Still standing: John Glenn's golf depth prevails at district tourney

SOUTH ZANESVILLE - The B&B Express stayed on the rails, which was a welcome sight for the John Glenn golf team.

It was Brady Graham and Brady Vincent who offered firm support of No, 1 man Bo Orecchio at the Muskingum Valley League Tournament, momentum it carried into last week's Division II sectional at River Greens.

They saved their best for when it mattered most.

Graham shot a season-best 75 to support Orecchio's 76, and Vincent came through with an 81 out of the No. 4 spot as the Muskies finished runner-up on Monday at the district tournament at EagleSticks.

No. 5 man Steele Paden added an 82 as the Muskies shot a season-best 314, good enough to earn one of the two qualifying spots for next week's state tournament at North Star.

Only Garaway, which shot 310 behind co-medalist Zehnder Gibson, was better. Gibson's 1-over-par 71 tied Claymont's Cameron Henry, which claimed one of the two individual spots with Sandy Valley's Connor Ritter.

West Muskingum was seventh with 365 as freshmen Jack Porter and Jacob Allen had 83 and 89, respectively. Senior Colin Snode added 96 and classmate Dylan Mitchell 97.

It is John Glenn's second state trip in three years and fourth overall under coach Chad Orecchio.

"Preparation was a big part of today," Chad Orecchio said. "They all had a game plan and we as a team had a game plan. I told them that no matter what, stick to it. If adversity strikes or whatever, we are going to stick to it. I think that's what got us through."

John Glenn's all senior lineup was on a 304 pace after the front nine as Bo Orecchio had 36, Graham 36 and Paden 38, while Vincent checked in at 41. Vincent was even better on the back with 40, backing Graham's 38 and Orecchio's 40.

By day's end, the Muskies finished nine shots ahead of third-place Carrollton (323) and fourth-place Sandy Valley (328). Barnesville was fifth at 337.

Vincent and Paden as a pair were better out of the No. 4 and 5 spots than every other tandem in the field out of the same slots, a testament to the depth the team has built.

"I think our biggest turning point was our Senior Night match at Wildfire," Graham said. "I think Steele was our only score in the 40s. Other than that we shot 3-over as a team. I feel like right now we're peaking. This is the best golf we've played all year."

Graham has consistently been around 80 all year, but it all came together on Monday thanks largely to his domination of the par 3s. He played the second, fifth and 12th holes a combined 3-under.

He didn't necessarily expect a 75 on Monday, but did offer that he has increased his practice in recent weeks and has felt his game improve. 

"I worked a lot over the summer on my irons and hitting more greens, and being able to get it close, but my biggest struggle was getting off the tee," Graham said. "I worked on hitting more consistent tee shots that allowed me easier chip shots and easier shots into the hole."

Monday's round was a matter of picking the right spots to be aggressive, as attacking difficult pins at EagleSticks' undulated greens can often lead to trouble with offline shots.

He said the green speeds increased as the day progressed, which led to higher back nine scores almost across the board.

"With the pins there were some tough ones and some easy ones, and the easy ones you had to attack," Graham said. "Those tee boxes they moved back on those holes, it made it tough."

Ritter won a playoff for the No. 2 individual qualifying spot with Carrollton freshman Jaxon Rinkes, who also had 74. Henry won a playoff with Gibson for overall medalist.

Sixteen of the 47 players shot 80 or better.

sblackbu@gannett.com

740-450-6723

Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR