The Southeast girls golf team defeated Champion last week in a key Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference showdown.

By Susan Jenior

Staff Writer

The first Portage County High School Golf Championship is only two weeks away.

Scheduled for Sept. 8 at Raccoon Hill Golf Course in Kent, boys and girls from Portage County, regardless of their current league affiliations, will compete over a one-day, 18-hole tournament.

All teams tee off in a shotgun start at 8 a.m.

Five golfers from each team will compete, with the top-four scores counting toward the team total.

Bryan Harvey, coach of the Kent Roosevelt varsity girls team and this golf reporter are looking forward to welcoming teams as well as spectators and parents to this inaugural event.

For additional information, text 330-206-9083 or email golffam2@gmail.com.

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE

•      Today (Monday), Kent Roosevelt varsity boys team travels to Congress Lake Country Club to compete in the Blue Streak Invite hosted by Lake High School. Kent will compete in a field of 24 teams including some of the top teams in the state at the event.
•     The Aurora girls travel to the Country Club of Hudson for the Walsh Jesuit Invitational beginning at 1 p.m. with 19 additional competitors.
•      Rootstown girls travel to Chenoweth to take on Springfield, future competitor in the Greater Portage County Conference and the Mogadore boys look to continue a successful season at The Fairways at Twin Lakes in Kent against the Streetsboro Rockets.
•      The Rovers’ boys varsity golf team travels to Painesville to take on Harvey at Painesville Country Club and the Southeast boys look to notch another win in the MVAC conference against Liberty at Henry Stambaugh Municipal Golf Course.
•      It’s a busy start to the week that includes junior varsity matches and some schools playing middle-school matches as programs are seeking to grow and improve.
•      A few of the golfers, who have had outstanding seasons, look toward conference tournaments in September include: Andrew VanDamme and Jax Turner of Kent, Cole Bruno of Southeast, Sammy Morgan of Southeast, Morgan Giebel of Rootstown, Brooke Beatty of Kent Roosevelt and Nick Pollak of Aurora.

OHSAA RANKINGS

Rankings for Ohio golf teams are available on the OHSAA app by division, district and girls and boys teams or by the state.

Looking at the app at this point in the season, several Portage County teams stand out in their placement.

In the Northeast District, included are the Portage County teams that made the top 20.

Congratulations to the Southeast girls, currently ranked first and the Southeast boys ranked third. Also making the top 10 are the Mogadore Wildcats, currently in sixth place.

Looks like Portage County will have many teams to watch when tournament action begins.

• DIVISION I BOYS: Aurora is ranked 11^th
• DIVISION II BOYS: Southeast is ranked third and Streetsboro 15^th.
• DIVISION III BOYS: Mogadore is ranked sixth, Rootstown 16^th, Waterloo 20^th.
• DIVISION I GIRLS: Kent Roosevelt ranked 13^th, Aurora 20^th.
• DIVISION II  GIRLS: Southeast is first.

A QUICK THANK YOU

Thank you to Robin Golden, a teacher at Kent Roosevelt High School, who follows both of the Rough Rider golf teams with her daughter, Coco, a member of the varsity girls.

Kent has had an outstanding season to date for both the boys and girls teams, winning tournaments and spotlighting individual players on both teams.

Robin has been generous in sharing some of her photographs with Portage Sports when I am unable to be at the match.

Recognizing high-school athletes for their successes is important.