FRONT ROYAL — One year after coming up a few hairs short, Millbrook golf showcased its improvement and advanced in the postseason on Wednesday.
The Pioneers shot a team score of 318 to place second in the Region 4D North sub-region tournament held on Shenandoah Valley Golf Club’s Titus Course, finishing right behind first-place Charlottesville’s 315.
By finishing in the top two, the Black Knights and Pioneers advanced to Tuesday’s Region 4D tournament at Winchester Country Club.
Last season, Millbrook’s score of 327 was eight strokes shy of qualifying for the region tournament, and the team shot an identical score for a fourth-place finish at last week’s Northwestern District tournament. Head coach Tim Deegan said his team built upon that showing and brought a stronger mentality than it did a year ago.
“I told them today I wanted them to play free,” Deegan said. “The greens were fast, they were slippery, but I think they adapted really well. We have struggled this year, but I felt like that has prepared us. You learn the most from struggling, and I felt like they actually put it into practice today. I’m very proud of them for their tenacity to be able to come back and fight through it.”
Charlottesville’s Ryan Cullinan won Wednesday’s event by shooting a 76, and the Pioneers’ Trenton Conley and Jude McGee and Sherando’s Cole Prather all tied for second with scores of 77.
The Warriors finished third by shooting a 322, Handley was fourth at 330, Liberty placed fifth at 332, James Wood came in sixth at 362 and Orange County was last, shooting a 375.
Additionally, Prather and Daniel Hill (score of 79), Liberty’s Carter Russell (79) and Handley’s Jaxon Pardue (80) advanced as the top four individual scorers not rostered by the qualifying teams. The Eagles’ Ashton Crouch (81) and the Warriors’ Mason Ables (81) are alternates for Tuesday.
Millbrook was paced by Conley and McGee, as the senior duo improved on district tournament scores of 85 and 83.
Conley advanced to the region tournament individually last season, winning the sub-region by shooting an even-par 72. He said he felt more comfortable on Wednesday compared to last week, and is excited to keep competing alongside his teammates.
“Last year I went individually, which was cool, but having my whole team there, it’s going to be a lot more fun. I think we’ll play a lot better,” Conley said. “I figured out my swing this morning on the range. This past week has been kind of rough, but I figured it out today. Not every shot was great today, but I just kind of made it work, grinded through a couple holes and came out with a 77, which was I was happy about.”
McGee said his play was smoother and more consistent than it was in his prior outing.
“Everything just felt light today. I don’t know how to explain it,” McGee said. “My driver’s swings felt a lot different. I fixed that on the range. My approach was just green in regulations, and my putting really improved today. I wanted to put it around five feet every chip, so that was definitely my approach to the greens.”
Millbrook also received qualifying scores from Tyler Learn, who shot an 80 after winning the Northwestern District tournament with a 73, and freshman Preston Hammer, who shot an 84 from the No. 6 position.
“I can’t say enough about Preston. If it wasn’t for him coming in with the 84, we might not have qualified,” Deegan said. “I saw him early in the round. I didn’t really see him much in the second half, and I just kind of let him be. I think he’s seen the example that Tyler and Trenton and Jude have all set, and that’s what makes me excited about our program.”
Although Sherando didn’t meet its goal of qualifying as a team, head coach Jonah Pearson said he’s excited to see what juniors Prather and Hill can accomplish from here.
“They work super hard in practice,” Pearson said. “Their scores have gotten better and better, and I’m super proud of them. Obviously, I was hoping that we could put a good score together, but we played great golf today. Millbrook is very deserving to be moving on, so we’ll take our individuals, and I’m super happy with that.”
Pearson added that Ables, a sophomore, has been an anchor for the Warriors’ lineup and impressed despite being the youngest member of their top-six rotation.
Prather said he felt he hit the driver well on Tuesday, and is aiming to break 80 again next week. Hill, who qualified as an alternate and was given the opportunity to play last year, said he’s hoping to improve on his score of 84 from the 2025 regional tournament.
“I’m hoping to shoot a good score,” Hill said. “Last year, I didn’t really play that well in regionals, so I just want to play well.”
Sherando’s fourth scorer was Nick Sneddon, who shot an 85.
Handley was unable to qualify for the region tournament like it did in 2025, but head coach Troy Mezzatesta said he’s proud of the consistency and senior leadership Pardue has displayed this season.
“For seniors, you want the best for those guys. It’s their last hurrah, your last opportunity with them,” Mezzatesta said. “So he relished that leadership role, and I think today we just got to see a kid that wasn’t going to be denied, and that’s really cool to be part of and witness.”
Mezzatesta also noted that Pardue’s putting and touch around the greens have improved over the past year, allowing him to have an “impeccable” short game.
Pardue said it’s “bittersweet” that he advanced individually instead of with his teammates, but he’s excited to compete at Winchester Country Club.
“I’m really happy how I played and that I qualified, but also I want to be out there with my my guys and my teammates,” Pardue said. “I’ve been playing pretty good recently, so I’m really happy with how I played and excited to move on and finish out high school golf at our home course.”
Handley’s other three scorers Wednesday were Jack Pearce-Gonzales (82), Hudson Slaughter (83) and Aaron DeChristopher (85).
James Wood’s top four scorers were Abram Nail (82), Drew Longo (88), Tucker Campbell (91) and Peyton Blair (101). Nail improved upon last week’s score of 94.
— Contact Joe Tuman at jtuman@winchesterstar.com
Follow him on X @jtuman21