Jack Poole, Connor Doyal, head coach Keat Litton, Jack Goldasich and Ben Harris. Not pictured:
Reed Adkins, Nolen Langford, Josh Holland, Draper Tapscott and Christopher Williams.
By Lee Davis
One of Alabama’s perennial powers in high school golf reasserted itself and a potential new one arose at the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 7A and Class 6A championships last week at Huntsville’s Hampton Cove course.
In Class 7A, Spain Park earned its fourth title in five years. The Jaguars’ two-day total of 571 easily claimed the blue first-place trophy by 14 shots over runner-up Fairhope. Vestavia Hills finished fourth at 596, as Rebel freshman Austin Coggin was the low medalist with a two-day 4 under par total of 140.
Spain Park’s Landon Carner – a sophomore – shot rounds of 69 and 72 to lead his team with a 141 total and finished runner-up low medalist. Other top scorers were Luther Thomas and Conley Miller, who carded scores of 142 for the Jags.
“Our guys did a great job of getting ready for this tournament,” Spain Park coach Brian Carter said. “With the three practice rounds we played the days leading up to the tournament, we realized the importance of studying each and every hole on the golf course. We had a great plan going in and our guys really attacked the golf course.”
The school’s strong golf tradition was an incentive for his players, Carter said. “Their goal was to bring the trophy back to Spain Park after losing it (to Mountain Brook) last year,” he said. “I’m so proud of them for achieving our seventh state championship. They now get to put their names into an elite group of great teams that have played here and carry on a legacy of dominant golf.”
Carner overcame a double bogey six on the fourth hole in the second round to shoot his 69. “I had to stay focused,” he said. “After getting a par on five, I birdied six and seven. My confidence was up.” Carner went on to birdie four holes on the back nine.
“It was a blessing to win,” he said. “At Spain Park, we take a lot of pride in golf. We struggled some in our practice rounds, but it all came together after the tournament started.”
In Class 6A, Homewood staged an epic comeback to win their first golf championship. The Patriots rebounded from an eight-shot deficit after the first round to slip by runner-up Spanish Fort 591-593. John Carroll Catholic finished third with a 615 total. The Cavaliers’ John Snoddy fired a second round score of 68 to be his team’s best medalist at 145.
“We were eight shots down, but our kids truly believed they could make up the difference,” Homewood coach Keat Litton said. “We set the tone for the second round from the beginning. Four of our five guys made birdies on the par-5 first hole and the Spanish Fort kids were making bogeys and double-bogeys.”
Jack Goldasich’s 4-under-par effort on the front nine on the way to shooting an even par 72 was another harbinger of the Patriots’ comeback, as was Jack Poole’s birdie on the par-3 16th hole. Ben Harris overcame a 9 on the par-5 eighth hole to shoot three under the rest of the way, including a birdie on the par-4 18th.
Connor Doyle added solid rounds of 73-74 for a total of 144. Doyle was only two shots behind Spanish Fort’s Charles Wood, Class 6A’s low medalist.
In Class 7A girls competition, Hoover’s two-day total of 452 placed it second behind champion Huntsville’s 445 score. Julie Baker was the Lady Bucs’ low medalist at 148.
Spain Park was third with a 469 score. Caroline Waldrop was the low Lady Jag medalist at 152.
