Vermilion finishes 2nd ahead of Bellevue at Edison Invite

HURON — To say Wednesday's Edison boys golf Invitational was warm would be an understatement. With temps in the mid 90s and the heat index right around 100, it was a tough day for everyone. But, Vermilion bunched its top four scores together and finished second overall at the Sawmill Golf Course. "Sawmill Creek is always in great shape and is a tough task any day, but especially today with the heat," Sailors coach Joe Schneid said. "Some of these other courses that we play, it's easier to score on. So I was really proud of my boys for grinding through some tough holes when they weren't getting the scores that they're used to getting." Noah Penton tied for second overall for the Sailors with a round of 77. He was followed in the team scoring by Sam Riddle and Jackson Fahr, who each carded an 81, and Landon Booker's 86. "At this point in this season, you focus on staying loose and having fun," Schneid said. "They've played a lot of golf the last five weeks. It can be quite the grind. I'm happy that my team gets along really well and they have a blast every time they are out golfing together." Ottawa Hills was the team champion with a score of 308. Bellevue (335) was third, Perkins (341) took sixth on a tiebreaker, Margaretta (350) finished seventh, St. Mary Central Catholic (359) was ninth, St. Paul (362) took 10th, Huron (368) finished 11th, Edison (376) was 12th and Port Clinton (411) was 14th. Jackson Decker's 82 paced Bellevue. Also scoring for the Redmen was Blake Sutherland (84), William Cooper (84) and Kaden Beard (85). Perkins and Steele scored the same, but Steele's fifth score tiebreaker was better than the Pirates' number. Kyle Schaefer's 79 was good for a tie for fourth overall for Perkins. He was followed by Bruce Crabtree (84), Ian Krecic (86) and Colton Kelley (92). Eli Judy was seven-over after 17 holes when he was disqualified for a rules violation. "I was proud of our guys and how they hung in with the heat," Pirates coach Tim Zapadka said. "At this point, you want to let the work you put in over the last few winters and summers come out and play." Phinneus Headley paced Margaretta with an 82 while Jaxson Bohn fired an 83. Gavin Berg carded an 88 for the Polar Bears while Zach Gray shot a 97. "It was a tough day for all of the teams today with the high heat and also playing, what can be, a very challenging golf course," Margaretta coach Ryan Spicer said. "My guys began their round making some big numbers, but once their nerves settled down a little, they all played better the last half of their round." Leo Will tied for eighth overall with an 81 for SMCC. Joey Finneran added an 86 while Luca Cashbaugh (95) and Carson Eskins (97) followed close behind. "I knew today was going to be a challenge. It always is for the high school boys," SMCC coach Sean Finneran said. "I was pretty happy with how the boys played overall. Leo Will had a great round with his 81, which is his career best score. I know a few boys were disappointed with their score, but it shows we have a few things to work on." For St. Paul, Mason Beatty carded an 84 while Connor Polachek added an 85. Also scoring for the Flyers was Tristan Schlachter (94) and Grant Coriell (99). "I thought they really battled today," St. Paul coach Jake Springer said. "It was their third day of playing in three days and I think they are all looking forward to a day off and to work on the range. We are on the home stretch of league play with three league matches before our conference tournament. The boys are looking forward to trying to finish strong." Grant Humphrey topped Huron with an 88. He was followed in the team scoring by Paul Murray (91), Gavin Parker (91) and Luke Barton (98). "We were playing really good the first 12-13 holes," Tigers coach Matt Gainer said. "We were in seventh place only behind a bunch of really good schools. I think the heat caught up to us the last 5-6 holes so we didn't have a great team finish. Overall, I was proud of how they fought through the heat on a tough course." Owen Price's 85 led Edison while Eli Hermes shot a 90. Also for the Chargers was Maxim Johnson's 100 and Brooks Ballah's round of 101. "The focus for everyone I think is maybe regroup at this time of year," Edison coach Shayne Fischer said. "Tournaments and shootouts have been coming at us fast and furious trying to get as many in before school started. We are going to revisit short game practices." Payton Meade carded a 94 to pace Port Clinton. He was followed by Derek Holly's 99. "Our team struggled to finish the round," Redskins coach Greg Grime said. "We hung in there with the heat, but we are a little disappointed we didn't score better." TEAM SCORES 1. Ottawa Hills, 308; 2. Vermilion, 325; 3. Bellevue, 335; 4. Shelby, 340; 5. Amherst Steele, 341; 6. Perkins, 341; 7. Margaretta, 350; 8. Genoa, 354; 9. SMCC, 359; 10. St. Paul, 362; 11. Huron, 368; 12. Edison, 376; 13. Willard, 377; 14. Port Clinton, 411 TOP 16 INDIVIDUALS 1. Charlie Swigart, Ottawa Hills, 71; 2. Noah Penton, Vermilion, 77; 2. Walker Peterson, Ottawa Hills, 77; 4. William Kielczewski, Ottawa Hills, 79; 4. Benjamin Routson, Genoa, 79; 4. Kyle Schaefer, Perkins, 79; 7. Colby Ralston, Genoa, 80; 8. Greyson O'Neill, Ottawa Hills, 81; 8. Sam Riddle, Vermilion, 81; 8. Jackson Fahr, Vermilion, 81; 8. Jaxson Yoder, Steele, 81; 8. Leo Will, SMCC, 81; Cooper Friedman, Ottawa Hills, 81; 8. Jackson Curry, Shelby, 81; 15. Jackson Decker, Bellevue, 82; 15. Phinneus Headley, Margaretta, 82