Grove City boys golf ends OCC title drought
It’s been 16 years since Grove City won a boys golf title in the Ohio Capital Conference.
The Greyhounds broke the drought this week, winning the fourth OCC match of the season on Wednesday at Darby Creek to tie for the OCC-OHIO title with Pickerington North.
For senior Nash Linder, the result was the culmination of years of work. After Grove City made it to districts as a team last year for the first time in over a decade, the goal for this year was to build on that success.
“We’ve been trying (to win the league) for the last couple years and we’ve kinda just had one bad round each year that kind of put us where we couldn’t win it,” Linder said. “This year, we were finally able to pull through and get it done . ... We’ve worked really, really hard it it.”
Both Linder and coach Eric Joreski credit the Greyhounds’ ability to win the OCC title this year to the team’s experience and mental toughness.
“Golf is a game where experience can come in handy,” Joreski said. “If a particular golfer is struggling for a three- or four-hole stretch, they know they have the ability to bounce back from those three or four holes that weren’t the best.
“Experience is a huge, huge thing. (Golf) is beyond mental. It’s about 98% mental, probably. Our guys are so good at maintaining a level keel on the course.”
With their first goal accomplished, the Greyhounds now turn their attention to sectionals in the first week of October. But Linder has bigger plans for his team.
“We like to take it step by step, so we want to get to districts, and then our ultimate goal is just to get to states,” Linder said. “We’ve never gotten to states as a team, and I think we can do it with how we’ve been playing.”
Football
Hilliard Davidson running backs Jonny Weir and Leo Nixon combined for 259 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-7 win over Thomas Worthington on Friday. Weir opened the scoring on a 45yard run in the first quarter . ...
Big Walnut sophomore running back Nate Severs had 297 yards on 33 carries and scored three touchdowns on the ground, including a 64-yard score. He also caught a 33-yard touchdown pass as the Golden Eagles beat Westerville South 38-7 . ...
Columbus Academy quarterback Henry Rubey completed only six passes against Ready, but three of them were touchdowns, including two 36yard scores. The Vikings won 28-14 . ...
Jonathan Alder sophomore running back Cam Jewell rushed for 371 yards and four touchdowns on just 19 carries in a 42-13 win over North Union . ...
Berne Union’s Brae Friesner touched the ball six times in a 57-0 win over Beaver Easton, and four of those were touchdowns. Friesner scored three rushing touchdowns, including long runs of 71 and 90 yards, and added a 37yard touchdown catch to finish with 244 total yards . ...
Olentangy Berlin quarterback Dylan Reyes threw two touchdown passes of more than 80 yards in a 42-14 win over Lancaster. Reyes finished with 267 yards and four touchdowns.
Soccer
Olentangy Berlin senior Rileigh
Glassburn had a hat trick in Berlin’s 5-2 win over Delaware Hayes on Thursday. Glassburn is committed to Ohio Northern . ...
Olentangy Liberty sophomore Chloe Brecht scored three goals and added three assists in the Patriots’ 6-1 win over Big Walnut on Thursday. Junior Jaimason Brooker scored two goals for the second game in a row after also tallying two goals against Dublin Coffman on Tuesday . ...
Chase Alwood notched his first hat trick of the season and third multi-goal game for Canal Winchester in a 6-2 win over Logan on Sept. 11 . ...
In the second Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association poll, New Albany ranks second and Upper Arlington ranks ninth in the Division I boys poll. Grandview Heights is fourth and Worthington
Christian is eighth in the Division III boys poll . ...
Upper Arlington is ninth in the Division I girls poll. Granville is third in the Division II girls poll.
Cross Country
Hilliard Davidson ranks first and received two first-place votes in the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Division I girls poll. Granville is third with three first-place votes in the Division II girls poll . ...
In the boys Division I poll, Hilliard Davidson is third and Olentangy Orange is ninth. Mount Gilead is third with three first-place votes and Fisher Catholic is ninth in the Division III boys poll.
Field Hockey
Carolyn Vaziri and Adeti Mohanselvan scored hat tricks in Columbus Academy’s 9-0 win over Lancaster on Tuesday.
Volleyball
With 868 kills so far in her career, Watkins Memorial senior Jenna Lucas broke the Warriors’ record for kills in a career by a wide margin. The previous record was 826.
Golf
Canal Winchester girls golf broke the program’s 9-hole record with a 157 on Wednesday, 13 strokes lower than the previous record of 170.
Lacrosse
New Albany senior Mary Carson committed to the University of Colorado-boulder . ... Upper Arlington senior Chris Reynolds committed to Bellarmine.
Basketball
John Wanke, who has been an assistant in the Upper Arlington boys basketball program, will be the new head coach of the girls team, replacing Abby Dorsainvil . ...
Westerville South junior guard Leila Jones committed to Akron . ...
Newark senior guard Maddie Vejsicky committed to Virginia Tech . ...
Olentangy Liberty senior wing Cooper Davis committed to Toledo.
Athlete of the Week
Amanda-clearcreek’s Jonathan Weaver won Athlete of the Week for Sept. 6-12 after scoring four goals in a soccer game on Sept. 9 and kicking two field goals, two PATS, three touchbacks on five kickoffs and two punts for a 39yard net average in football on Sept. 10.
Nominations for Sept. 13-19 are due Monday at noon. bjohnson@dispatch.com @baileyajohnson_