EHS Tigers golf team’s season ends
Coach pleased with team effort
CLARKSBURG — The Elkins High School golf season came to an end Monday at the Class AA Region 2 Tournament at Bel Meadow Golf Club, as the four seniors couldn’t push the Tigers into a state playoff birth.
“We had four seniors out there and, as a team, I felt we improved a little bit from the Big 10 Tournament, score wise,” EHS coach David Baird said. “I thought we played pretty decent today. Lewis County had a kid under par and that made it tough to catch them. They had another kid that played probably his best round of the year. That’s who we were chasing today.
“I though we played decent enough,” Baird continued. “We left a few strokes out there, but I was pleased with how they played and how they handled the pressure. It’s just a tough golf course.”
Bridgeport High School captured the regional crown with 241 combined strokes. Lewis County also punched a ticket into the state tournament, taking second place with 252 strokes.
Elkins and Roane County were just off the pace, tying for third place with 264 strokes each. Braxton County, with 276 strokes; Robert C. Byrd, with 276 strokes; Clay County, at 278 strokes; Nicholas County, with 300 strokes; and Lincoln, at 306 strokes, rounded out the field. Herbert Hoover and Liberty high schools sent players but did not qualify for the team competition.
Bridgeport’s Mason Williams earned the low medal with 69 strokes. Lewis County’s Ayden Wyckoff also had an outstanding round with 71 strokes. Clay County’s Colton Moore and Roane County’s Grayson Watson both earned their way into the state tournament as individuals by tallying 80 strokes each. All the members of the top two teams, along with the top two individuals who are not on the top two teams, earned the right to compete in the state tournament next week at Oglebay Park.
For the Tigers, Dylan Reckart completed the course in 81 strokes. Luke Swecker, at 91 strokes; Chase Reckart, with 92 strokes; and Jacob Pritt, at 108 strokes, rounded out the team scoring for EHS.
“(Dylan Reckart) missed his chance on the last couple of holes,” Baird said. “He was playing well when he made the turn after 9 holes, and then he got himself into a few holes where he started bogeying. He was playing with Mason (Williams) and Ayden (Wyckoff), who were both playing really well. I think he wanted to keep up with their pace and started getting away from their pace, which got him a little frustrated. He was playing well, then he just started missing putts and making bogeys. He just got frustrated and made a few bad swings on those last couple of holes, which cost him even more.”
The loss ended the season for the Tigers. Baird said he was proud of the team’s effort this season and is looking forward to rebuilding next year with underclassmen.
“I’m going to miss Dylan (Reckart) and Luke (Swecker), who have been there the past four years with me,” Baird said. “Chase (Reckart) and Jacob Pritt just joined us the past two years, and they helped out the team. It’s going to be tough to replace four seniors. We’re going to have to go back to the drawing board with some underclassmen and hopefully some kids coming up from the middle school. We’re definitely going to be young. It may take us a little while to get us back to where they were. They’re going to be missed. They’ve been in the regionals and the Big 10 Tournament the past couple of years, and they have big time experience. It showed today. They didn’t falter or anything, they just got beat by a team that played better today.”