SBC GIRLS GOLF: Edison fights off illness, finishes 2nd among 19 teams

Edison girls golf coach Chace Rotsinger wasn't sure what kind of team he'd send to the tee at the Sandusky Bay Conference girls golf tournament Tuesday at Fremont Country Club. Two of the players on his six-girl roster were fighting illness and another had an injured shoulder. Three Chargers showed up for practice Monday. "I wasn't even sure if we were going to field four," said Rotsinger, hoping to at least get that many to fill out a team scorecard. "One girl was sick over the weekend and another went home sick Monday. "Luckily they rested up and fought through it mentally and played a great round." Edison shot a 383 to finish second in the Bay Division and second among all teams competing at Fremont. Bellevue won the Lake Division with a 413. Three Edison golfers, all juniors, broke 100. Mallory Meister led Edison with an 88 despite a double bogey on her last hole, the par-5 13th. Her score was good for second among all individuals. Meredith Unger finished at 91 and Madison Butler shot a 95. Elena McCord, a senior, finished the Chargers' scoring with a 109. Hopewell-Loudon won the Bay with a 365. That score was easily the best among all teams at the tournament. The Chieftains' Marissa Cline had the tourney's low score, an 86. Meister had a strong start to the season then dipped a bit before a talk with her coach turned things around. She shot a 38 to win the Bay shootout two weeks ago at Hopewell-Loudon, helping the Chargers win the event. "She is an all-around talented player who has that vision for the rest of the team," Rotsinger said. "She has pulled through tremendously." Junior Anna Smith sat out the SBC tournament with a shoulder injury, leaving McCord to card the team's fourth score. Rotsinger said McCord has picked up confidence since shooting a 98 at the Willard Invitational. "She knows she has to be the fourth scorer and has done a great job," he said. Rotsinger, who played college golf at Ashland University, said the turning point of the season came at a recent practice when he picked up his clubs and played with his team at a laid-back practice. "We struggled a lot this season with our mental game and that's one of the hardest things to coach in golf," the first-year Edison coach said. "The day before the Hopewell shootout I went out and played with them and showed them that they could have fun. "The next day we go out and shoot a 183 (over nine holes). The look on their faces was so focused. They knew they could do it." The Chargers, who enjoyed an ice cream stop at The Twist in Clyde on their drive home, will compete in sectional play next Tuesday at Valley View in Galion. Danbury finished third in the Bay with a 392. Kamil Stephens led the Lakers with an 88. Also scoring for Danbury: Michaela Harris (101), Alexis Wunder (101) and Katelynne Bergman (102). In the SBC Lake tourney, Allison Michaels shot an 88 to lead Bellevue to the team title. Filling out the Lady Red's scorecard were Magdalynn Heuring (106), Tessa Blankenship (109) and Lauren Fleming (110). Norwalk, led by Katie Wolcott's 103, finished in second at 421, eight strokes behind Bellevue. Only four Lake golfers broke 100. Joining Michaels in double digits were Oak Harbor's Trista Chasteen (91), Perkins' Kylie Beverick (92) and Vermilion's Ava Owens (95). --- SBC Lake Division Team Results Bellevue 413; Norwalk 421; Vermilion 427; Clyde 429; Perkins 430; Port Clinton 439; Oak Harbor 441; Columbian 456; Sandusky 531 SBC Lake Division Top 10 Allison Michaels, Bellevue 88; Trista Chasteen, Oak Harbor 91; Kylie Beverick, Perkins 92; Ava Owens, Vermilion 95; Karli Deel, Clyde 103; Katie Wolcott, Norwalk 103; Hayley Zagor, Norwalk 103; Emily Holcomb, Port Clinton 104; Emily Terry, Perkins 104; Kennedy Leto, Norwalk 105 SBC Bay Division Team Results Hopewell-Loudon 365; Edison 383; Danbury 392; Calvert 398; Margaretta 401; St. Mary CC 426; Gibsonburg 429; Huron 443; St. Joseph CC 463; Willard 523 SBC Bay Division Top 10 Marissa Cline, Hopewell-Loudon 86; Mallory Meister, Edison 88; Kamil Stephens, Danbury 88; Jamie Opfer, Margaretta 90; Amanda Millis, SMCC 90; Emma Kidd, H-L 90; Jenna Brown, H-L 90; Meredith Unger, Edison 91; Ellie Stout, Gibsonburg 93; Ellyse Schaefer, Margaretta 94