The Kent Roosevelt boys and girls golf teams won the team titles at Tuesday’s Portage County Championship at Raccoon Hill Golf Course in Kent.

By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

Tuesday was a special day for Portage County golf.

The inaugural Portage County Championship was hosted at Raccoon Hill Golf Course in Kent and showcased 20 boys and girls golf teams — every team from every school in the county that sponsors the sport.

A shotgun start at 8 a.m. led all teams through the 18-hole fairways, with highlights including the Kent Roosevelt boys and girls teams earning the championship; a sudden-death playoff to determine the medalist in the tough boys division and a climb up the leaderboard for several teams looking to improve their place in the tournament.

Ultimately, the Kent Roosevelt boys and girls teams earned the championships of both divisions. The rotating trophies will update each season with the winning tournament titles included.

Kent Roosevelt’s Andrew VanDamme and Southeast’s Sammy Morgan were tournament medalists in the boys and girls divisions, respectively.

Additionally, the top-six individuals were recognized on the All-Tournament Team.

BOYS TOURNAMENT

Playing over 6,000 yards at Raccoon Hill, the boys teams were led by ultimate champion Kent Roosevelt, which fired a team total 317.

Andrew VanDamme shot a 73 to tie Mogadore’s Brock Thiry at the end of the 18-hole regulation play. The two played a 19th hole in a sudden-death playoff as VanDamme earned solo medalist with a birdie on the first hole and Thiry shot par.

Thiry’s team, the Wildcats, finished second (328) in the team standings, with Thiry and Max Shannon making the All-Tournament Team, along with Jax Turner and Owen Puhalla, each from Kent Roosevelt and Dominic Mancini of Streetsboro.

GIRLS TOURNAMENT

The Kent Roosevelt girls earned a 14-stroke victory over runner-up Southeast to top the leaderboard.

It was fitting the two teams were at the top of the leaderboard as the top-two girls were also from those teams: Sammy Morgan of Southeast, a junior, firing a 74 for medalist honors, and freshman Brooke Beatty of Roosevelt carding a 76 for the runner-up plaque.

The two were the only girls in the 70s for the tournament.

In addition to Morgan and Beatty, the All-Tournament Team included Kelly MacSurak of Aurora, Alyza Kour of Aurora, Aubrey Byler of Kent Roosevelt, Jennifer Mix of Southeast and Coco Golden of Kent Roosevelt.

Bryan Harvey, coach of the Kent Roosevelt girls and instrumental in the creation of the tournament, offered, “As a team, we did not start out very strong. We were a little rusty from the holiday weekend and struggled with our games, especially from inside of 75 yards.

“However, to their credit, we played very well our second nine holes,” Harvey added. “Brooke shot even-par on her last 10 holes and battled with Sammy Morgan until the very end.

“Take away three rough holes and Coco played extremely well. She played holes 5 through 13 at 2-over par. Aubrey Byler continues to impress, as well. She had seven pars and six bogeys and did not have anything worse than a double-bogey. Makenna Ward and Mia Turner struggled with a couple aspects of their games today, but we finally have practice tomorrow evening to work on some needed skills,” offered the coach.

Cindy Fesemyer, coach of the Pirates offered that Sammy Morgan had a strong round, playing with good competition.

“She stayed focused and trusted her game when it counted the most,” Fesemyer said. “I am proud of the team and how they competed. We were in third most of the day, but stepped it up to hang on to second place.”

THE TOURNAMENT

“Overall, I am very proud of our girls and our coaching staff on winning the inaugural Portage County Championship,” Harvey said. “Being the first winner is something they can always remember, as I hope this tournament becomes a staple for years to come.”

This sports writer joins Harvey in his excitement for the tournament.

“Having girls and boys teams from the same schools playing in the tournament was great. So nice to see the schools taking pictures together with both their boys and girls teams.

“Raccoon Hill was tremendous in their support of this event and the course was in beautiful shape. The event was a nice reminder of how neighboring schools always competed together, excited for players doing well and just seeking to also play their best.”

Portage Sports joined the Fairways at Twin Lakes, title sponsor, and Raccoon Hill as sponsors of this inaugural tournament for Portage County golf teams.

Coaches from all teams were excited that this would be a yearly tournament thanks to the success of this inaugural year.