'Couldn't have scripted that any better': Huron wins inaugural mixed best ball tournament

HURON — Huron boys golf coach Justin King and girls coach Jeff Hippely spent the past couple years trying to come up with a way for their teams to play together in a unique event. The culmination came Monday at Thunderbird Hills North Course when the Tigers hosted their inaugural mixed best ball tournament. And it was made even better by the fact that, via scorecard tiebreaker, Huron took home the combined team championship. "Of all the crazy things to happen, we end up tied with Avon and win it on the fifth player's score to win our inaugural event," Hippely said. "You couldn't have scripted that any better." Hippely's upperclassmen have been on his case for a few years about getting a chance to play with the boys team, he said. But there really hasn't been a mechanism in Ohio high school golf to make that happen. Boys matches and tournaments take place separately from girls matches and tournaments. But King agreed that their players deserved something different. "The girls don't get to see the boys play, and the other way around," King said. "So we're really looking to bring the teams together. It's one of the only boys and girls sports where you can probably do it." The coaches had to craft a letter to the Ohio High School Athletic Association to get approval for the event so that it would fit under the OHSAA's allowed days of competition for the fall season. Once the thumbs up came and Huron's coaches sent out invites, other teams wanted in. "We were excited," Danbury boys coach Dan Humphrey said. "It's cool seeing the game evolve a little bit and become more kid-friendly. It's good seeing boys and girls learn from each other." The inaugural event included 12 teams — Huron, Edison, Perkins, Norwalk, Port Clinton, Danbury, Clyde, St. Mary Central Catholic, Vermilion, Tiffin Calvert, Avon and Woodmore. The Tigers won the team tournament with a 329 score. That's the sum of their four best pairings' best ball scores for their 18-hole rounds. On each hole, the better score in a given pair was the score that counted toward the team total. Avon also finished at 329, but Huron won the tiebreaker by having the better fifth golfing pair score. Huron's No. 5 golfers, Evan Collins and Samantha Laffay, put together an 89 to break the tie. Huron's No. 1 pairing of Adam Murray and Madelyn Porterfield combined on a 76. TJ Murray and Kayla Weyer shot 80. Luke Rager and Malena Fantozzi put up an 85, followed by Charlie Hardy and Teagan Miller's 88. "I thought it was a little strange, because I've never heard of this, never done it," Rager said. "It ended up being a lot of fun. We never really do anything with the girls team." Perkins had the top-scoring best ball pair, which wasn't officially awarded but was tracked. The Beverick twins, Conner and Kylie, put together a best ball score of 74. Huron was led by the boys' individual runner-up, Adam Murray, who shot a 78. Murray's score was second only to Clyde's Josh Swartz (78 with tiebreaker) on the boys side. Danbury's Kamil Stephens was the individual medalist for the girls with a 78. She finished ahead of Avon's Aubrie Rush (81). "It's awesome seeing boys and girls play together," Humphrey said. "They are really excited about it. You can tell that Huron put a lot of thought into it and a lot of time and planning, and it paid off because this is gonna become an every-year event for us." That was the common theme Monday. This may have been the first of its kind locally, but it won't be the last. There was already chatter about other teams potentially hosting a similar event next year, and Huron will certainly welcome teams back to Thunderbird North. The Tigers now have a title to defend. "Best ball this year, we might switch up the format next year, maybe do alternate shot, just try to keep things fresh," King said. "We want to do something new for the kids. They play matches all year long, singular tournaments all year long. This can be something they can look forward to." The best ball setup also allowed for a level of strategy. Some teams opted not to play their No. 1 golfers together in hopes of maximizing their scores. On the course, though, most of the golfers didn't seem overly concerned with their numbers. They complimented each others' shots, searched for each others' errant drives and generally played with smiles on their faces. "It was kind of like a normal round," Rager said. "We talked a lot, laughed a lot and just had a really good time. It was kind of relaxed, not as serious I'd say, but still really fun." The teams gathered in the course's pavilion afterward for hamburgers, which were grilled by none other than Huron boys basketball coach Bobby James. Some players had to leave before the trophy presentation, but Rager, for one, didn't leave for his soccer practice until the results were tallied. He had faith that the Tigers, who had just won the Willard invite as a boys team, had earned another trophy. And on a pristine day for golf in Huron, he was right. "That was probably the most unique thing that they'll probably ever do in high school to be able to play together," Hippely said. "My girls have been clamoring at me for three years about wanting to play with the boys, wanting to play with the boys. We finally came up with a way to let them do that, and it culminated in both teams winning their trophies." --- Team scores: Huron 329, Avon 329, St. Mary Central Catholic 330, Danbury 345, Norwalk 350, Vermilion 352, Clyde 353, Perkins 364, Port Clinton 369, Calvert 373, Edison 380, Woodmore 388