Lehman 15th, Dalton eighth at state golf tourney
Senior Brandon Lehman led the way for Dalton with a two-day score of 163, good for 15th place, as the Bulldogs finished eighth in the team standings at the Div. III state tournament held Oct. 14-15.
The hope for Dalton’s golf team headed to the two-day Div. III state tournament last weekend at North Star Golf Club in Central Ohio was to make a run at the top, if maybe not finishing there.
For half of the tourney, the Bulldogs accomplished that goal. It’s tough, though, to keep that pace up for 36 holes.
The Bulldogs finished eighth in the state in the smallest of Ohio’s three enrollment classifications after shooting a two-day team total of 710 strokes. They were 15 strokes back of Warren JFK and 13 clear of Youngstown Mooney. Dalton shot 350 the first day to stand fifth before finishing in 360 the second day.
“Overall, the team played well,” Bulldogs coach Jeff Feller said.
Individually, senior Brandon Lehman led the way for Dalton with a two-day score of 163, good for 15th place. He shot 77 on the first day, which had him tied for fourth, before stumbling a bit the second day with an 86.
Senior Todd Brahler had rounds of 87 and 85 to shoot 172 and finish tied for 28th in the 72-player field. Senior Jaden Schlabach, district champ a week earlier, shot 94-91 for a two-day mark of 185 and a 51st-place finish while sophomore Zach Brahler went 92-98-190 to finish 56th in the state. Isaac Mori, one of just 10 freshmen in the field, shot 104-98-202.
Feller was pleased three of his five players chopped strokes off their scores during second-round play.
“It was nice to have a few players shoot lower on the second day and help the team finish as best they could,” Feller said.
The Bulldogs’ weekend was a rousing success in at least one respect. Compared to their 2021 trip to Central Ohio, they performed way better. A year ago Dalton placed 11th in the state, staying out of the basement by a single stroke.
Individually, Lehman finished 28 spots higher this year. Todd Brahler knocked almost 20 shots off his 2021 total and finished 41 spots higher.
Cincinnati Seven Hills, a sixth-place finisher last season, won the state team title with a two-day total of 659, besting runner-up Newark Catholic by five strokes. Seven Hills was sitting second, 12 shots back of Newark Catholic, after one round before storming back on the second day to capture the crown.
Rocco Turner, a junior from Youngstown Mooney, won the individual state championship medal. He shot rounds of 74 and 71 to post a four-shot victory over Josh Winhusen of Middletown Christian.