Golf: Wood wins regular-season title

By Robert Niedzwiecki
The Winchester Star

Winchester — The James Wood High School golf team’s climb is complete.

After finishing last among Northwestern District golf teams at the season-opening Curly Licklider Invitational and continuing to struggle throughout August, the Colonels put the finishing touches on a remarkable turnaround at Rock Harbor Golf Course Wednesday evening.

Led by Dylan McKee’s 1-under 35, James Wood edged Skyline by the slimmest of margins (163-164) to claim the regular-season championship and earn an automatic berth into the Region II tournament.

The Colonels don’t know when last they accomplished either feat, but that was hardly a pressing concern in the celebratory aftermath.

“This is awesome,” said James Wood senior Nic Cybulski, who strained to stifle his joy after word of the victory leaked before the initial announcement. “To be a part of [this] is just amazing. I know we had a shot last year and didn’t quite get there. To do it this year ... words can’t explain it.” Both teams finished 3-1 in district play, but the Colonels won the title based on their head-to-head victory, one that figured to be difficult to get based on the 154 Skyline shot last week at Rock Harbor in a dual against Millbrook.

A number of factors paved the way for James Wood’s win.

Freshman Russell Repasky continued his recent improvement and fired a 42 for the team’s second-best score. Kyle Hevner (43) delivered a clutch and poised finish by parring the ninth hole after recording a quadruple-bogey nine on the eighth.

But the biggest reason was Mckee. His score matched Skyline’s Zack Henry for medalist honors and more than offset off-days from Cybulski (43) and Corey Cochran (50).

“To watch [him] was phenomenal,” Cybulski said. “We both bogeyed one, and then he came out and went to work.”

McKee recorded back-to-back birdies on 3 and 4, and added another birdie at 7.

“Pretty much everything was working,” said McKee, a junior. “My irons were really good and put me in close [for birdie chances].”

James Wood coach Al Smith elected not to pair McKee with Skyline’s top golfers in Henry and Ryan Rettberg (40). Outside of the fact that Cochran, who was paired with the duo, usually rises to the competition against better opponents, Smith said there was no particular strategy behind his groupings.

But McKee said it did help not having to concern himself with the district’s consistently best two golfers, because he could just focus on his own game.

Smith said James Wood showed considerable discipline and concentration throughout a cool, windy evening.

“Everybody stayed focused and tried to keep the ball in play,” Smith said. “We were taking safe shots. They weren’t trying to take shots that they had a slim chance of making.”

The Hawks’ recent performance suggested their chances of claiming their first district title were a lot better than slim. Skyline came in having won five straight competitions, including the 154 last week.

“I saw them, and I thought, ‘Man, 154, I don’t know if we can do that,’” Smith said.

Skyline coach Frank Moxie said there wasn’t much wind and there was more daylight last week, but the main reason for the Hawks’ 164 was that they weren’t as sharp.

“We didn’t just keep up the same pace,” Moxie said. “It’s a good score, it just wasn’t good enough today. It’s a tough loss, but we knew the district would be tight heading into the season.”

After James Wood beat Sherando and Millbrook at Shenandoah Valley Golf Club two weeks ago to put itself in a position to win the title, Smith said he was glad to see the team achieve the potential he saw in it all along.

Now that the Colonels have finished the job, he couldn’t be prouder.

“I don’t think anyone would have thought we’d win the district,” Smith said. “It goes back to that first day of tryouts when we had those really good scores. I knew we had something. Unfortunately it took all season to get back to that point, but we did.”

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