Maconaquah Schools

Opening the season with no senior players and three new varsity players, the athletes that make up the Maconaquah Boys Golf Team lost a match to a good Oak Hill program, 171 to 201. There were some opening day jitters and strong winds that affected scoring. Freshman JT Dobbs was the low scorer for the Braves with a 45. JT, making his high school golfing debut, showed the maturity of an experienced player. On his first hole he found himself with a tough lie after an unfortunate break. He played the shot smartly and left himself a reasonable putt at par. Two holes later he laid up perfectly on the par 5 third hole, leaving him a short iron into the green. Junior Cameron Metcalf could just not get comfortable with the winds pushing his long tee shots into awkward lies leading to challenging approach shots. His final score of 49 was good enough for second on the team and fifth overall. Sophomore Zach Duke has been working diligently on his game to get it ready for the season. He hit some shots that showed his ability (like a 191 yard seven iron on the third hole) but hit some shots common for someone not completely comfortable with their swing. He finished with a 53 Junior Joe Butcher, making his varsity debut, played extremely smart in laying up and leaving easy approach shots, but had some struggles off the tee as the wind pushed his shots offline. His score of 54 included a strong finish on his last two holes. Freshman Jayden Overdorff, also making his high school golfing debut like JT Dobbs. Much like Dobbs, he showed maturity of an older player. A bit of nerves got to him off the first tee, but he soon settled down and started to play well. A bad break off the eighth hole when the wind died and his ball drifted into the water cost him a better score as he finished with a 57. Freshman Owen Woolever, playing as the number one JV player, also had trouble with the wind and was affected by the rapid temperature drop. He his some shots that show his high ceiling potential as he finished with a 59. Junior Jakob Grant, Junior Drew Grigsby, and Sophomore Clay Christopher played 6 holes as Oak Hill has only 6 golfers. The experience they gained will help them in the future. The Braves are back in action Thursday at Chippendale versus Western High School. As always, the Braves appreciate the support of the parents, family and friend that support the team each match. PHOTO: Freshman Jayden Overdorff prepares to hit his third shot into the seventh green.