‘All business now’: Marietta girls continue record-setting campaign
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ZANESVILLE -- During a year where the Marietta girls golf program has repeatedly one-upped itself, the Tigers' biggest accomplishment of the season occurred Tuesday at Jaycee Golf Club.
Competing in the Division I Southeast sectional tournament, Marietta took home the team crown to advance to the district tournament. Five Tigers placed in the top 10, led by senior Kenadee Strauss who finished second with an 84, in what was a dominant display by the orange and black.
"We went in with a mindset of, we don't just want to win it -- we want to send a message to the rest of the district and let them know we're serious," said Marietta's first-year head coach Sam Bruni.
"After our last regular season match, a switch was flipped. It's all business now."
In the team standings, Marietta bested rival Warren, which placed runner-up, 347-385. Fairfield Union (395), Chillicothe (408) and Miami Trace (420) rounded out the top five to qualify for districts.
Warren's Maggie Evans finished atop the individual leaderboards, carding a 79 to earn Medalist honors. The next five placers were all Tigers. After Strauss, junior Jillian Elliott (85) placed third, senior Claire Bills finished fourth (88), junior Madilyn D'Ettorre (90) came in fifth and senior Samantha Mayo (92) followed in sixth.
Any of Marietta's top five players can lead the team in scoring on a given day, which is part of what makes the Tigers so dangerous.
"Jillian is our No. 1," Bruni said. "She started the season delayed with sickness. While she was out, other kids stepped and we were able to play very well. It took her about three weeks to a month before she re-took that No. 1 spot. Her bad misses are most people's good shots.
"Maddie is our No. 2. She worked her butt off this offseason and improved so much from her sophomore to junior seasons. She's a culture kid, the kind of kid every single sport wants on their team. Her golf game has absolutely soared this year.
"Sam, our No. 3, is a super energetic, fun kid. She's extremely driven. Sam can absolutely crush the ball. There's been times where she's outdriven me, and I had to swallow my pride. She plays confident and can put some of the best scores out there with anybody.
"Kenadee is our No. 4, and you very rarely see her down. She's so bubbly and fun to be around, and her golf game reflects that. She lives at the country course in the offseason. She's an extremely good golfer.
"Claire is our No. 5. Her game has come on so strong lately. She's a kid who's never content. She's always striving to be better. She has such a high standard for herself, and the last couple weeks she's absolutely dominated."
Freshman Maddie Birge is the Tigers' alternate.
Earlier this month, Marietta captured the 4A-5A Ohio Valley Athletic Conference championship. At multiple points this season, Marietta established new nine-hole and 18-hole scoring records.
"This all started four years ago before I was even involved with the program," Bruni said. "(Marietta assistant coach) Kayla Bills put blood sweat and tears into this program and these kids for the past four years, and it's all led to this moment. We knew this was going to be the year we needed to take advantage of, because they've gotten better and better every year and they've taken it so seriously."
Marietta's objective is clear -- it's something they've talked about since March.
"The goal is to go to state and make a name for ourselves as a program," Bruni said. "We beat our nine-hole record, beat our 18-hole record, faced a super hot, hilly course at OVACs and went out and dominated. Now, we're at districts. We're not content. We have a lot more in the tank. We're hungry for it."
The district tournament is set for Monday at Crystal Springs Golf Club in Hopewell, and Marietta will need to finish first to advance to state as a team.
"We're telling the kids you don't need to play out of your minds or play the round of your life," Bruni said. "Just play your game. If we play our game, we're very capable. If we all play our consistent game, we're going to be super competitive. Just have fun, play loose, be a family and enjoy the process."
Joining the Tigers at districts will be Evans and the Warriors. At sectionals, Emma Foutty finished just outside the top 10 in 11th with a score of 98. Lyla Nuzum was tied for 13th at 100 while Audriana Shutts finished tied for 23rd at 108 and Hailey Metz was part of the pack in 27th at 111 for the Warriors. Marietta, Warren and Minerva will be paired together at districts.
On Wednesday, Marietta and Warren faced off in a "fun scramble to stay sharp between sectionals and districts," Bruni said.
In Division II, the Fort Frye girls were runner-up at their sectional tournament. Raeleigh Warden led the Cadets with a third-place finish after carding a 78. Khoen Courson placed fifth (88), Kallie Boley finished ninth (101), Kenna McCurdy came in 10th (103) and Abigail Huck was tied for 21st (115).
"I'm really happy with where golf is in Washington County right now," Bruni said. "Our team has had huge success. Maggie Evans from Warren got first overall at sectionals for coach Nate Evans. Raeleigh Warden at Fort Frye is absolutely killing it for coach Tony O'Linn. Ladies golf in our area is absolutely dominant. We've been in a lot of matches with Warren and Fort Frye, and without those two we wouldn't be where we are right now. Shoutout to those two programs."
Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.
Sectional Tournament: (SE) Division I Girls
At Jaycee Golf Club
Qualifiers: Top 5 teams and 5 individuals not on a qualifying team.
*indicates qualifying team or individual
Team Place: 1. Marietta* 347; 2. Warren* 385; 3. Fairfield Union* 395; 4. Chillicothe* 408; 5. Miami Trace* 420; 6. Sheridan 452; 7. Jackson 469; 8. Hillsboro 507; 9. Gallia Academy 529; 10. Logan 540; 11. Athens 0; 12. Unioto 0; 13. WCH Washington 0;
Individual Scores: 1. Maggie Evans(Warren) 79; 2. Kenadee Strauss(Marietta) 84; 3. Jillian Elliott(Marietta) 85; 4. Claire Bills(Marietta) 88; 5. Madilyn D'Ettorre(Marietta) 90; 6. Samantha Mayo(Marietta) 92; 7. Allie Johnson(Chillicothe) 95, Xaley Bojanowski(Fairfield Union) 95; 9. Kendall Mason(Fairfield Union) 96, Mallory Cassady*(Logan) 96; 11. Emma Fouty(Warren) 98; 12. Maggie Bunstine(Chillicothe) 99; 13. Jordyn Hanna(Fairfield Union) 100, Molly Whiteside(Miami Trace) 100, Lyla Nuzum(Warren) 100; 16. Ashlynd Hippely(Miami Trace) 102; 17. Ava Jenkins*(Jackson) 103, Eilee Lester*(Sheridan) 103; 19. Laci Eads(Fairfield Union) 104, Alison Reeves(Miami Trace) 104; 21. Marley Christman*(Athens) 106, Cambriana Rittinger(Chillicothe) 106; 23. Cadie Boltenhouse(Chillicothe) 108, Olivia Hunt*(Logan) 108, Audriana Shutts(Warren) 108; 26. Peyton Satterfield(Sheridan) 109; 27. Alanta Gibson(Jackson) 111, Hailey Metz(Warren) 111; 29. Kelsy Douglas(Miami Trace) 114; 30. Carey Skeens(Hillsboro) 116; 31. Bailey Troxel(Fairfield Union) 117; 32. Natalie Rauber(Jackson) 120, Sanruethai(Thai) Phanjarung(Sheridan) 120, Riley Cordray(Sheridan) 120; 35. Raeden Workman(Hillsboro) 122; 36. Charlotte Rhodes(Sheridan) 123; 37. Gwyn Sayers(Chillicothe) 127, Ellie Kingery(Gallia Academy) 127; 39. Arabella Cadena(WCH Washington) 128; 40. Ella Francis(Gallia Academy) 131; 41. Ella Walch(Hillsboro) 132; 42. Claire Streitenberger(WCH Washington) 133; 43. Josie Taylor(Gallia Academy) 135, Mallory Green(Jackson) 135; 45. Marilynn Stanley(Gallia Academy) 136; 46. Rachel Lawhon(Gallia Academy) 137, Kaydence Butler(Hillsboro) 137, Kynnedy Willis(Jackson) 137; 49. Emily Keaton(Miami Trace) 143; 50. Maddy Boehm(WCH Washington) 156; 51. Sophia Fagan(Logan) 162; 52. Makenzie Lawrence(Logan) 174; 53. Kimber Chaney(Unioto) 192