Seville's medalist round leads Edison to Erie County title

HURON — Annabelle Seville won't be too hard on herself. The Edison junior girls golfer thought she could have done better after a rough start Tuesday. After two double bogeys to start her round, Seville bounced back and played well over the final 16 holes. Seville finished with a 79, winning medalist honors at the Erie County Tournament at Sawmill Creek Golf Course. "The front 9 was no good," Seville said. "I had three double bogeys. I think I got it back when I birdied No. 7. That definitely got me back into the groove. On the back 9, I told myself to pick it up because I'm a good golfer. I had to get it going. I went on a par streak." Seville was 6-over after five holes and turned with a 41. She played better on the final nine holes, finishing eight shots better than Margaretta's Ellyse Schaefer (87). "It's a little frustrating, especially since I know what I was capable of," Seville said. "I've played this course multiple times with good scores. I kind of got in my head a little bit. I need to let it go. I think I've gotten better at that from last year." Seville's low round helped Edison claim the team title with a 399. "Anytime you can get a girls team to break 400 out here is pretty good," Chargers coach Shayne Fischer said. "In years past, that doesn't always happen. Annabelle's strong 79 really helped. I was proud of our other girls." Perkins was runner-up with a score of 415. Ireland Hart was third overall on the day with a 92 for the Pirates. She was tied with Seville after nine holes. "It was a tale of two nines for her," Perkins coach Tim Belden said. "She kept it in play well on the front nine, but her driver put her in some difficult spots on the back, which led to a few big-number holes." Maycee Bohn shot a 96 for the Pirates. Lucy Miller added a 112 and Aubrey Ransom rounded out the team scoring with a 115. "This is the third tournament this year we've placed second," Belden said. "With three new girls all contributing, I'm very proud of my team." Margaretta (435) was third, Huron (438) was fourth and Vermilion (524) finished fifth. Leah Sharp and Averi Wolf each carded a 103 for Edison. Ella Rogers rounded out the Chargers' scoring with a 114. "I have good leaders in Leah and Annabelle," Fischer said. "They lead by example, but they're also vocal to them. They're very helpful in trying to get their games to improve. We put in a lot of time in practice. I tell our girls we practice harder than anybody in our area. Nobody is going to outwork us." Fischer grew up playing at Sawmill Creek and works there now. He was prideful seeing his team take home the team championship. "One bad swing and you can make a big number," he said. "You have to be very patient with this golf course. You can't try and get it all back because it'll snowball on you. I thought Annabelle did a good job. I know the 41 on the front isn't probably what she wanted, but she righted the ship on the back nine." As the second half of the season begins, Seville and Edison have big goals yet to check off. "I really want to get out of sectionals as a team and then see how we place at district," she said. "But for me, I want to try and go all the way. I'm not going to jinx myself. I think with how we're scoring and how our past scores were, I think we have a really good chance of making it out." Schaefer's 87 was a solid mark for the senior. She didn't feel like she played her best after not feeling well recently. "I hit my driver pretty solid all day and I haven't really done that all year," Schaefer said. "It's a big advantage when you're a lot closer to the hole. I was pretty consistent putting, which I was pretty happy with on these greens. I limited the three-putts, which was helpful." The round came one day after Schaefer won the Plum Brook Ladies Club Championship. She defeated Kim Martello with a par on hole No. 16. The OHSAA allows high school golfers to apply for non-interscholastic waivers to allow for participation during the school season once a student has participated on the school team. "It was huge," Schaefer said. "I actually played because they were low on numbers. Last year they convinced me and I took second. This year, I was excited for it; I played really well. It's match play, which is different than stroke play. My dad got to caddy for me, carrying my bag. I played really well." Ellaynah Schaefer added a 110 for Margaretta while Jenae Farrell shot a 113. Huron was led by Ashytn Spooner, who carded a 95. Ava McFee added a 108 for the Tigers. Allison Smith paced Vermilion with a 128.