September 18, 2012
By Jerry Holsworth
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — James Wood and Sherando squared off for the regular season Northwestern District crown in golf Monday at Rock Harbor Golf Course with windy, fall-like weather and the threat of rain. None of that, however, seemed to bother the Colonels, who cruised to a 160-174 victory over the Warriors.

Sherando, however, will only have to wait a week for a chance at revenge since the district tournament is next Monday at Rock Harbor. The Warriors must still contend with a surging Wood team, led by Will Holmes, that met or exceeded all of its expectations in securing a Region II Tournament berth with Monday’s victory.
“We had a target score coming into this match,” Colonel coach Al Smith said. “We wanted to score a 160 today, and I’m glad we got it with this wind. We had a good round by everyone. This is a real confidence booster for us heading into the district tournament next week.”

Holmes and teammate Russell Repasky led the field with the top two scores, and Holmes’ round was particularly impressive considering the windy conditions. The Colonel senior had two birdies and one bogey on the 9-hole course to finish with a one-under-par 35.

“I felt pretty solid out there,” Holmes said. “I had some good putts and I hit my iron shots well too. I actually thought that the wind helped my score since it seemed to be at my back most of the time.”

Smith wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Holmes play so well.

“That 35 really helped our score, and Will is capable of shooting that well any time that he plays out here.” Smith said. “But with the weather the way it was today, it was an exceptional round of golf.”

Russell Repasky wasn’t far behind, though. The No. 3-seeded Colonel senior fired a 41 to give Wood a substantial lead with just one foursome to play.

“The conditions here today were really challenging,” Russell Repasky said. “I’m really happy with a 41. The wind was really bad on the last couple of holes.”

While the Colonels seemed to be able to handle the wind, the Warriors, after a good start, fell victim to it on the final holes.

“I started off pretty good, and was hitting the ball well,” said Sherando top-seed Chris Slater, who finished with a 42. “But I lost my momentum after a few holes, and after that I played lousy. I just couldn’t get it back.”

Slater, who had six bogeys, finished with a 42. Slater’s problems were a recurring theme from his teammates as the wind began to pick up midway through the match.

Sherando’s Mason Scott and Savannah Ford, who both finished with a 46, had the same problem.

“I started off well, and hit all of my shots,” Scott said. “Once I got to the green, though, my game completely fell apart. My putting and short game wasn’t the best today. I really need to work on that.”

Scott three-putted on four of the nine greens. Ford, however, was able to recover after a disastrous fifth hole.

“I was doing fine until I got to the fifth hole,” Ford said. “I just hit every shot badly on that hole, but I was able to put it behind me, and I just focused on the next hole. After the fifth, I thought that I played pretty well.”

Wood’s top four scorers were Holmes (35), Russell Repasky (41), Thomas Papastavrou (42), and Hunter Hall (42). The Warriors got 42s from Slater and Hunter Gronlund. Sherando’s other top scores came from Anthony Pierro (44), and Scott and Ford, who both shot 46.

“We shot today just about the way I expected us to shoot,” Warrior coach Rob Wright said. “James Wood had been playing consistently well all year. They play particularly well on this course, and we — for some reason — seem to struggle here.”