madison won the team title with a 310. The Rams were followed by Tiffin Columbian (311), Perkins, Bellevue (320) and Genoa (325). Genoa's Colby Ralston was individual medalist with a two-under 69. Madison's Brandon Maglott (72) and Columbian's Kyle Hepp (73) rounded out the top three scores. Krecic, St. Paul's Mason Beatty and Columbian's Mason Roszman each shot a 74 to tie for fourth. "These early events really help us to figure out a lot about what guys are going to do when the real lights come on later in the season," Zapadka said. "We have to continue to play smart golf and stay out of our own way while playing." Kaden Beard led Bellevue with a round of 78. Jackson Decker was close behind with a 79. "Overall, I was pleased with our first tournament of the season," Redmen coach Luke Spurlock said. "I thought the guys competed well. We had two players in the 70s, which is a good foundation to build on, but we also left some shots out on the course that we know we can clean up." Blake Sutherland (80) and James Gish (83) rounded out the scoring for Bellevue. Preston Spurlock shot an 87. "Events like this are great for our program because they expose our players to strong competition early in the season," coach Spurlock said. "It challenges them to stay focused on every shot and gives us a good measuring stick against some of the top teams we'll see throughout the year. "Those experiences help prepare us for league play and the postseason." Clyde finished ninth as a team, shooting a 344. The Fliers were paced by Carsen Gillmor's 78 while Max Waterfield carded an 85 and Adler Renfro an 87. "My underclassmen played really well," Clyde coach Ty Newsome said. "The course was in great shape. My three sophomores led our team. The seniors were a little rough, but they'll come around. We're looking good. We're going to be in the middle of the pack. We all need to play just a little bit better." Mitch Newsome finished the Fliers' scoring with a 94. Connor Eastby shot a 100 for Clyde. "They know where we're at and what we need to do to improve," Newsome said. "Every stroke counts when it comes to golf. We'll practice hard and get ready for the Northern Ohio Conference." Norwalk finished 13th as a team, shooting a 355. Cohen Shoop led the Truckers with a 78 while Jett Scheid finished with an 84. "We played to our current ability," Norwalk coach Derek Pigman said. "It's not good enough to get us to where we would love to be, which is competing with the rest of the league in a big tournament, but we identified a number of things that can be fixed." Avery Reitzel (96) and Caleb Thompson (97) rounded out the scoring for Norwalk. Gabe Ramon (103) also competed for the Truckers. "We now have a lay of the land in the league, and we're just going to have to get better," Pigman said. "I knew Perkins would be a good team this year and even Clyde improved a lot from last year. I have tremendous respect for both Bellevue and Tiffin. You can't hope those teams play worse because they typically don't. "It's an 18-hole league now and I need one or two more guys to learn to be comfortable playing that much at one time." Norwalk finished ahead of St. Paul, which was 14th with a team score of 380. After Beatty's top-5 score of 74, Connor Polachek carded an 85. Jacob Powell (110) and Grant Coriell (111) each scored for St. Paul while Tristan Schlachter (114) rounded out the team. "It's always great to get out and start the season," Flyers coach Jake Springer said. "This was our first competitive round of the season and I thought our guys battled out there. It's always nice to knock the cobwebs off. Our team is young and it was great to get out and play with a really talented field. "Our team had many takeaways from today and where they want to improve their game and they are looking forward to building off this leading into league play." Port Clinton took last in the 17-team field with a score of 428. The Redskins were led by Brayden Busby (100) and Lukas Haley (106). "We struggled with our scoring today but it was nice to get some match experience on a nice day at a course that's a great place to play," PC coach Greg Grime said. "It lets us know where we are at and how much more we need to work on things to be competitive." TEAM SCORES1. Mansfield Madison, 310; 2. Tiffin Columbian, 311; 3. Perkins, 314; 4. Bellevue, 320; 5. Genoa, 325; 6. Willard, 325; 7. Eastwood, 340; 8. Mohawk, 343; 9. Clyde, 344; 10. Tiffin Calvert, 345; 11. Old Fort, 348; 12. Lake, 354; 13. Norwalk, 355; 14. St. Paul, 380; 15. Oak Harbor, 381; 16. Hopewell-Loudon, 400; 17. Port Clinton, 428. INDIVIDUAL SCORES (Top 20)1. Colby Ralson, Genoa, 69; 2. Brandon Maglott, Madison, 72; 3. Kyle Hepp, Columbian, 73; 4. Mason Beatty, St. Paul, 74; 4. Ian Krecic, Perkins, 74; 4. Mason Roszman, Columbian, 74; 7. Easton Speck, Eastwood, 75; 7. Kaleb Weaver, Willard, 75; 9. Aiden Kincaid, Eastwood, 77; 9. Kyle Schaefer, Perkins, 77; 9. Carter Everhart, Columbian, 77; 12. Carsen Gillmor, Clyde, 78; 12. Kaden Beard, Bellevue, 78; 12. Cohen Shoop, Norwalk, 78; 15. Isaac Frye, Willard, 79; 15. Colton Kelley, Perkins, 79; 15. Jackson Decker, Bellevue, 79; 15. Ben Routson, Genoa, 79; 15. Josh Maglott, Madison, 79; 15. Lincoln Shepherd, Madison, 79