Boys Golf: Academy aims to continue title run
When it comes to the Columbus Academy boys golf team, the players may change but the results stay the same.
Even though the Vikings lost two key contributors from last season to graduation, they are confident they will contend for their sixth consecutive Division II state title.
“We talk about the past a little bit and then we move on,” coach Craig Yakscoe said. “What’s happened in the past is the past. This is our team this year, and we’re going to move forward.”
It helps that Academy has senior Stephen Ma, who tied for third (150) at state last season and earned individual medalist honors as a sophomore.
Also last season, junior Matthew Fang tied for 14th (157) and senior Arvind Rajagopalan tied for 22nd (164).
Lost to graduation were Russell Ahmed and Aditya Reddy, who tied for fifth (151) and eighth (153), respectively, as the Vikings rallied from 10 strokes down after the opening round to edge Kettering Alter 611-614 for the championship.
It was the Vikings’ 12th state title, second all-time to Upper Arlington’s 17.
Alter has finished second to Academy the past three seasons.
“Hopefully we’re ready for the challenge,” Rajagopalan said. “It’s going to be a dogfight, but I think we’ll be ready as a team. We have good team chemistry. It’s hard to replace Russell and Aditya, but the other guys are going to have a chance to prove themselves. They’re going to be great additions to the team.”
Senior A.J. Bradley also returns, but the remaining players are new to varsity.
Academy also won its sixth consecutive MSL-Ohio Division championship a year ago.
There should be extra intrigue in Division I as three teams and three individuals will advance from district to state. Since 2015, only two teams and two individuals had advanced.
Last fall, Dublin Coffman (294) and Dublin Jerome (295) earned the top two scores at district, just ahead of Olentangy Liberty (297) and St. Charles (300). Then at state, Coffman was third (607) and Jerome was fourth (609).
Colin Seely has succeeded Joe Flynn as Jerome’s coach.
“I like where we’re at,” Seely said. “It’s August, (and) we have to make sure we’re playing good golf in October. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
Divisions II and III remain unchanged, with only the district team champion and one individual reaching state.
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Early season Super 12
Tyler Brockwell
School: Pickerington North
Year: Senior
As the only returnee from the Panthers’ top seven, Brockwell will be tasked with leading a team that is trying to build on its first OCC-Ohio championship since 2016 and earn its first state berth since 2013.
Brockwell was fourth in the league in average (75.5) as a junior before finishing sixth at the Turnberry sectional (74) and tying for 33rd (78) in the Division I district tournament.
Brady Catalano
School: Upper Arlington
Year: Junior
Catalano will help pace a deep lineup as the Golden Bears try to reach their first Division I state tournament since 2014 and state-record 56th overall.
Catalano shot a 72 at district last year, two shots shy of his first state berth, and averaged a 76 in the four-round OCC-Central tournament.
Catalano’s father, Mark, golfed for UA in the early 1990s before playing at South Carolina.
Dylan Cullman
School: Upper Arlington
Year: Senior
Another of the Bears’ several returnees, Cullman averaged 77 in the OCC-Central tournament — including a 74 in the second round to tie for the team lead and a team-best 79 in the third round — before tying for 17th (78) at the Denison Golf Club sectional and tying for 16th (75) at district.
UA finished third at sectional (315) and sixth at district (310).
Jack Flores
School: Thomas Worthington
Year: Sophomore
Flores got stronger as his freshman season went on, shooting a 73 at the Darby Creek sectional to tie for third and advance to district, where he shot an 82.
He was steady in OCC-Cardinal play, averaging 77.75 to earn second-team all-league honors.
Flores already has a pair of fifth-place finishes this season, with a 73 at the Wedgewood Showcase on Aug. 8 and a 77 at the Steve Youmans Classic on Aug. 6 at Champions.
Vaughn Harber
School: DeSales
Year: Junior
Harber will try to build on a strong 2021 season in which he won three invitationals, was CCL medalist, finished 13th in the Division I district tournament and earned his first Super 12 honor.
Harber, who averaged 72.3 last year, shot a 19-over 235 for three rounds at the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in July in San Diego. He also finished second in the Columbus District Golf Association Junior Championship.
Stephen Ma
School: Columbus Academy
Year: Senior
Ma helped lead the Vikings to their fifth consecutive Division II state title as he tied for third (150) to earn first-team all-state honors.
He tied teammate Russell Ahmed for first (75) at the Darby Creek sectional and then tied for second (72) at district. He was first-team all-MSL-Ohio.
Ma was named Super 12 Captain as a sophomore after earning individual state medalist honors.
Arvind Rajagopalan
School: Columbus Academy
Year: Senior
Rajagopalan also helped Academy to its fifth consecutive state title as he tied for 22nd (164) after tying for fifth (76) at district and tying for fourth (76) at sectional.
He also was first-team all-MSL-Ohio as the Vikings won their sixth consecutive league championship.
Grant Raubenolt
School: Reynoldsburg
Year: Junior
A two-time Division I district qualifier, Raubenolt was medalist in the OCC-Buckeye last season with a 76.25 average. He followed with a 67 to capture medalist honors in the sectional at Blacklick Woods.
Raubenolt, who shot a 79 to tie for 37th at district, will try to become Reynoldsburg’s first state individual qualifier since 2012.
Carter Rutherford
School: Olentangy Liberty
Year: Junior
Rutherford is the lone returning full-time player for a Liberty squad that shot a 297 in the Division I district tournament last year to finish third, two strokes from state. He shot a 76 at district after averaging 78 in OCC-Central play to earn honorable mention all-league honors.
Rutherford got out to a solid start this season, shooting a 72 to tie for third at the Wedgewood Showcase on Aug. 8.
Ryan Schiefferle
School: Dublin Coffman
Year: Junior
An honorable mention all-OCC-Central honoree after averaging 77.5 in league play last season, Schiefferle is the top returnee for the Shamrocks after they won the Division I district championship and qualified for state for the first time since 2012.
Schiefferle finished sixth at the Darby Creek sectional with a 75, tied for 13th with a 74 at district and shot 165 at state as Coffman finished third to lead central Ohio.
Max Vanoy
School: Newark Catholic
Year: Junior
Vanoy was the top player last season as the Green Wave shot 302 to capture the Division III district championship.
He placed 15th (159) at the state tournament as the Green Wave finished third. He also was a key player in 2020 when Newark Catholic was sixth at state.
Leo Walling
School: St. Charles
Year: Junior
Walling has been one of the top players in central Ohio since his freshman season. The Cardinals’ No. 1 player, he tied for sixth (72) in the Division I district tournament a year ago after shooting a 74 at the Darby Creek sectional.
As a freshman, Walling earned Super 12 honors after he shot a 159 at state to tie for 34th.
Early season Super 7
1. Columbus Academy
Seeking their sixth consecutive Division II state title, the Vikings return three of their top five, including one of the area’s best players in Stephen Ma. Also back are Arvind Rajagopalan and Matthew Fang.
2. St. Charles
The Cardinals have three standouts in their lineup in juniors Leo Walling and Ted Cahill and sophomore Jonas Borland. Beckham Martin and Mikey Pagnotto, a pair of freshmen, enter the lineup for a squad that finished fourth at district last fall.
3. Dublin Coffman
Juniors Ryan Schiefferle and Luke Warner are the top returnees for the Shamrocks after they reached the Division I state tournament for the first time since 2012. In addition, junior A.J. Frost is expected to be a key contributor after being the team’s No. 6 player last season, and coach Scott Sutherland is optimistic about a trio of newcomers who round out the lineup.
4. Dublin Jerome
The Celtics lost all five of their varsity players to graduation and have a new coach in Colin Seely, but history tells us Jerome features enough depth every year to contend for state. Sophomore Zach Radtke led the Celtics at tryouts.
5. Upper Arlington
Four of the Golden Bears’ top five players return from a team that finished sixth at district and is seeking a return to state for the first time since 2014. An experienced, deep roster is led by senior Dylan Cullman, juniors Brady Catalano and Luke Royer and sophomore Bric Baird.
6. Olentangy Liberty
Liberty lost four of its top five golfers from last year’s team that finished third at district. Junior Carter Rutherford returns and with seniors Carson Meyer and Ryan Riddle and freshmen Jackson Harris, Noah Andry and Holden Orofino, the Patriots still have a deep lineup.
7. Newark Catholic
The Green Wave has returned all five starters from the team that won the Division III district championship and followed with a third-place state finish. Junior Max Vanoy, who was district runner-up, leads a cast that also includes senior Jack Rehbeck, juniors Brian Luft and Nate Riggleman and sophomore Brogan Sullivan.
CANAL WINCHESTER
•Coach: Rick Maharry, fifth season
•Top players: Nolan Frey, Michael Huffman, Talmage Knowles and Drew Sycks
•Key losses: Jameson Hippler, Keaton Moeller and Calvin Trigg
•2021 OCC-Capital standings: Delaware (23-1), Dublin Scioto (19-5), Big Walnut (15-9), Worthington Kilbourne (12-12), Westerville North (10-14), Canal Winchester (5-19), Westerville South (0-24)
•2021 postseason: 10th at sectional
•Outlook: Senior Nolan Frey appeared to be the Indians’ clear top golfer entering the season, carding a 76 in the Pickerington Central Invitational on Aug. 4 at Turnberry to build on a summer in which he played well in several junior tournaments.
Classmate Drew Sycks is the only other returnee from last year, as junior Jack Sprague is concentrating on baseball. Frey and Sycks will be depended on to anchor the less-experienced back of the lineup, a group that consists of sophomores Michael Huffman and Talmage Knowles and freshmen Ethan Fout and Ian Johnson.
None of the four had played a varsity round entering this year.
The program has a total of 11 golfers, although coach Rick Maharry does not anticipate much movement between varsity and junior varsity for the time being.
•Quotable: “We’re more about development than wins. It’s things like how to practice on their own and developing good habits. My biggest goal is just to develop them a little bit more. If we can get the scores down, where the new guys will be at 100 or below, that will be awesome. I think it’s a reasonable goal.” — Maharry
CENTRAL
•Coach: Chris Cores, 18th season
•Top players: Jace Belcher, Nick Moore, Cody Widener and Logan Wycuff
•Key losses: Cole Crandall, Aidan Isaac and Carter Woodward
•2021 OCC-Buckeye standings: Pickerington Central (16-0), Reynoldsburg (11-5), Lancaster (9-7), Newark (4-12), Central Crossing (0-16)
•2021 postseason: Fourth at sectional, 10th at district
•Outlook: Coach Chris Cores is optimistic that the beat will go on for the Tigers, who will seek a fourth consecutive league championship with a slightly different cast.
Senior Nick Moore and juniors Jace Belcher and Cody Widener are expected to anchor the lineup and vie for the scoring lead. Widener opened the season with a medalist round of 74 in the Tigers’ invitational, one shot ahead of Belcher, and Moore shot a 74 from the fifth spot last year at sectional.
Senior Jonathan Pasaribu, junior Logan Wycoff and sophomore Evan Wycoff round out the top six for Central, which entered the season 36-0 in the OCC-Buckeye since 2020 and 68-8 in league play since the start of the 2018 season.
•Quotable: “We want to maintain that domino effect where every class impacts the one that comes after them. We’re getting nice contributions from the juniors. The standard is the standard and that’s what we’re impressing on them. It’s so exciting to see.” — Cores
NORTH
•Coach: Steve Schill, eighth season
•Top players: Zach Ayers, Tyler Brockwell, Kevin Drake and J.J. Groves
•Key losses: Carson Bellish, Hadyn Hunt, Ethan Schwartz and Kirby Shaffery
•2021 OCC-Ohio standings: Pickerington North and Grove City (both 17-3), New Albany and Westerville Central (both 11-9), Gahanna (4-16), Westland (0-20)
•2021 postseason: Second at sectional, fifth at district
•Outlook: The Panthers launch defense of their first league championship since 2016 with an almost entirely new lineup, as senior Tyler Brockwell is the only returnee from last year’s top seven.
One of those graduates, two-time state qualifier Carson Bellish, was OCC-Ohio Player of the Year each of the past two seasons and now golfs at Xavier.
Brockwell will be tasked with leading a lineup that, if it is not younger than a year ago, is less experienced. Freshman Zach Ayers made an immediate splash by shooting a team-leading 78 in Central’s invitational, one shot ahead of senior J.J. Groves.
Others joining varsity include senior Jordan Nanthavong, junior Zoryen Steele and sophomore Kevin Drake.
•Quotable: “There is a lot of growing we can still do, but for the most part we’ve been taking steps in the right direction. ... We just have to get a couple more guys to be more consistent. We’re still putting up a few too many big numbers, but they’ll get better with more self-evaluating and working on things.” — Schill
—Dave Purpura
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Boys Golf: Academy aims to continue title run
