Regional redemption for Nease, Ryan Nicholson: Panthers going to 3A state golf tournament

The Region 1 golf tournaments on Monday and Tuesday involving First Coast teams included upsets, upstarts, a slam dunk and redemption for the Nease Panthers boys team and senior Ryan Nicholson.

A week after losing the District 3-3A tournament to Fleming Island by 33 shots, Nease reversed fortune and took the Region 1-3A tournament at 4-over-par 288, eight shots over Creekside and nine clear of the Golden Eagles at the St. Johns Golf Club.

The Knights clinched their first berth in a state tournament in school history with Bryson Hughes winning the individual region title at 2-under 69, with a birdie at No. 18 to beat Nicholson and Chase McBride of Nease, and Tyler Mawhinney and Dylan Frein of Fleming Island by one shot.

Hughes made an eagle-two at No. 5 and after a bogey at the eighth hole, he birdied No. 9 and didn't make another bogey. He made eight pars in a row until his closing birdie.

Teammate Charlie Hipp added a 71.

Nicholson wins a year after disqualification

What made it a special day for the Panthers is that it came a year after Nicholson was disqualified from last year’s Region 1 tournament because he looked at video of a shot he had previously hit in the round and was reported by another coach. Nicholson was found to be in violation of Rule 4.3 (4).

Nicholson was even-par through 11 holes when he was disqualified and Nease had to count a player who shot 83. Had Nicholson finished anywhere in the vicinity of par, the Panthers likely would have qualified for the state tournament.

Coach Steve Horner wasn't dwelling on what might have been -- only on a team that rebounded from last week's lopsided runner-up finish to Fleming Island. Following the 70s by Nicholson and McBride were Cooper Diaz and Ethan Tak, each with a 74.

"They were prepared to play today ... they may not have been as prepared to play last week," Horner said. "It was really unfortunate for Ryan last year. Today he can rest a little easier because he's a senior and he's getting to play in the state tournament. It's very gratifying."

The Golden Eagles can pin their hopes on an at-large bid to the state tournament. Eight additional teams and eight individuals not on those teams will be named by the FHSAA later this week.

Fleming Island's one-stroke difference with Creekside could be traced to the final three holes: Creekside's players who scored were even-par on those holes and Fleming Island's were 1-over. Ronan McDonald (75) joined Hughes in making a birdie at the last.

Ponte Vedra girls streak in jeopardy

The next biggest upset came in the girls Region 1-2A tournament at Quail Heights in Lake City as South Walton stunned Ponte Vedra by one shot for the second qualifying spot. Beachside won the region championship at 14-over 302, topping South Walton by 15 shots.

Karlee Gainey of Lake City Columbia was the medalist with a 69 and Alexandra Gazzoli of Manataza was next with a 70. They both locked down the two individual qualifying spots.

Beachside was led by Ralienne Nacional (72), who tied for fourth, and Sofia Rivera (73), who tied for sixth. Stella Moritz (75) and Nancy Cox (77) led the Sharks, who have been hit with untimely injuries and will depend on an at-large bid to add to a streak of 12 consecutive appearances in the state tournament.

South Walton got a big lead on the Sharks and never let go. The four players who scored were a combined 13-over on the front nine, while Ponte Vedra's four were 23-over. South Walton's low players were Vivian Harrison and Lily Martin, who tied for 11th with 77s. But they had two additional players among the top 20.

In other regionals:

• The Ponte Vedra boys gave themselves a chance for a ninth state championship and seventh in a row when they won the 1-2A tournament in chilly and windy conditions at Perdido Bay in Pensacola. The Sharks, led by Cameron Reed's 73, edged Beachside by three shots. Connor Williams of Columbia was the medalist with a 70 and Samuel Ha led the Barracudas with a 72. Luke Splane of St. Augustine tied for fourth with a 75 and locked up an individual qualifying spot in the state tournament.

• Episcopal's boys followed up their district title with a six-shot victory over Bolles in the Region 1-1A tournament at the Jacksonville Beach Golf Club. Bolles' Luke Balaskiewicz fired a bogey-free 66 to win his second post-season tournament. Henry Robards led the Eagles with a 70 and Cameron Goldknopf posted a 73. Episcopal had four players among the top seven with Connor Hess checking in with a 75 and Aubrey Fellows with a 76.

• Bolles won the girls Region 1-1A tournament at Jacksonville Beach by two shots over Episcopal. Anaiya Naher and Chloe McGrath both shot 75 to tie for fourth and lead the Bulldogs individually. Sahana Chokshi led the Eagles with a 74, followed by Sofia Davila with a 75. Islay Benoit of Pensacola Catholic was the medalist with a 72 and Ellie Riner of Maclay was second with a 73. They nailed down the two individual qualifying positions, with Riner making three birdies in a row on the back nine to slip past Emma Wells of Providence and Addy Vogt of St. Johns Country Day, who both shot 75.

• Kalia Polete and Cambree Hodge both shot 75 to lead Fleming Island to second in the girls Region 1-3A tournament at the Hawkstone Golf Club in Gainesville, earning a spot in the state tournament, a distant 36 shots behind Lake Mary. Anna Jones, a Creekside senior, made a hole-in-one at the 115-yard par-3 second hole, with the ball going into the cup on the fly. Jones shot 81 and Creekside finished fourth.

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT RESULTS

BOYS

Region 1-3A, at St. Johns Golf Club

State qualifiers: Nease (288) -- Ryan Nicholson 70, Chase McBride 70, Cooper Diaz 74, Ethan Tak 74, Nicholas Adamonis 81. Creekside (296) -- Bryson Hughes 69, Charlie Hipp 71, Ronan McDonald 75, Ty Martin 81, Carter Smith 88. Individual qualifiers: Jackson Runquist (Fletcher) 72, Braden Duvall (Pace) 72.

Region 1-2A, at Perdido Bay, Pensacola

State qualifiers: Ponte Vedra (303) -- Cameron Reed 73, Dylan Mason 75, Cooper Franklin 77, Sean Grzebin 78, Joey Hage 78. Beachside (306) -- Samuel Ha 72, Jonah Nacional 77, Jaspreet Kondal 78, Nolan Harper 79, Barton Abstein 80. Individual qualifiers: Luke Splane (St. Augustine) 75, Evan Raynor (Bishop Kenny) 77, Mason Cameron (Suwannee) 77.

Region 1-1A, at Jacksonville Beach Golf Club

State qualifiers: Episcopal (294) -- Henry Robards 70, Cameron Goldknopf 73, Connor Hess 75, Aubry Fellows 76, John John Pacjic 88. Bolles (300) -- Luke Balaskiewicz 66, Enzo Martinez 76, Kelly Day 79, Andrew Sharkey 79, Neil Kuthiala 83. Individual qualifiers -- Jack Cook (Maclay) 72, Trent Galbraith (Mayo Lafayette) 74.

GIRLS

Region 1-3A, at Hawkstone Country Club, Gainesville

State qualifiers: Lake Mary (279) -- Ryleigh McNab 65, Meyher Khoklar 67, Elli Chon 73, Lauryn Finley 74, Delaney Silliway 76. Fleming Island (315) -- Kalia Polete 75, Cambree Hodge 75, Chloe Blanc 80, Shayla Abbas 85, Kathryn McNeill 93. Individual qualifiers -- Bradyn Smith (Buchholz) 68, Gracie Grant (Niceville) 72.

Region 1-2A, at Quail Heights, Lake City

State qualifiers: Beachside (302) -- Ralienne Nacional 72, Sofia Rivera 73, Maddie Rathjen 75, Alexia Iordonov 82, Fiona Clancy 82. South Walton (317) -- Vivian Harrison 77, Lily Martin 77, McKazlyn Payne 80, Ava Kight 83, Lauren Gross 95. Individual qualifiers: Karlee Gainey (Columbia) 69, Alexandra Gazzoli (Matanzas) 70.

Region 1-1A, at Jacksonville Beach Golf Club

State qualifiers: Bolles (314) -- Anaiya Naher 75, Chloe McGrath 75, Grace Breffitt 78, Taylor Olson 86, Maya Miller 92. Episcopal (316) -- Sahana Chokshi 74, Sofia Davila 75, Simryn Chokshi 82, Olivia Messana 85, Isabella Gatewood 95. Individual qualifiers: Islay Benoit (Pensacola Catholic) 72, Ellie Riner (Maclay) 73.

STATE TOURNAMENTS

BOYS

At Mission Inn Resort, El Campeon Course, Howey-in-the-Hills 

Class 2A, Nov. 7-8; Class 3A, Nov. 10-11; Class 1A, Nov. 14-15 \.

GIRLS

At Mission Inn Resort Las Colinas Course, Howey-in-the-Hills

Class 2A, Nov. 7-8; Class 3A, Nov. 10-11; Class 1A, Nov. 14-15.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Nease, Ryan Nicholson in 3A state golf a year after hopes were crushed