Terry Sanford boys golf wins NCHSAA 3A state championship by 31 strokes
FOXFIRE – Terry Sanford boys golf has won its first state championship in 41 years and fourth title in program history.
The Bulldogs finished at 22-over par to earn a 31-stroke victory over Stuart Cramer on Tuesday in the NCHSAA 3A state championship at Foxfire’s Red Course. The 2023 group joins champions from 1971, 1978 and 1982.
“To win a state championship in any sport is awesome,” Terry Sanford coach Jeff Morehead said.
“To win a golf state championship at a school that has won one before and it’s been that long, the guys and I are extremely proud to have 2023 on a banner.”
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Terry Sanford, which started the final round at 12 over with a nine-stroke lead, put the finishing touches on its championship run with a two-stroke improvement of 10 over in Tuesday’s final round.
“I don’t think any of my guys felt good about how they played (Monday). We just talked about (Tuesday) being a new day and getting off to a good start,” Morehead said.
“All the boys – after about four or five holes – were off to great starts. That momentum carried for the rest of the day.”
The junior trio of Ethan Paschal, Thomas Horne and Parks Helms along with freshman Charlie Horne, were a part of Terry Sanford’s title-winning team. All four golfers finished inside the top 20.
Ethan Paschal wins individual title
Paschal, a UNC commit, came from behind to win the NCHSAA 3A state championship in a playoff for Terry Sanford’s first individual title in nearly 50 years.
Pine Forest’s Mitchell Perry (1984) was the last Fayetteville golfer to win top honors. The last Bulldog to win an individual state championship was Andrew Stiles in 1977.
After posting a 1-under 71 in the first round, Paschal followed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 4 under to join a three-man playoff. Paschal birdied the fourth hole to win medalist honors.
“Once he got in the playoff, it’s hard to go against a golfer like Ethan Paschal,” Morehead said.
“. … Ethan made a great birdie on the fourth playoff hole to get it done and that’s as much emotion as I’ve seen from him ever on a golf course.”
Paschal carded six birdies and an eagle to overcome a double bogey and triple bogey in the final round. Thomas Horne tied for sixth at 4 over, with Charlie Horne and Helms tying for 20th at 11 over.
Charlie Horne was also Terry Sanford's recipient of the NCHSAA's Sportsmanship Award.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Ethan Paschal leads Terry Sanford boys golf to NCHSAA state title
