Edison girls capture sectional title

SANDUSKY — For the Edison girls golf team, it was a mindset of survive and advance. The Chargers didn't have their best showing Tuesday in a Division II sectional at Woussickett Golf Course. Edison had to wait until the final grouping's scores were posted to realize what it had done. The Chargers got a 104 from Averi Wolf, propelling Edison to the sectional championship with a team score of 382. "We don't want to make excuses, but it's the first time they've played in the cold and wind," Edison coach Shayne Fischer said. "We've had some really great conditions this whole year. The fairway was a little damp, so it was a little bit different. "Our girls struggled hitting off muddy-ish lies." The Chargers sat at 386 after its first four golfers turned in scores, trailing Fremont St. Joseph by two shots. Wolf's score brought Edison's team total down, beating SJCC by two strokes. "We have to shoot a better score than this if we want to go to state," Fischer said. "It's all about the short game. Out there watching them, we probably threw away 30 shots just around the green." Annabelle Seville led the Chargers with an 86 while Ella Rogers carded a 95. Leah Sharp finished with a 97 while Avery Thurston shot a 108. "It was tough conditions. Ella played well," Fischer said. "I would say the other girls would say they did not play well. Ella played well and that's good to see because that will help us with depth." Woodmore took the third and final team qualifying spot with a 407 while Huron finished fourth, shooting a 423. The district will take place Monday at Sycamore Springs in Arlington. "We're going to go play a practice round Friday at Sycamore Springs," Fischer said. "I'm waiting to see the results for all the time we're putting in. We haven't really seen the results in the short game like we need to. If we do that, our scores could go down 20 or 30 shots." The top three individuals not on qualifying teams also advanced to next week. Huron's Ashtynn Spooner had the top score among those individuals, shooting a 78. That was good enough for second overall, trailing only SJCC's Ryan Dickman who fired a 75. "I'm really proud of myself. I knew going into it that it was going to be easier than our usual sectional course," Spooner said. "But, I got really nervous on the way here. I'm shocked that I shot 39 and 39 on the front and back. I thought I was pretty consistent today." It is the second straight year that Spooner has advanced to districts as an individual. "She played really well and solid today," Huron coach Jeff Hippely said. "She didn't make any big mistakes anywhere, which is key on this course. It's a short course, but you can get yourself in a lot of trouble. She kept herself out of that." Lindsay Wainwright added a 109 for the Tigers while Julia Klinger (117) and Summer Armstrong (119) rounded out the team scoring. "The girls did OK," Hippely said. "The lower end of my lineup shot better than expected. Lindsay had a rough day for her last one. Ash played really well. I thought we'd be in it and we were, taking fourth." The final two individual qualifying spots went to Old Fort sisters Sarah Combs (86) and Kristin Combs (89). Bellevue's Mariska Manning just missed out on an individual qualifying spot, shooting a 91 for the Lady Red. Vermilion was led by senior Payton Buchs, who tallied a 99. Ellaynah Schaefer carded a 101 to pace Margaretta while Alia Bogard's 107 topped St. Paul. TEAM SCORES 1. Edison, 382; 2. Fremont SJCC, 384; 3. Woodmore, 407; 4. Huron, 423; 5. Bellevue, 433; 6. Vermilion, 452; 7. Margaretta, 453; 8. Oak Harbor, 455; 9. St. Paul, 490; 10. SMCC, 524; 11. Port Clinton, 576 TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS 1. Ryan Dickman, SJCC, 75; 2. Ashtynn Spooner, Huron, 78; 3. Sarah Combs, Old Fort, 86; 3. Annabelle Seville, Edison, 86; 5. Kristin Combs, Old Fort, 89; 6. Mariska Manning, Bellevue, 91; 7. Addie Peterson, SJCC, 95; 7. Ella Rogers, Edison, 95; 9. Abbey Tucker, Woodmore, 96; 10. Leah Sharp, Edison, 97