Here are 12 Columbus-area high school boys golfers to watch this fall
Olentangy Liberty boys golf coach Ryan Snivley expects another competitive battle for the Central District's three team berths to the Division I state tournament.
The Patriots finished fifth (309) at district last season at Apple Valley, nine shots behind champion St. Charles but only two behind the final two state qualifiers, Upper Arlington and Dublin Jerome.
“There’s a lot of teams that have a lot of returners coming back,” Snivley said. “In the past two years, we’ve missed qualifying for state by two shots. It’s whoever can put together the best round on that day (at district). The second week of October is an important tournament. I tell the guys that Apple Valley is the most important course on our schedule and everything that we do all leads up to that day.”
St. Charles went on to finish fifth at state with a two-day total of 641, ahead of Jerome (seventh, 645) and UA (eighth, 653). Cleveland St. Ignatius (610) won the state title.
Key golfers for Liberty should be senior Carter Rutherford and sophomores Noah Andry, Jackson Harris, Noah Mulford and Holden Orofino.
Jerome features a solid group of returnees led by junior Zach Radtke and a promising freshman in Brady Barnum, who was the top golfer in the team’s four-day tryouts with a 280, five shots better than Radtke. Barnum's effort included a program-record 63 last Tuesday at Turnberry.
Other key golfers for Jerome should be seniors Christian Bellinger, Tyler Burnside and Colin Richards and sophomore Blake Hartman.
“We have one goal and that’s to win a state championship,” Celtics coach Colin Seely said.
In Division II, Kettering Alter (618) won the state championship ahead of runner-up Columbus Academy (634), snapping the Vikings’ title streak at five.
Academy lost three of its top five golfers to graduation. Senior Matthew Fang is a key returnee.
Girls golf: 12 Columbus-area competitors to watch this fall
In Division III, Newark Catholic finished second (664) at state behind Cincinnati Seven Hills (659). The Green Wave should be led by seniors Brian Luft and Max Vanoy and junior Brogan Sullivan.
Here are 12 central Ohio boys golfers to watch this fall:
Brady Catalano, Upper Arlington
The senior led the Golden Bears last season at state, tying for seventh with a two-day 152. He tied for 10th at district and won a sectional title with a 71. The Oklahoma State commit also was OCC-Central Player of the Year with a 70.5 average as he won all four rounds of the league tournament.
Matthew Fang, Columbus Academy
Fang helped lead the Vikings to their second-place finish in the Division II state tournament, finishing 11th (158). He tied for 20th at district and tied for 14th at sectional. He was second-team all-MSL-Ohio.
Jack Flores, Thomas Worthington
The junior was the Cardinals’ lone district qualifier, tying for 25th. He finished third at sectional to earn the district berth and was first-team all-OCC-Cardinal with a 74.5 average.
Brady Fox, Jonathan Alder
The senior earned second-team all-state honors by tying for sixth (156) in the Division II tournament. He also earned Player of the Year honors in the district by winning that tournament with a 68. Fox finished first (72) at sectional and was Player of the Year in the Central Buckeye Conference.
Vaughn Harber, DeSales
The senior Ohio State commit capped his 2022 season by tying for second in the Division I state tournament with a 150. He was the Stallions’ first Division I state qualifier and set program records for scoring average (69.2), nine-hole score (31) and 18-hole score (63). He finished third at district and second at sectional.
Jackson Harris, Olentangy Liberty
The sophomore enjoyed a strong first year with the Patriots, capped by tying teammate Carter Rutherford and Dublin Coffman’s Ryan Schiefferle for seventh in the Division I district tournament. Harris tied for fifth at sectional and was first-team all-OCC-Central. He also shot a program-record 65 at NorthStar.
Zach Radtke, Dublin Jerome
The junior is expected to be a key contributor for a program loaded with talent. Last season, he tied for 11th at state with a 155, tied for fifth at district and tied for eighth at sectional. He was first-team all-OCC-Cardinal.
Carter Rutherford, Olentangy Liberty
The tandem of Rutherford and Harris has helped lead to Liberty’s optimism for this season. Last season, Rutherford finished in the three-way tie for seventh at district and tied for 20th at sectional. The senior was second-team all-OCC-Central.
Ryan Schiefferle, Dublin Coffman
The senior closed his 2022 season by finishing in the three-way tie for seventh at district. He posted a team-best 77.5 average, won a sectional title with a 72 and was first-team all-OCC-Central.
Aidan Terek, Hilliard Davidson
Terek is a key returnee for a team that returns its nucleus from last season. The senior tied for 13th in the Division I district tournament, tied for 10th at sectional and was second-team all-OCC-Central.
Max Vanoy, Newark Catholic
The senior helped lead the Green Wave to its second-place finish last season at state by finishing 27th. He was second at district and tied for third at sectional. Vanoy also was second-team all-LCL.
Leo Walling, St. Charles
The senior helped lead the Cardinals to their first district title since 2016, sharing medalist honors with Worthington Kilbourne’s Owen Cotterman (67). He finished 20th at state and tied for eighth at sectional. Walling also earned first-team all-CCL honors for the third consecutive season.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 12 central Ohio high school boys golfers to watch this fall
