GOLF: Hawks Soar Above Mustangs, Huskies Also Qualify For States

ABERDEEN—Ryan Triller struggled to make putts all day, but the North Harford senior still managed to shoot a one-over 73 and lead his team to the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference District VII title at Ruggles Golf Course on Wednesday.

Triller took the individual title, too, but it was teammate Jimmy Munchel who made the difference in the team race. The senior shot 76 from the Hawks's No. 4 position as North Harford won District VII's larger 3A/4A classification title, as well as a state tournament berth.

"I think the format of having the top four scores [out of five count] really helps us. We're not quite as deep as some teams but we have a pretty strong top lineup," Hawks head coach Nick Panos said. "[Jimmy] actually didn't play a lot in the offseason and he's finally getting his game back to where we know he's capable of playing. He really stepped in and did a great job."

Pat Neal shot 84 for the Hawks while Alex O'Shaughnessy shot 86 for a 319 total. C. Milton Wright, led by senior Randy Callahan's 75, finished second with a 327.

Callahan and Triller battled all day for the individual title while Fallston's Liz Silbernagel matched Triller's 73. She was playing with him, Callahan and Patterson Mill's Eric Langrehr (81) in the lead foursome.

"I am actually really happy about how I played. I definitely missed out on being under par," Silbernagel said. "I should have made a couple of those really short putts but other than that I think I played really consistent."

Silbernagel added that playing in the lead group had no effect on her play as she is used to being grouped with boys.

"I'm pretty focused on my own game when I play," Silbernagel said.

In the 1A/2A competition, Patterson Mill took team honors with a 336. The Huskies narrowly qualified for the state tournament, which requires a regional team score of 340 or less.

Langrehr and Stefany King, who also shot 81, led the Huskies, who also counted scores from Zach Scheuerman (85) and Matt Dietrich (89).

The top two male individuals both came from the lead group, which started on No. 18. Trailing by three shots with four holes to play, Callahan went par, par, birdie on holes 14–16 to pull even with Triller, who was fortunate to go bogey, bogey, par after driving it out of bounds on 14 and air-mailing the green on the par 3 15th.

An errant tee shot on Callahan's final hole, however, cost him a chance at the individual title. He took a fairway wood on the 355-yard par 4 17th and hit it in the right rough behind the tree line. After his second shot caught the branches and ended up behind a tree in the left rough, he took three more to get on and made a 10-footer for double bogey to close his round.

"I came out of that last hole and it was a tough shot I had over that tree—it happens," Callahan said. "I got a bad break, [but] I'm happy with the score I shot today."

Meanwhile, Triller hit driver down the left side of the fairway and was safely on the back of the green in regulation. His 25-foot birdie effort hung on the lip, denying him a round of even par.

Silbernagel also narrowly missed shooting 72 as her 10-foot par putt on the last burned the edge. She was -1 with three holes remaining but bogeyed two of her last three.

Triller and Silbernagel, who made two birdies each, were both even through 10 holes after failing to make birdie on the reachable par 5 9th. Callahan finished with three birdies.

The Mustangs' senior did not look too far ahead when asked what his goals were for states.

"Staying consistent on every hole, keeping myself in the tournament. I don't want to go out there and attack all the pins and take myself out of the tournament," Callahan said. "You always want to be in the field going for the championship."

Silbernagel, however, has designs on winning.

"My goal is to win states this year. I think I have a really good opportunity," said the senior, who has finished in the top 10 in each of her first three seasons, including a third place finish as a junior.

North Harford will be a bigger underdog at states than it was today, but Panos is still anxious to see his team compete.

"There are good teams down there so the goal is to make it to the second day and then maybe do something good. The top half of the field makes it into the second day so that'll be our goal," Panos said.

Excluding North Harford and Patterson Mill players who are eligible to play in states as part of their team, eight boys and five girls advanced to the state tournament as individuals.

The cut for the boys was 84—the maximum allowable score to qualify for states—and it was shot by four players. As Neal is expected to be chosen by Panos to participate in states as part of the team, he did not participate in the three-for-two playoff.

C. Milton Wright's Ricky Scheeler bogeyed No. 18, the first playoff hole, to advance ahead of Bel Air's Nick Loiodice and Rising Sun's Jake Reeves, who continued to hole No. 1 after tying with double bogey 6s on the first playoff hole.

Loiodice and Reeves, both left-handed players, missed short par putts on No. 1 that would have advanced either of them to states, and proceeded to the par 3 8th for the third playoff hole. After both players made par, they repeated No. 8 with a little more drama. Loiodice hit to the front of the green in regulation but ran his putt about 10 feet past the hole as darkness ensued. Reeves, who was considerably closer after his tee shot on that fourth playoff hole ran his birdie putt about four feet past the hole.

Loiodice, however, drained his downhill 10-footer and put the pressure back on Reeves, who calmly made his par putt. With daylight in short supply, the rules committee decided to put Loiodice and Reeves in a closest-to-the-pin competition from approximately 50 yards away on the 8th hole. After Loiodice hit his wedge to less than 10 feet, Reeves missed the green well short granting Loiodice the final individual berth in states.

For full results, refer to the story's PDF attachment.

C. Milton Wright won the the Chesapeake Division match at Bulle Rock earlier in the season for the third consecutive year and the fifth time in the conference's seven-year history. North East took the Susquehanna Division Title.