Shelby coach Fred Inglis heard the chatter among some other teams Friday that the Oceana County Cup might as well be awarded to Shelby. He didn’t want his team giving in to that view, though, and urged his Tigers to play their best.
Shelby did indeed take the cup by 18 strokes over Hart, 354-372, at The Colonial Golf Course. Its “Three Amigos,” Titan Carter, Ivan Carter and Rafael Davis, took the top three scoring spots. (Davis tied for third with Hart’s Wyatt Johnson.) Andrew Arquette recorded a 105, his best ever score for 18 holes, to secure the fourth scoring spot for Shelby and clinch the Cup.
“I warned the team to not fall into the trap of complacency,” Inglis said. “It’s always rewarding to see the Three Amigos finish 1-2-3, and they have a natural competitiveness among themselves. But all three know there still is room for improvement.
“I was especially happy to see junior Andrew Arquette score a personal best 105. We need four scores, and I know he felt good about contributing to the final results.”
Titan Carter shot a 79 to earn medalist honors, the sixth time in nine competitions he has secured the top spot. It didn’t come without difficulty - the junior star shot a 38 on the front nine before a triple bogey on the 14th hole knocked his final score up a touch - but it was still a win for Carter, with three birdies along the way.
His brother Ivan took second place and shot an 82, making one birdie and only shooting worse than a bogey once in a consistent performance. He was in position to challenge Titan for the medalist honor late in the round, but closed with three consecutive bogeys and settled for second.
Davis and Johnson each shot an 88 to tie for third place. Johnson’s score was the first of four sub-100 scores for Hart, which gave all four Pirate scorers top-10 individual finishes. Hunter Loudermilk shot a 93, Logan Dean had a 94 and Braydan Baron had a 97.
“I am extremely proud of my Pirates,” Hart coach Jen Hlady said.
Pentwater scored a 400 as a team, including three of the top 10 individual scores. Gavin Macher led the Falcons and was fifth overall with a 91, including one birdie. Bode Powell was one shot behind with a 92, and Izzabella Kolenda shot a 95 to take ninth. Brody Austin closed out the scoring with a 122.
Hesperia finished fourth with a 475, with its team score hampered by the absence of most of its players. Four of the six regular Panthers were taking exams and couldn’t play, which gave some younger players the opportunity to get a look at the varsity atmosphere.
“It was a great day for personal growth and development along with preparing for the seasons to come,” Hesperia coach Mark Arbogast said. “We were excited to showcase our younger golfers.”
Logan Kammer led Hesperia with a 101, finishing just outside the top 10. Wyatt Muckey shot a 116, Taylor Ackerberg had a 125, and Hesperia’s fourth scorer was Bradley Fairchild with a 133.
