By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

Portage County golfers are traveling throughout Northeast Ohio to compete in matches and tournaments as they seek league honors and work towards postseason tournaments.

NEW RECORD

Rootstown’s Ava Miller

The Rootstown Rovers varsity girls team competed against Minerva in their third match of the season at the Rovers’ home, Sunny Hill Golf Course.

Ava Miller fired a 6-over-par 40 that was her personal best and led the team to the varsity nine-hole score of 187 that is a new record for the young team, beginning its third season of golf.

The Rovers are now 1-2 overall as the season begins.

The Southeast and Rootstown girls golf teams pose for a photo together before a scrimmage last week.

SOUTHEAST PIRATES BEGIN LEAGUE PLAY IN MVAC

Southeast has joined the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference and both the boys and girls teams recently began play in the new league.

The boys team started their league play with a victory, as they visited Newton Falls at Riverview Golf Course in Newton Falls.

Southeast fired a 165 on their way to the victory, with junior James Morgan firing an even-par 36 on Newton Falls home course.

Cole Bruno added a 43 and Ethan Shodd a 44 on the way to the victory.

Southeast plays Crestview at Olde Dutch Mill tonight for their second conference match.

KENT ROOSEVELT

Kent Roosevelt’s Coco Golden

It took a little longer for Kent Roosevelt to complete its annual invitational, a popular girls tournament that features both morning and afternoon sessions.

The tournament was scheduled for Monday, but rains shortened the a.m. session to a nine-hole tournament with Southeast earning the title and the Kent Roosevelt “B” team earning runner-up honors.

Bryan Harvey, coach of the Rough Riders, asked the afternoon teams to return on Friday and the tournament was completed then as eight teams returned. Walsh Jesuit earned the team title as the Riders’ varsity team was again runner-up in their tournament.

Although individuals from Kent did not make the All-Tournament Team, the Riders were consistent in their scoring, with Ashlyn Leavery firing 80, Adrianna Mineo 84, Coco Golden 87 and Cassidy Singer an 88 to take the second place.

Minisha Girn of Aurora earned her way onto the all-tournament team, carding a 77 at the Fairways at Twin Lakes.

THIS WEEK

Aurora and Kent Roosevelt will face off again on Monday as the Suburban League hosts the second tournament of the season for both the boys and the girls.

The boys will tee off in the morning at Club Walden in Aurora followed by the girls in the afternoon as the teams work towards their conference championships and individual honors at the end of the season with four tournaments determining the champions and all-league honors.

CAMARADERIE

This week, the Rootstown and Southeast girls competed in a scrimmage together at Sunny Hill in Brimfield and the middle-school teams from Stanton (Kent) and Southeast played a match at Olde Dutch Mill Golf Course in Lake Milton.

The Rovers and Pirates gathered on the first tee at Sunny Hill prior to their match. Most of the girls have become well acquainted with each other over the last three years.

The middle-school teams of Southeast and Kent represent the hard work that coaches are doing to build golf teams in Portage County.

The number of young golfers competing assures solid programs in the future as the student-athletes get to know each other while playing this game we all love.

The middle-school golf teams from Southeast and Kent’s Stanton pose together before a match last week.