SMCC, Margaretta finish 2nd, 3rd at sectional tournament

CLYDE — Things never come easy. St. Mary Central Catholic and Margaretta had to battle a tough field at the Division III boys golf sectional Thursday at Green Hills Golf Course. The two local teams took two of the three team spots to advance to next week's district while St. Paul's Mason Beatty and Huron's Grant Humphrey advanced as individuals. Toledo Christian won with a team score of 328. SMCC shot a 335 and Margaretta was one shot behind with a 336. "We started off pretty slow, but I feel like our guys picked up on the back 9 once they settled in," SMCC coach Sean Finneran said. "We finished strong to sneak in and play well enough to shoot that 335. I think as a team we were hoping to shoot better than that, but I was happy we did well enough to make it out." The Panthers' Blake Finneran and Beatty tied for medalist honors with a 73. Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic's Luke Jenkins snagged an individual spot with a 77 while Humphrey fired a 78. "My takeaway is you get unlucky sometimes and you have to come back and fight again," Blake Finneran said. "Not every shot will go your way. You have to focus on the next shot. You can't focus on the past." Finneran shot a 66 last year at Green Hills to win the sectional. He double bogeyed the fourth hole Thursday, but mixed in some birdies on the front 9 to turn at 2 over. He had a birdie, bogey and seven pars on the back 9 to finish at 2-over 73 for the day. "He feels like he left a little bit out there," coach Finneran said. "His front 9 was a little bit shaky. He was up and down. He made a few birdies to help it. He was pretty steady, shooting even par on the back 9." Joey Finneran shot an 82 for the Panthers while Jack Davis tallied an 89. Leo Will rounded out the SMCC scoring with a 91 while Pravir Gorty finished with a 92. "It's been a goal we've had all season," said coach Finneran of advancing as a team. "Our guys have worked their butts off to achieve this. They practice hard. This is our second year making it out as a team to districts. It was a lot of fun last year being able to. It's a different experience when you're going with the whole team." The Division III district tournament is next Thursday at Stone Ridge in Bowling Green. "For us, it's going to be working on our short game," coach Finneran said. "We want to work on our chipping and putting. That's what's going to save us at districts. If we can get up and down and get the ball on the greens a little easier, that's our shot to potentially qualify for state." Phinneaus Headley paced Margaretta with an 80 while Jaxson Bohn fired an 82. "It's always exciting to get out as a team," Margaretta coach Ryan Spicer said. "Last year, we took an individual after missing out by one stroke as a team. I actually felt like we could win the sectional. Midway through the round, we struggled a little bit." Keiygan Morris added an 83 for the Polar Bears while Gavin Berg rounded out the team scoring with a 91. Ayden Miller shot a 97 for Margaretta. "Our players can go low at certain times of the year," Spicer said. "We were fortunate three of them held their own today. We were fortunate our fourth score got us through." After struggling a bit on the front 9, Humphrey was even par on the back 9. That helped him move on for Huron. "It was the most mature round I've seen him play," Huron coach Toby Miller said. "He did not have it on the front and shot a 43. He stayed composed and shot a 35 on the back. I couldn't be happier for him. He truly puts a lot of time into his game." Paul Murray shot an 84 for the Tigers while Luke Barton fired an 89. Danbury (354) finished sixth and St. Paul (379) was 10th. Frankie Kovach led Danbury with an 83 while Evan Sandvick tallied an 88. Danny Carroll carded an 89 and Mason Kihlken fired a 94. After Beatty, St. Paul was led by Connor Polachek's 79. Team scores 1. Toledo Christian, 328; 2. SMCC, 335; 3. Margaretta, 336; 4. Huron, 347; 5. Old Fort, 351; 6. Danbury, 354; Woodmore, 361; 8. Lakota, 366; 9. Gibsonburg, 370; 10. St. Paul, 379; 11. Fremont SJCC, 382; 12. Western Reserve, 406; 13. Northwood, 452 Top 10 individuals 1. Mason Beatty, St. Paul, 73; 1. Blake Finneran, SMCC, 73; 3. Braden Huber, Toledo Christian, 74; 4. Luke Jenkins, Fremont SJCC, 77; 5. Andrew Huber, Toledo Christian, 78; 5. Grant Humphrey, Huron, 78; 7. Connor Polachek, St. Paul, 79; 7. Drew Pearson, Fremont SJCC, 79; 9. Phinneaus Headley, Margaretta, 80; 9. Colten Hoerig, Old Fort, 80