by Devan Matthews

Correspondent

The Tallmadge girls golf team's season may have ended at a Division II district tournament Oct. 1, but the Lady Blue Devils have nothing to hang their heads about. Tallmadge finished with a score of 407 at Tam O'Shanter Golf Club in Canton, placing in a tie for eighth with Alliance Marlington in a field of 12 squads.

The top four teams advanced to the state tournament.

Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown won the competition with a 347 and Chardon Notre Dame Cathedral Latin placed second with a 364. Also qualifying were Poland Seminary (370) and 3).

According to Tallmadge head coach Mark Horner, the competition was exceptional at Tam O'Shanter.

"There were some really good teams there," said Horner. "The top four teams' scores were very good, somewhere between the mid-370s and the 380s. These were solid teams."

Considering the level of that competition, Horner was pleased with the Lady Blue Devils' performance. It was Tallmadge's first time competing at the district level in girls golf.

"It was our first district tournament and we were smack in the middle [of the field]," said Horner. "We might have dropped to seventh, but they were tabulating the scores outside. It was storming so badly that I thought we would get the final results later. The girls were cold and wet already."

Sophomore Amanda Griffin led the Lady Blue Devils with a round of 95, while junior Jordan Gaither was right behind her with a 96.

In addition, junior Maddie Ingersoll contributed a round of 105 and senior Leah Sibbio produced a 111.

"We gave up a few strokes here and there," said Horner. "We had a few three-putts and four-putts, but these girls weren't conquered by the course at all. They played well."

According to Horner, the greens were fast and the course played long, but Tallmadge hung in there and played some of its best golf of the season.

"Maddie shot a 105, which is her best 18-hole score ever," said Horner. "Amanda had a 95 and Jordan shot a 96. They generated a lot of positive momentum heading into next year.

"They have a lot of potential and they should help us be a very good team next season," he added.

Editor's note: Results first appeared Oct. 1 on our Web site at www.tallmadgeexpress.com.

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