Pirates add to the golf lore with Div. III third-place finish
The Garaway boys golf team added another chapter to the impressive accomplishments of a program that has become one of the best in the state. The Pirates placed third in the Division III state tournament, capping off a sensational campaign.
A golf program with a mind-boggling history of success added one more gratifying number to the record book the weekend of Oct. 11-12, when the Garaway Pirates rolled to a third-place finish in the Division III boys state championship at NorthStar Golf Club.
Garaway has become one of the most highly decorated golf programs in Ohio, and this year only added to that ever-growing set of accomplishments.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this group,” said Garaway coach Mikayla Johnson. “This accomplishment is something special, and I feel honored and grateful to coach such an incredible group of young men who have dedicated so much to the sport.”
Day one saw the Pirates shoot a 325, which left them entrenched in first place. That effort was led by senior Trace Gibson’s 71, a score good enough to share co-medalist honors. In addition, AJ Miller added an 82, Henry Swartzentruber carded an 84, Austin Tedrick came through with an 88 and Nick Maust shot a 95.
The consistent Pirates fired off the same score of 325 on day two, but champion Warren JFK posted a fantastic day-two score of 304 for a total of 634, while Van Buren was close behind with an equally impressive team score of 306 (636).
There was an epic battle for third, and Garaway’s final team score of 650 was just in front of Newark Catholic (651), Seven Hills (654), National Trail (657), Badger (660), Minster (662) and Kalida (663).
Day two saw Gibson fashion a 77, Tedrick an 80, Miller and Maust matching 84s and Swartzentruber an 88. It was the same solid effort, but as Johnson said, sometimes you simply have to tip your cap to the other team when they toss up numbers that strong.
She said one of the biggest factors for the tournament was on holes 15-18, where the Pirates struggled as a team.
“Those four holes are so difficult, and everyone struggled there, but we probably lost 15-20 shots to those two teams,” Johnson said. “If we had just managed those four holes better, but regardless, we played outstanding.”
It certainly didn’t diminish what this team accomplished this season.
Johnson said there were plenty of question marks coming into the year, noting that there were those who doubted this team could make it to state.
But she knew, and so too did her players.
“I knew what we had and the work these guys put in,” Johnson said. “If you asked most people if they thought Garaway would be at state let alone finishing third, they’d say no. I saw the spark there. It was just a matter of putting it all together, and this group came on so strong at the end of the year, which is when you want to be playing your best, and when their back was against the wall, they just fought.”
Stepping up big
Johnson said one oddity was the way the team came together after Chett Troyer, who was slated to be the number two man, went down to a season-ending injury.
That was when her three sophomores, Henry Swartzentruber, Tedrick and Miller, amped up their games to pick up the slack.
“When Chett got hurt, I noticed more of a transition in the games of those three, especially Henry,” Johnson said. “I feel like he knew he had to step up, and to ask three sophomores to step up in that situation was huge for us, and they did it so seamlessly.”
The big dog delivers
As the lone Pirates senior, Gibson was in search of his third straight All-Ohio effort. He gave the Pirates exactly what they needed, becoming a three-time All-Ohioan to join other greats like Jake Troyer and Kevin Miller in earning that honor.
“He’s among the greats in a program full of greats,” Johnson said of Gibson. “He deserves everything he has worked for. He has a natural talent for the game, but he puts in so much work to hone that talent. He’s just so mature. To have his name etched up there with those other greats is something special.”
How good is Gibson? He came firing out of the gates at NorthStar on day one, going 5-under par through the first seven holes.
“That is an extraordinary stretch of golf,” Johnson said.
With a strong crew returning and another couple of talented kids waiting in the wings, the Pirates are poised to give a state return next season another shot, but for now, they will bask in the glow of an incredible season that ended well.