Golf: John Glenn, West M pace field at MVL tourney
ZANESVILLE — John Glenn might be one of the youngest teams in the Muskingum Valley League, but it sure hasn't played like it.
The Muskies entered Friday's MVL Tournament at Jaycees with nary a loss on its resumé, getting contributions throughout its lineup in a dominant season.
That trend continued, as junior Owen Van Fossen shot 76 to lead another balanced effort in another clean sweep. John Glenn's 320 clinched a 33-0 league campaign and its eighth title in 10 years under 23rd-year coach Chad Orecchio.
For the first time, the league was split into Big School and Small School divisions to determine champions. West Muskingum, which shot 328 behind overall medalist Jacob Allen (70) and runner-up Jack Porter (71), the MVL Player of the Year for best Match Performance Rating, claimed the Small School title with a 25-8 record.
C.J. Dolan added 78, Noah Dever 82 and Braden Rice 84 for John Glenn on a day only five players broke 80. Morning temperatures in the mid-40s — the first inclement day of the season — added difficulty and likely led to higher scores, Orecchio said.
"It was a tough day out there," Orecchio said. "When we started it was 45 degrees out there. It was chilly. It was a good sectional feel. I'm proud of the kids. We went 33-0 in the league and that's not easy to do.
"It's a young team," Orecchio added. "We return the whole lineup next year. I don't think we've been as good as we can be. (Shooting) 320 is good, but we can play better."
Dolan's round was another example of how the Muskies' depth continues to pay benefits. He is one of the team's first-year players.
"He's a gamer," Orecchio said. "He started off well and played well. You have Van Fossen with a solid round. It's always good to have a Van Fossen on your team. This has been a weird team. There hasn't always been anchor, we've just always done enough. Somebody shoots a pretty good score and we make due."
The postseason is next for the Muskies, who have almost two weeks off before starting Division I sectional play on Oct. 5 at EagleSticks. The top three teams advance to the district at Apple Valley.
It will be John Glenn's first year in Division I. They were seeded 11th of 50 teams by the Central District.
"I like our chances," Orecchio said. "We play well at EagleSticks. The top three make it out and I think there are six out of the 12 that have a shot to get out."
Sheridan tied for second at 328, followed by Maysville (334), Crooksville (349), Philo (367), Meadowbrook (368), New Lexington (373), Tri-Valley (387), Coshocton (411) and Morgan (412). River View did not field a full team.
Porter finished with a 0.80 MPR, just ahead of Allen, who was second at 2.76. Allen's round on Friday didn't appear to be destined for greatness after a 3-over-par start through six holes. He rebounded with a vengeance, making five birdies and an eagle.
He said being able to keep his composure after an early double bogey, followed by a tee shot into a creek, was the key to his round. His bogey on the 16th was the result of a hole-out from 50 yards out.
His round got rolling on the par-5 18th, when he knocked his second shot to four feet and sank his eagle putt. He played the last 10 holes at 4-under, part of a 33 on his back nine.
"Posting a 37 on the back nine was a huge advantage that I knew I would have on the field," Allen said. "I ended up shooting 33 on the front throwing multiple darts into the greens and having tap-in birdies. I could have easily gone lower after I had two three-putts nine alone. Overall I was very happy."
Allen feels his mental game has given him an advantage this season.
"My four years of experience helps a lot and has given me a big confidence boost going into tournament play," Allen said.
Reed Coconis shot 79, Blake Turnes 80, Cooper Winders 83 and Adam Saffell 86 for Sheridan, while Reid Lemity added 88 and Landon McWhorter 99 for West M.
Connor Larimer and Owen Lutz had 81, Hoyt Dodson 83 and Cade Pickrell 89 for Maysville.
Bo White and Vaughn Childress had 83, Cooper Watts 84 and Gabe Sandefur 99 for Crooksville; A.J. Harper shot 82, Addison Mershon 92, A.J. Layton 94 and Josh Gordon 99 for Philo; Brody Agriesti shot 84, Drew Barnette 86, Caden Gibson 98 and Brandon Stevenson 105 for New Lex; Xander Smalley posted 91, Jacob Grear 94, Connor Preston 96 and Garrett Brocklehurst 106 for Tri-Valley.
Coshocton was led by Coby Moore's 94, Gavin Mathias' 96, Carter Summers' 103 and Nic Commarata's 118; Morgan was led by Nate Silvus with 99, Emma Miller with 103, Kaden Garrett with 105 and Craig Gorrell with 105; River View's Thad Cox shot 88, Caleb Kline 98 and Isaiah Carpenter 126.
Also making the All-MVL team, given to the top 15 players in MPR, were Van Fossen, Larimer, White, Dever, Dolan, Coconis, Rice, Lutz, Dodson, Turnes, Winders, Childress and John Glenn freshman Hayden Gensor. The cutoff was 6.6.
McKenzie wins MVL girls crown
Crooksville's Riley McKenzie shot 2-over-par 73 to edge John Glenn's Addy Burris by a shot to earn medalist at the girls' MVL Tournament at Vista, while John Glenn shot 339 to claim the team title.
Burris' 74 was supported by Abby McCullough's 85, Elise Abrams' 88 and 92 from Carlie Ellsworth and Libbee Baughman. The Muskies, who finished 36 shots ahead of runner-up Sheridan (375). Tri-Valley was third at 411, West M fourth with 424 and Philo fifth with 442.
Morgan Wamer was third overall with 78 to pace Sheridan, which also saw Ryan Satterfield shoot 95, Haven Jenkins 98 and Adi Calendine 104.
Kenzie Henderson paced West M with 95; Jessica Shawger added 106, Bella Henderson 111 and Emma Sprankle 112.
Tri-Valley was led by Makayla Hutchison's 91, while Delaney Bell had 101, Emily Stanford 109 and Kate Burkhart 110.
Philo's Brianna Mortimer posted 88, while Grace Hargraves shot 107 and Taiylor Winland 108. Alaina Wahl had 139.
River View's Paige Nicely had 87 and teammates Caily Shriver and Kortnee Mickle 91 and 94, respectively.
New Lexington's Megan Howdyshell shot 101 and teammate Peyton Everett 105.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Golf: John Glenn, West M pace field at MVL Tournament
