By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

The Kent Roosevelt Rough Riders moved from the Suburban League to the Metro Athletic Conference starting this season and have already shown everyone watching that they are the teams to beat in boys and girls golf.

First, the Riders’ girls golf team won the MAC Preseason Tournament by a decisive victory, the Roosevelt boys followed suit with a win at the same event on Wednesday at Good Park Golf Course in Akron, besting their nearest competitor, Cloverleaf, by 19 strokes.

Led by freshman Andrew VanDamme, taking runner-up medalist with an under-par 70, fellow Roosevelt golfer Owen Puhalla finished third among all individuals in the 10-team tournament.

The rest of the Rough Riders team adding to the four scores that led to the championship included Jax Turner 80 and Garrett Polcha 84.

It has been an outstanding start to the season for the Rough Riders and their medalist VanDamme.

Also county teams competing in the MAC event were Streetsboro, Field and Ravenna.

The Rockets earned fourth place, Field seventh and Ravenna 10th.

Streetsboro’s Silas Hunt fired an 81, Field’s Caden Corbett an 85 and Ravenna’s Bryce Ransom a 121 as the top scores on their respective teams.

Around the fairways in additional competition on Wednesday, Waterloo moved to 5-1 overall and in the Mahoning Valley Athletic Confernece with a victory over McDonald, the Rootstown boys lost a close match to Holy Name at Seneca Hills Golf Course in Broadview, the Southeast girls swept a triangular match and the Rovers’ girls dropped a match to Orange at Sunny Hill Golf Course in Brimfield.

For the Rootstown girls, Morgan Giebel fired a 42 to earn medalist honors in the match and Sammy Morgan fired an outstanding under-par round of 35 to lead Southeast and also earn medalist honors.

The Waterloo Vikings best was fired by Travis Flarida, a 42, that tied the medalist on McDonald’s team and the Rovers’ Drew Just carded a 48 at Sunny Hill.