Rams best Wolves at Hot Springs Country Club
Lake Hamilton caught Lakeside on the Rams’ best day of the young season Thursday in the first boys’ and girls’ matches of the year between the two schools.
Lakeside took both matches Thursday at the Hot Springs Country Club. The boys’ teams competed in an 18-hole match, while the girls played nine holes each.
Lakeside coach Gary Don Smith said the Rams’ team score of 299 was their best of the season. All five players for the Rams were separated by only six strokes.
Wil Griffin medaled with a score of 73. Cooper Gordon and Nathan Ahlers both added rounds of 75. Carson Garner carded a 76 and Beau Browning rounded out the individual scores with a 79.
Lake Hamilton senior Caleb Dodd led the Wolves with an 88. Fellow senior Jordan Johnson was next for the Wolves with a 97. They finished with a team score of 400.
“Caleb has been carrying our team score this season, but he really had a tough day,” said Lake Hamilton coach Brandi Higginbotham. “I know he will bounce back.
“We struggled a lot in today’s round and the girls and boys from Lakeside played very well. Certainly, two impressive teams.”
Lakeside sophomores Abby Lea Huett and Carly Orr tied for the medal in the girls’ match
with a nine-hole score of 40. Smith said the 40 is a career low for Orr. Sophomore Riley Langston also tied a career low to give Lakeside a team score of 124.
Freshmen Annabelle Coppedge and Ginny Higginbotham led Lake Hamilton with scores of 57 and 59, respectively.
“Annabelle had one of her best rounds today and was very pleased with her play,” Higginbotham said.
Lake Hamilton is scheduled to host Bismarck, Centerpoint and Smackover on Monday at the Glenwood Country Club. Lakeside is scheduled to host Benton on Tuesday.
Thursday’s matches were the first of several contests between Lake Hamilton and Lakeside this month. Lake Hamilton is scheduled to be at home on Thursday against Lakeside in tennis. The Rams will be at home on Thursday in volleyball with the first match between the seventh-grade teams scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. at the Lakeside Athletic Complex.
The Rams will also be at home on Friday in their first senior high football game against the Wolves since 1999. It will be the first game of the 2018 regular season for both teams. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Chick Austin Field at Lakeside Stadium.