OHSAA boys golf: Liberty, DeSales, Upper Arlington advance to Division I state tourney
HOWARD — The Olentangy Liberty boys golf team used clutch play down the stretch to capture its first Division I district title Tuesday at Apple Valley.
Battling with DeSales for first place, senior Carter Rutherford and sophomores Jackson Harris and Noah Andry each birdied No. 18 to forge a tie with the Stallions with a total score of 300.
In past years, a fifth-player-score tiebreaker would determine the team champion and runner-up. Tournament director Larry Morris said the Central District board met Wednesday to discuss whether there was precedent to have DeSales share the title with Liberty, but it was determined that Liberty would be the outright champion.
In the fifth-player-score tiebreaker, Liberty’s Holden Orofino bested DeSales’ Peyton Thomas 84-90.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and second was the best we’ve ever gotten,” Liberty coach Ryan Snively said. “This is icing on the cake today. There’s a lot of emotions. It’s a lot of time and the guys who have been with me for 20 years, they’ve all put in a ton of effort. This is like a mini-state tournament just today and to be able to do it is just awesome.”
DeSales, which moved from Division II to Division I in 2019, has never won a district title.
“I’m thrilled that we shot 300 and tied Olentangy Liberty for first place,” DeSales coach Tony Pinson said. “The goal for today was get to state.”
The top three teams advanced. Upper Arlington (303) will join Liberty and DeSales at state Oct. 20 and 21 at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course.
“The goal was obviously to win, but the main objective is getting back to Scarlet,” UA coach Troy Arbaugh said.
Brady Catalano led UA with a 72.
Grove City’s Grant Ruffing (69) earned the first of three individual qualifying berths, and the other two went to Dublin Coffman’s Luke Warner and Ryan Schiefferle.
The Coffman duo and Marysville’s Andrew Rabe tied for the final two spots (74). Warner and Schiefferle each bogeyed the first playoff hole, while Rabe carded a double bogey.
DeSales senior Joe Couhig earned medalist honors with a career-best 68.
“I woke up feeling good, but 68 is a lot better than I thought I would play,” Couhig said.
Coffman (306), St. Charles (309), Dublin Jerome (315), New Concord John Glenn (317), Gahanna Lincoln (326), New Albany (330), Worthington Kilbourne (331), Hilliard Davidson (334) and Westerville Central (335) rounded out the 12-team field.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Liberty, DeSales, UA advance to Division I boys golf state tourney
