Maysville's charge at the Division II state golf tournament has it eyeing more in 2024.

SUNBURY — Maysville coach Jared Cox looked at the scoreboard at NorthStar Golf Club with fidgety anticipation.

His upstart Panthers played Saturday’s second-best round as many scores rolled in at the Division II state tournament, and a top-three finish appeared in sight.

That wasn’t to be. Chagrin Falls carded a 315 — almost 30 shots better than its Day 1 score — and the Panthers settled for a close fifth among 12 teams.

Maysville shot 326 and improved nine shots from its opening round. Not bad, especially for a team with four underclassmen.

“I fully expect these guys to get back next year,” said Maysville senior Owen Lutz, who shot 82 on Saturday and 163 for the tournament to finish 24th.

Sophomore Hoyt Dodson tied for 11th of 72 players, missing All-Ohio honors by a mere shot. He was tied for fifth before the later scores were posted.

Dodson shot matching 77s to finish at 154. He was only eight shots back of champion Finley Bartlett, of Cincinnati Wyoming, who shot 2-over-par 74 on Saturday and was at 146.

Sophomore Gator Nichols (t-33rd) followed a 91 with 80 and classmate Cade Pickrell (64th) had 87 after a 96 on Friday. Freshman Ethan Wright, who shot 86 on Day 1, had 92 and was tied for 54th.

Maysville, which shot 661, trailed champion Kettering Alter (294-302 — 596), runner-up Wyoming (319-328 — 647), Columbus Academy (325-329 — 654) and Chagrin Falls (342-315 — 657).

Sheridan, in the state for the second straight year, also made a Day-2 improvement with a 348 — 12 shots better than Friday.

Wyatt Satterfield shot 84 on Saturday and finished tied for 41st with 174, junior Bryce Kelley was four shots better with 84 and tied for 45th with 176, sophomore Owen Cains (176) and classmate Canyon Daly (179) were tied for 54th and 59th, respectively.

Big finish for MVL

It wrapped up a banner year for the Muskingum Valley League, which had two state tournament teams and another in John Glenn that went nose-to-nose with the best teams in the Division I Central District.

“We really played well — I’m really proud of our kids,” Cox said. “They didn’t play great yesterday, but we came back and really battled today. We hit some really good shots. A 326 is a good score. ... I just don't think the moment was too big today."

Cox felt the players, in their first state tournament since the Clinton Administration, settled in after battling some nerves on Day 1. The scores were representative of that, even as torrential rain delayed the start of the tournament and players scrambled to stay dry.

“I promise you that no one was as prepared for the weather as we were,” Cox said. “We had rain gloves, every kid had a couple of different towels. We were ready for it.”

Dodson said the rain softened the greens and made them more accessible. In most cases, the prevailing winds at NorthStar hardens the course and forces players to get creative with their approach shots.

"You could stick the greens for sure," Dodson said. "Yesterday you had to land everything about five yards short. You had the rain aspect today, but the course played a lot easier."

The close finish made him think of the shots he felt he left on the course, particularly on the greens. He estimated that he missed six birdie putts inside of 10 feet.

The green difficulty is a factor in that. Lutz said he consistently set himself up for birdie chances in both rounds, only to find himself struggling to find the bottom of the cup.

"We came up here and realized that it's a hard course, and if you hit bad shots you're going to have to deal with it," Lutz said. "The greens are really firm. I had a lot of knock-down shots here and it's hard to get spin with those knock-down shots. On a firm green it's going to roll right off the back."

Replacing the team leader, and designated driver, in Lutz will be no small task. Thankfully, Dodson, Nichols and Pickrell will have their licenses next year.

"I'm going away to college, but I am still going to be keeping an eye on these guys making sure they're in line," Lutz said.

The underclassmen will also be a year older on the course. That, Cox said, should help the team stay on the winning path.

"Hopefully this experience for some of these sophomores, some of these freshmen, kind of makes them hungry and makes them work at this winter, next spring and next summer," Cox said. Hopefully are back again next year."

Sheridan following Panthers' lead?

Sheridan coach Jason Daly had a young team of his own with just one senior in Cody Hupp. Hupp shot 98 in his final match, but he did manage an impressive par on the final hole following a close approach out of a fairway bunker.

Daly was impressed with his team's consistency during the season, which carried into the tournament. They had five scores between 89 and 91 on Friday and four of the five players saw Saturday improvement.

Their 348 was 15 shots better than the Wheelersburg squad that edged them at the Southeast District meet.

"We had a rough day as a team and a rough weekend altogether, really," Daly said. "We're young. It was all five seniors that came here last year."

With top scorers Satterfield and Kelley returning, in addition to Canyon Daly and Cains, the expectations will be even higher next year. Coach Daly is certain his players won't rest on their laurels and will work to improve their games.

"Others play different sports, but I think they're hooked now," Daly said. "They'll be all in."

He empathized for Hupp, who struggled in his final match out of the No. 1 spot.

"It's tough because this isn't the way he wanted to go out," Daly said. "He didn't shoot his best on the last day. But that is one of the best kids I have ever coached. ... Dealing with him was awesome."

sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: State golf: Maysville, Sheridan eyeing more in 2024