The Rebels had to finish their first round on the second day and finished with a 10-under par 278. Four hours later, they came back and burned up the Ridge Course with 15-under par 273 for their 32-stroke win.
Junior Gus Darnall was Vestavia Hills’ low man, earning runner-up with an 8-under par 136 (69-67). Thomas Crane of UMS-Wright finished 67-68-135 to take low medalist honors at 9-under par. “I think that’s the best I shot all year,” Darnall says. “I made a lot of putts, and I hit a lot of wedges close.”
Vestavia Hills teammates Andrew Davis, a sophomore, and Clarke Brown, a junior, finished tied for third with with 7-under 137 totals. Senior Michael Dillon was seventh with a 3-under 141, and freshman Seve Winebrenner was 16th with 6-over 150.
“I was very excited that we won,” Darnall says. “The team played well. We had a young team with only one senior, so we could win it again next year.”
Vestavia Hills coach Todd Evans attributed some of the Rebels’ success to a visit to Morningside of Vestavia Hills, a senior living facility, a week before the state tournament. “They saw that golf is not the most important thing in life,” Evans says. “It gave them a fresh perspective, so they stayed calm on the golf course and went out and executed.”
