'His clutch genes are like Kobe': Gator Nichols leads state-bound Maysville golfers
SOUTH ZANESVILLE — It had been a long time since a Maysville golf team reached the state tournament.
How long? Try three decades. Not even their coach was old enough to remember.
Clutch play from sophomore Gator Nichols helped the Panthers end their drought. Nichols' 76 out of the No. 4 spot was the key, as they finished four shots ahead of runner-up St. Clairsville in a Division II district tournament at EagleSticks.
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Just one team and one individual from a non-qualifying team advanced to the state tournament, set for next Friday and Saturday at NorthStar Golf Club in Sunbury.
"I told our guys that we're going to have fun, but we're going up there to compete," Maysville coach Jared Cox said. "We're not going up there just to participate. We're good. A 308 is a really good score."
Senior Owen Lutz also had 76 for Maysville, which also saw sophomores Hoyt Dodson and Cade Pickrell post 78s. They shot 147 on the front nine to take a seven-shot lead.
"We shot 161 on the back and hit three balls in the water on 10," Cox said. "We had a double bogey on 12. I just told our guys that we had to get through the stretch, keep fighting and keep battling. Give them credit, they went through some tough times today and kept going."
That was no more apparent than when Pickrell salvaged a double bogey on the par-3 10th after finding the water. He rebounded to play the next eight holes 5-over.
"That could have been a lot worse," Cox said. "For him to turn things around was huge."
The Red Devils' top three players of Brodi Foster (76), Andrew Abel (76) and Evan Fix (77) actually came in three shots better, but No. 4 man Mavrik Malin slipped to an 87 and No. 5 man Ethan Turner had 83.
That made Nichols' play crucial. He managed a 40 on a wild back nine that included just one par, making birdie on three of the final five holes.
Not bad for someone who played football a year ago, considers basketball his main sport and didn't pick up golf until the eighth grade.
"It's his first year playing, but his clutch genes are like Kobe (Bryant)," Lutz said of Nichols. "He's really athletic and even his basketball IQ is really high, and I think that contributes to golf. He's just a smart, athletic kid."
Nichols admitted that Malin's struggles — he was 1-under through three holes but turned at 9-over — helped calm his nerves.
"On the fifth green he made a birdie and says to me, 'I live for stuff like this,'" Cox said. "That guy has ice in his veins. Without that guy I'm not sure we have a chance."
Gnadenhutten Indian Valley was third at 319, but no other team was within 30 shots of the Panthers.
Millersburg West Holmes senior Trey Baker earned the lone individual qualifying spot. He sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the first hole to win a three-man playoff with Indian Valley's Brody Meade and Barnesville's Hayden Treadway, all of whom shot 74.
Meadowbrook shot 339 behind junior Ben Coss, whose 76 left him two shots out of a playoff despite a back-nine 35 that was among the best in the field. Senior Owen Dennis shot 84 and junior Steven Grafton 86; Damon Baier, a senior, had 93.
Junior Reid Lemity shot 83 and senior Silas Bailey 85 as West Muskingum (357) was eighth. Sophomore Nick Anton added 89 and classmate Kyle Porter 100.
River View's Thad Cox shot 78 and Caleb Kline posted an 84 to round out area individuals.
Cox was happy to see his players benefit from the time they invest. He empathized with St. Clairsville, which returns its entire roster next season.
Maysville has four of its top five back, so it figures to be another fight to the finish in 2024.
"These kids are here all day, every day," Cox said. "Some of our kids were here until 8:30-8:45 last night on the putting green. Their hard work has paid off."
sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Gator Nichols helps Maysville golf to first state tourney in 30 years
