Edison slips past Perkins for Erie Co. girls golf title

HURON — Shayne Fischer knew the scores would be a bit higher. The Edison girls golf coach watched as Sawmill Creek Golf Course played really tough Wednesday, leading to some tougher roads. The Chargers did enough, winning the Erie County Invitational with a team score of 394. "It was dry out and the greens were really firm," Fischer said. "The short game was really tough because chips you normally hit that would be good, the ball was releasing. I saw a lot of people struggling just around the greens." Perkins was second with a 399. The Pirates were followed by Margaretta (447) in third, Huron (448) in fourth, Vermilion (455) in fifth and St. Mary Central Catholic (539) in sixth. "We try to avoid big numbers," Fischer said. "When I was out there coaching the girls, we told them if they got out of position, we wanted to figure out a way to make a bogey or no worse than a double bogey. I always talk to the girls about where they want to miss their shot. Some people don't think like that." Annabelle Seville was individual medalist with an 84 for the Chargers. Leah Sharp and Avery Thurston each added a 102 for Edison while Averi Wolf carded a 106. "Perkins played well and I'm sure their coaches are happy with how their girls played," said Fischer of his team going toe-to-toe with the Pirates the entire day. "I don't really look at scores today. Annabelle shot 84 today and that's way above her average. "I equate it to playing the U.S. Open. Par was a good score today. There wasn't going to be a lot of birdies." It was chance for Edison to get another round in at the course that will host the final Northern Ohio Conference tournament Sept. 9. "I moved this up, specifically for that," Fischer said. "I did that for the boys, too. The Edison boys tournament is usually at the end of September, but it's next week (Sept. 2). I knew all the teams would want to come here for another round. Sawmill is phenomenal hosting all of these high school teams. I can't thank them enough." The Pirates were paced by Ireland Hart, who was third overall with a 93. She was backed by Aubrey Ransom's 95. "Sawmill is a very tough course," said Perkins assistant coach Barb Wobser, who coached in place of head coach Stephanie DuBois. "The girls played to the best of their ability to do a great job and finish second by only five strokes against one of the strongest teams in our area." Maycee Bohn tallied a 100 while Elsie Link shot a 111. "The girls were able to push through frustration and difficulty even though the course is tough," Wobser said. "We were proud of their performance." Ellaynah Schaefer's 94 led Margaretta. Evelyn Jacoby added a 111 for the Polar Bears. "As our season starts to come to an end, finishing third in the Erie County Tournament at Sawmill Creek was a great opportunity for us to compete against a strong field and continue building confidence," Margaretta coach Christine Smith said. "I'm really proud of the way this young team has grown throughout the season. "Performances like today prepare us for the postseason by giving us confidence, experience and the opportunity to focus on the little things that can make a difference when it matters most." Kennedy Fitzgerald shot a 114 for the Polar Bears while Kailey Fowler rounded out the team scoring with a 128. "The greens were fast today and it took us a few holes to adjust, especially with starting on the challenging back 9," Smith said. "It was a great day playing with neighboring schools." Ashtyn Spooner was second overall with an 85 to lead Huron. "I thought the day went well," Tigers coach Jeff Hippely said. "Friendly competition with the other teams and the pace of play was good. Sawmill can be a demanding course and requires a player to make position shots, which is reflected in the overall higher scores." She was followed by Lindsay Wainwright (108), Tori Cepac (125) and Julia Klinger (130). "I think they handled tee-to-green pretty well, but the greens and bunkers took a toll on a lot of players," Hippely said. "The greens on Sawmill are very fast compared to what we usually see and few courses we play have bunkers, so the girls get very little practice playing from the sand, which makes it difficult when we do play a course that has sand." Vermilion was led by Payton Buch's 106. Caroline Riddle wasn't far behind, carding a 111. "Today was a tough day," Sailors coach Jeff Olson said. "Sawmill Creek is likely the toughest course we'll play this year." Colleen Traut shot a 117 for Vermilion while Isabelle Smith came in with a 121. "My team had a great attitude today," Olson said. "We started slow, but picked up the pace and held third place for most of the day. Unfortunately we ran out of gas before the finish line and dropped to fifth. I'm proud of my team as always, but today they really showed a lot of character bouncing back from a bad shot or hole to do well on the next." Alexis Langenberg shot a 122 to top SMCC. She was followed in the team scoring by Lexi Herzog (130), Emmalyn Redinger (142) and Caelyn Blank (145). TEAM SCORES 1. Edison, 394; 2. Perkins, 399; 3. Margaretta, 447; 4. Huron, 448; 5. Vermilion, 455; 6. SMCC, 539 INDIVIDUAL SCORES (TOP 10) 1. Annabelle Seville, Edison, 84; 2. Ashtyn Spooner, Huron, 85; 3. Ireland Hart, Perkins, 93; 4. Ellaynah Schaefer, Margaretta, 94; 5. Aubrey Ransom, Perkins, 95; 6. Maycee Bohn, Perkins, 100; 7. Leah Sharp, Edison, 102; 7. Avery Thurston, Edison, 102; 9. Payton Buchs, Vermilion, 106; 9. Averi Wolf, Edison, 106