Golf - Class 4 Northwestern District Tournament

WARRENTON — Different circumstances. Same result.

The Handley golf team qualified for the Region 4C tournament for the third straight season with an impressive second-place finish on Monday at the Class 4 Northwestern District tournament, recording a four-player score of 321 to finish seven strokes behind regular-season champion Kettle Run (314) on the Cougars’ home course.

For the second straight year, Kettle Run was assured a regional tournament berth coming into the district tournament for being the district regular-season champion. (The Cougars earned it this year for having the best combined results in the two district mini tournaments, the Curly Licklider tournament, and the district dual matches.)

But at last year’s district tournament when the Judges took second to Kettle Run, Handley knew it had to be just one of the two best teams who weren’t the Cougars in order to advance. This year, only one team besides Kettle Run would qualify for regionals, and the Judges accomplished that feat with flying colors.

Handley beat a strong James Wood (327) team by six strokes, and the Judges did so with a much different scoring foursome than last year at Bowling Green.

Handley junior Jackson Bouder — who did not play in last year’s district tournament — placed second overall with a 6-over-par 77 on the 6,122-yard course, just one stroke behind Kettle Run sophomore Jack Wargo (76).

Judges junior Sam Thome did not have a counting score after shooting a 95 at Bowling Green last year but earned third medalist honors on a tiebreaker with a 78 Monday. Junior Dash Fitzsimmons did not play in last year’s district tournament and tied for eighth with an 81 Monday. Only Dash’s twin brother Jag (85 on Monday) repeated as a counting scorer for Handley.

The Judges took advantage of an open date on their schedule to play Liberty on Thursday at Fauquier Springs, and Handley coach Troy Mezzatesta said the Judges had an intense focus for Monday’s tournament ever since.

“They all work so hard,” Mezzatesta said. “They were out playing every day this weekend until dark. [Coming here Thursday] helped, because they saw that on these slopey greens you really want to be below the hole, putting up the hill.

“I’m extremely proud for the season that they’ve had. I would have been very disappointed if they didn’t move on, because they’ve had so many positive good things this year. This feels like a justification for how good they played and the type of season that they had.”

Thome said Handley has gotten a lot better over the course of the season.

“Everyone is in good spirits heading into regionals I hope, with a good mindset, and feeling good about us overall,” Thome said.

Fauquier (351), Liberty (368), Millbrook (400) and Sherando (468) rounded out the team scores.

The Region 4C tournament will take place at River Creek Country Club in Leesburg on Sept. 27. Six individuals will also join Kettle Run and Handley at the regional tournament, and five of them are from Frederick County.

The James Wood foursome of senior Drake Reese (80, sixth medalist on a tiebreaker), sophomore Jacob Bursey (81), sophomore Brayden Rockwell (82) and sophomore Zach Woskobunick (84), and Millbrook junior Rich Pell (80, tied for sixth) are also advancing. Woskobunick parred the par-4 first hole in a playoff for the final qualifying spot to beat Fauquier’s Mason Markell.

Bouder led Handley with a season-best 77, just six days after shooting a 79 at the Skyline Invitational at the Shenandoah Valley Golf Club. Both his right hand and his head were grasped by appreciative teammates after his round on Monday.

Bouder made a 40-foot birdie putt on the 172-yard par-3 11th hole, as well as a 20-foot birdie on the par-5, 520-yard 16th hole.

“My ball-striking is better this year, my shaping,” Bouder said. “I struggled with my putting in our [quad match on Sept. 8 at Winchester Country Club]. But I’ve worked on it and slowly got a better feel for it. I changed up my stroke and widened my stance.

“It definitely feels good to put a good score up for us.”

Mezzatesta said Bouder’s performance this year hasn’t surprised him in the least because of how seriously he takes the game.

“He’s been working with an instructor, and when he doesn’t play well, no one is harder on himself than he is, to a fault sometimes,” Mezzatesta said. “He can get down on himself when it doesn’t go well because he wants to perform so well for the rest of the team, and I have to remind him he’s the backbone of the team and super-talented. Results like this show all the hard work is paying off for him.”

Thome — one of the people who was most excited by Bouder’s performance — had frequently led the Judges this year and was hoping to do better than a 78.

“I didn’t really feel it on the greens today,” Thome said. “When I was in good position I didn’t always take advantage of it.”

Though the Colonels didn’t advance their whole team, they and Kettle Run were the two teams on Monday that had five golfers shoot 85 or better. James Wood coach David Oates said solid play throughout the lineup has been a hallmark of the team’s season, but it was tough to match the firepower of the other district contenders this year.

“We just could never get a couple of kids into the mid to high 70s,” said Oates, whose team has just one senior. “We had our chances today. We were making our strokes, but Kettle Run and Handley finished strong.

“We were young this season, so I’m pretty pleased with how the team did this year.”

Reese said James Wood has struggled at Fauquier Springs in the past, so he was pleased to see that the Colonels made a strong push on Monday.

“We just did the best we could,” Reese said.

Reese said in the past he’s shot 6- or 7-over for nine holes at Fauquier Springs, and he was just 9-over on 18 holes Monday.

“I was just keeping the ball in play,” said Reese, who had a 15-foot birdie putt on the 293-yard par-4 17th hole.

Pell was close to finishing a lot higher. He birdied three holes in finishing 1-over on the front nine, and he birdied two holes on the back. But he also three-putted the ninth hole, and had a double bogey on the 18th hole. Some of the highlights were Pell driving onto the green on the 296-yard first hole, and a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 8.

“I feel good about my season, but I’m definitely going to look to improve next year,” Pell said.

With Pell the only returning top six player from last year, Millbrook coach Mark Manspile thought the team developed well and is looking forward to next year.

“We don’t lose anybody off this team for next year,” Manspile said. “They’re all hard workers who play a lot out of the season. Even during the season, I would have to tell them to rest.”

Other scoring golfers for Millbrook were Logan Limoges (99) and Colin Wilt (110). Travis Hambrick and Molly Deegan each shot a 111.

Sherando’s scoring golfers were Landon Rust (101), Jackson Hepner (106), Kieran Lindberg (120) and Charles Lease (125).

Sherando first-year coach Paul Gerometta said this year was definitely an adjustment for him, because for the majority of his players, golf is not their primary sport. The good news is that there are no seniors on the team.

“They’re great kids, and I enjoy being with them,” Gerometta said. “But a lot of them are more focused on other sports.”

The season isn’t over for yet for the golfers who did not qualify for the Region 4C tournament. All four Winchester-Frederick County schools will be in action on Tuesday at the Bryan Gunter Memorial Golf Tournament at the Shenandoah Valley Golf Club. Action begins at 9 a.m.

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at
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