Hudson, Hoban, Highland, Green, Stow, Kent, Walsh golfers ready for state tournament
The Division I state golf tournaments are this weekend and the Greater Akron area will once again be well represented on the girls and boys sides.
The Division I boys state tournament is at The Ohio State University Gray Course in Columbus, and the Division I girls state tournament is at OSU's Gray Course.
Golfers start teeing off at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Here are five other things to know about the Division I state tournament:
Hudson advances girls and boys golf teams to state tournament
Hudson golfers head to Columbus with confidence as the boys team won a district championship at Pine Hills Golf Club and the girls team finished third at Brookledge Golf Club.
Hudson's boys shot 298 to top a loaded field that included Archbishop Hoban (299), St. Ignatius (301), Green (305) and Jackson (307). Freshman Ben Fauver led the way to the district title with a 70 that placed him tied for third individually. Senior Callahan Lawler tied for eighth at Pine Hills with a 74 and junior Sam Fauver tied for 10th with a 75.
Hudson's other boys state qualifiers are freshman Jerry Du and junior Benjamin Matava.
"I credit our team for the work they did starting at the end of the 2022 campaign," Hudson boys coach Matt Villenauve said. "There has been incremental improvement over the last 11 months."
Junior Emmy Burling paced Hudson's girls at the district with a 76 that put her in a tie for third individually.
Hudson's other girls state qualifiers are senior Sherry Du, junior Julia Van Bokkelen, freshman Elena Varga and senior Ellie Davis.
"I'm very proud of the way our team has come together this year," Hudson girls coach Bobby Bolin said. "At the beginning of each season, we never know exactly how a team will mesh, but I would have to say this group of players have been on the same page from Day 1.
"They are genuinely great kids who enjoy being around each other and have a ton of fun while playing highly competitive and serious golf."
Archbishop Hoban returns to boys golf state tournament
Coach Quinn Parker and the Hoban boys team return to Columbus with state championship pedigree after winning the 2020 Division I team title. Senior Jack Vojtko played on Hoban's 2020 state championship team as a freshman.
Vojtko tied for third last week in the district tournament at Pine Hills with a 70 and Hoban was the district runner-up. Junior Chris Pollak was seventh with a 73 and junior Braden Herstich tied for 13th with a 77.
"My game is in a good place and as a team I think we are heating up as a whole," Vojtko said. "We have a lot of individual wins this back end of the season along with our team wins."
Hoban's other state qualifiers are juniors Ray Dress and Brett Bagatti.
Highland returns to girls golf state tournament
Coach Mary Becker and the Highland girls team are making their 11th appearance in the state tournament.
Highland and Magnificat both shot 323 in the district tournament at Brookledge to initially tie for first. Magnificat won the team crown on the fifth golfer scorecard tiebreaker.
Highland senior Isabella Goyette won the medalist honor at the district event with a 73. Hornets sophomore Elizabeth Coleman tied for third with a 76.
Highland's other state qualifiers are senior Paige McKendry, senior Kavya Chada and junior Avery Albright.
Green, Jackson, North Canton Hoover teams advance to Columbus
The boys field of teams includes Green and Jackson and the girls field of teams includes North Canton Hoover.
Green boys coach Greg Andrego is venturing to the state's capital city with seniors Kyle Smith, Brady Trejbal, Evan Raymond and Trezdon Cobb and sophomore Silas Kirkpatrick.
Smith finished second individually in the district at Pine Hills with a 69 and Raymond tied for 13th with a 77.
Father-son combination Jim (coach) and Jordan Kish (golfer) led the Jackson boys team to OSU.
Jordan Kish, a senior, tied for fifth at Pine Hills with a 72. Senior Ethan Kasler tied for 10th with a 75 and junior Maxwell Weber tied for 13th with a 77. The other Jackson state qualifiers are senior Aidan Loy and sophomore Raffaele Scassa.
Hoover girls coach Scott Snyder is heading to the state tournament with juniors Ava Kemp, Kylie Porter and Alyssa Evans, senior Olivia Pfannenschmidt and freshman Ellie Hutzler.
Stow, Kent Roosevelt, Walsh Jesuit, Aurora send individual to Columbus
The boys golf state tournament will also include Walsh Jesuit sophomore Anthony Spain, Kent Roosevelt junior Liam Curtis and Stow sophomore AJ Halsne.
Spain tied for fifth in the district tournament at Pine Hills with a 72 under coach Bill Reilly.
Curtis tied for 10th at Pine Hills with a 75 and is coached by his father, Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open champion at Royal St. George's Golf Club.
Halsne tied for 13th with a 77 under coach Chet Feldman.
The girls golf state tournament will also include Aurora junior Gracyn Vidovic, Stow senior Gabriella Berlingieri and Kent Roosevelt senior Madolyn Kost.
Vidovic finished second in the district tournament at Brookledge with a 75 under coach Collin McEndree.
Berlingieri is going to the state tournament with coach Scotte Rorabaugh and Kost is heading to Columbus with coach Bryan Harvey. Berlingieri and Kost tied for sixth at Brookledge with 78s.
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hudson, Hoban, Highland, Green, Stow, Kent golfers in state tournament
