Not even the players could have predicted with a clear conscience on Sept. 14 that Medina’s boys golf team was going to make the Division I state tournament.
Medina’s boys golf team is headed for the state tournament this weekend in Columbus. Front row, from left: Colin McClowry, Zach Wagner and Avery Borak. Back row, from left: Tyler Grabowski, Hunter Churchman and Joe Kerrigan. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)
The Bees shot 340 that day to tie for 16th out of 26 teams at the loaded Wooster Invitational. They were struggling — at least by Medina standards set over the last 10 years — and consistently failing to break 320.
Flash forward 5½ weeks and Medina is a district champion as it heads to Columbus for the big dance Friday and Saturday morning at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course.
So, how did the Bees’ drastic midseason improvement happen? Even first-year coach Chris Miller doesn’t have a specific answer, instead pointing to the age-old cliché of confidence.
“It’s been nothing but exciting,” Miller said. “When I got the job, I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to do the best I can.’ We weren’t sure how good we were supposed to be and, on paper, it may have even looked like a down year.
“We started out a little slow, but toward the end of the year we started to peak and we started to think, ‘You know, we have a shot.’”
The much-needed boost came in the form of Medina’s home course, Fox Meadow Country Club, as the Bees shot a blistering 300 at the third Greater Cleveland Conference Tournament one day after the Wooster showing.
There has been nothing resembling a hiccup since, as Medina won the final GCC Tournament by 21 strokes, took second at the Barberton Brookside Sectional and shocked Northeast Ohio by winning the Pine Hills District with a 302.
The Bees’ season average through Sept. 14 was 164.6.
That number since: 156.4.
“Shooting 340 didn’t sit well with us, and we knew we would need to improve if we to advance (to state) at all by the end of the year,” three-year starter and ace Joe Kerrigan said. “I think there were some attitude changes and a little bit of more focus after that day. Also, I think we practiced a little bit harder after that and maybe got a couple more hours of practice in other than our scheduled ones throughout the week.”
The standout veterans have certainly helped, as Kerrigan and fellow three-year starter Tyler Grabowksi have posted very strong 37.4 and 38.2 averages since that frustrating day in Wayne County.
The true X-factors for Medina’s rapid turnaround, however, have the rapid improvements of senior Hunter Churchman, junior Avery Borak and freshman Colin McClowry.
Each one has stepped up at a different time. Borak shot 75 and 74 at the final two GCC Tournaments, while Churchman (74) and McClowry (80) crushed their career lows last week at the Pine Hills District.
While no one is boldly guaranteeing a state title, the Bees know they wouldn’t be in this position without the bottom of the lineup.
“Everyone is playing good,” Grabowski said. “It helps when, including Colin, you have five guys who are just playing solid golf through districts.”
Medina’s path to history is going to be tough, as OSU’s hilly, bunker-filled Scarlet Course is notoriously difficult and often separates the men from the boys. Columbus-area power Dublin Jerome and mega-sized private schools St. Xavier and St. Ignatius are considered the favorites, and the first day will be critical since the Bees will be playing with fellow district winners Jerome and Sylvania Northview.
That doesn’t mean Medina is content with just being there, as the Bees believe matching their Medina County record of fifth place (2010, 2012) is a realistic goal.
Being arguably the hottest team in the state has its perks.
“I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going to win it,” Miller said. “Our expectation is we want to compete. We’d like to at least be in the top half and, if we played like we did at districts, maybe we’ll be in the hunt.”
Highland star Madison Butler is taking a similar approach, as her medalist-tying 73 last week is tied for the lowest district score among all 72 state participants.
The junior has been one of the most consistent Northeast Ohio players, boy or girl, all season, though she won’t have her teammates at her side for her third state appearance as the Hornets failed to advance out of the Legends of Massillon District.
As such, she will play the Gray Course with fellow individual qualifiers Sylvania Northview’s Ashley Knight and Leyton Cincinnati Ursuline Academy’s Leyton Brumfield.
Like the Medina boys, the mature-beyond-her-years Butler isn’t zeroed in on an extravagant goal, even though All-Ohio status appears to be a wide-open race.
“I’m really excited,” said Butler, who finished seven strokes shy of All-Ohio honors last fall. “It’s supposed to be nice weather and I’ve played the course many times, so I’m not putting any expectations of, ‘Oh, I need to this,’ because I want to have fun. I made it there and I don’t want to feel any pressure.
“Definitely short game has to be on point. With girls playing longer yardage than we have all year, if you don’t hit the ball as far, you definitely have to have a good short game in case you miss a green. That’s the thing you have to do to not take any big numbers.”