FRONT ROYAL — Handley High School golf’s strong start to the 2025 season continued during Tuesday’s Class 4 Northwestern District mini tournament at Shenandoah Valley Golf Club’s Titus Course.
The Judges bested Sherando and Millbrook by 13 strokes, tallying a four-player score of 332 en route to the win. Sherando and Millbrook both scored 345, while Liberty scored 346 and James Wood finished with 419.
Sophomore Hudson Slaughter shot a 79, while his older brother, senior Finn Slaughter, shot an 80 to lead the Judges. Additionally, junior Cooper Phillips shot an 82 and sophomore Jack Pearce-Gonzales earned his first career qualifying score with a 91 to round out Handley’s successful performance.
Head coach Troy Mezzatesta said his team’s recent success is partially due to its improved ability to shake off a rough shot and remain composed.
“As long as we can commit to what we’re doing, and then accept it and move on either way, [we’ll be fine],” Mezzatesta said. “If they pull it off, that’s awesome. If it wasn’t exactly what we wanted, just go up and make the next shot. And so they’re doing a better job of that.”
Although Handley took the victory, it was Millbrook junior Tyler Learn who led all individuals, earning medalist honors after scoring a 2-over-par 74 on the day. He and Hudson Slaughter previously tied for medalist honors during last week’s mini tournament.
Learn has kicked off his 2025 season by lowering his score in each of his first three outings, shooting under 80 every time. Millbrook head coach Tim Deegan said he’s been impressed with Learn’s improved maturity and discipline on the course.
“I think the brain and the heart kind of fight each other, and I think in the past, he would get almost too aggressive,” Deegan said. “Today, I felt like he played really smart golf … it’s very rare that you’re going to get all aspects of your game working at the same time. So being able to make that shift and utilize what is working well speaks to his mental game and how it’s improved.”
Even with Millbrook’s success, Sherando was right on pace with the Pioneers thanks to improvement throughout its lineup. While sophomore Daniel Hill sustained his impressive early-season play, senior Peyton Sullivan shot a season-best 84 to give the Warriors some improved scoring punch.
With sophomores Ty Chunta and Cole Prather also putting forth solid showings, head coach Jonah Pearson said he was “proud” of his team’s efforts on the Titus Course.
“Everybody played better on the back nine than they did on the front, which is super encouraging,” Pearson said. “It means that we’re winning the mental side of things and playing with good attitudes. Which is so important, not only for just enjoying it, but having scores come down. And they definitely did come down for us today.”
After losing many key contributors in the offseason, James Wood once again struggled to keep pace with the other local schools on Tuesday. However, there were some positive signs, as senior Connor Causby shot a 91, improving on his score at last week’s Licklider Tournament by six strokes.
Head coach David Oates said he was “extremely happy” about Causby’s afternoon, and said the rest of his young team’s performance is one he looks forward to improving upon.
“It was one of those days where we were off as a team,” Oates said. “I’m not going to put any pressure on them, but we’re going to improve. I promise.”
Below are the full list of scorers from Tuesday’s tournament:
Handley scorers: Hudson Slaughter 79, Finn Slaughter 80, Cooper Phillips 82, Jack Pearce-Gonzales 91.
Millbrook scorers: Tyler Learn 74, Trenton Conley 87, Dylan Reich 92, Anthony Gelormine 92.
Sherando scorers: Daniel Hill 82, Peyton Sullivan 84, Ty Chunta 89, Cole Prather 90.
James Wood scorers: Connor Causby 91, Peyton Blair 100, Drew Longo 114, Jack Trumble 114.
Liberty scorers: Eli Collins 83, Jackson Cardes 86, Preston Lamot 87, Haidyn O’Sullivan 90.
— Contact Joe Tuman at jtuman@winchesterstar.com
Follow him on X @jtuman21