Walling leads St. Charles to district championship, ties Kilbourne's Cotterman for first
Leo Walling stayed focused on the task at hand and it worked.
The St. Charles junior, who started on the back nine in the Division I district tournament Oct. 11 at Apple Valley, birdied five consecutive holes after the turn on his way to 5-under-par 67 to share medalist honors with Worthington Kilbourne’s Owen Cotterman.
Walling's performance led the Cardinals (300) to their first district title since 2016 and a berth to state Oct. 21 and 22 at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course.
“I was 1-over through seven and just trying to make something happen,” said Walling, who qualified for state as an individual in 2020. “I (knew) we could score on these holes. ...
“You’re so focused, you just put everything in the process and the product is going to make itself. The thing I tried to focus on was trying not to want it too bad. When you want it too bad that’s when it falls down, so you just put everything into the shot.”
St. Charles will make its first state appearance since 2018. The Cardinals won state championships in 2009 and 2010.
“I told the guys before we played it was going to be whoever made the fewest mistakes,” St. Charles coach Brian Unk said. “It’s not going to be a birdie-fest out there and then Leo went out and made five in a row. It helps when you have a guy that can erase a few mistakes from the other guys.”
Upper Arlington and Dublin Jerome each shot 307 to earn the other two team berths to state, edging Dublin Coffman (309) and Olentangy Liberty (309). The Golden Bears will make their record 56th appearance and first since 2014.
Cotterman, who also started on the 10th hole, surprised himself with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 11-13. He also birdied No. 16 and shot a 33 on the back nine, clinching one of three individual berths to state.
“I didn’t expect to go this far, honestly,” he said. “I shocked myself, I guess. I came out feeling OK and it just worked out.”
Cotterman became the first Kilbourne player to qualify for state since Doug Christopher in 1998.
“I putted really well,” he said. “I had a couple of mistakes in the middle. That happens. Then, I got it back towards the end.”
Jerome secured its eighth consecutive state appearance. The Celtics won state titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and have captured nine overall.
“I think it’s a testament to the kids’ mental toughness – all five of them,” Jerome coach Colin Seely said. “Every shot matters out here. Bad shots happen, (so) erase it and keep going, and that’s all that matters. It showed today.”
DeSales’ Vaughn Harber (70) and Mount Vernon’s Ben Bridges (73) earned the second and third individual-qualifying spots.
Harber gives DeSales its first representation at state since it advanced as a team in 2013. The Stallions, who finished sixth (314), were in Division II until 2020.
Bridges became the first from Mount Vernon to qualify since Robert Williams in 2014. He edged Pickerington North’s Tyler Brockwell (74) in addition to Coffman’s Ryan Schiefferle and Liberty’s Jackson Harris and Carter Rutherford (each 75).
“The tees were back, the pins were hard and the course was really firm,” Unk said. “When it gets that firm around the greens, it gets tougher. The scores don’t surprise me, it was just firm and windy and that’s tough.”
@ThisWeekRich
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Walling leads St. Charles golf to Division I district title
