NORWALK — It’s been a good couple of days for the Lexington golf program.
A day after the girls team qualified for next week’s Division II state tournament, the Minutemen punched their ticket to the Division I district for a second straight season with a second-place sectional finish at Eagle Creek Golf Club.
Lex shot a team total of 302, one shot behind champion Bowling Green and 16 strokes better than last year’s sectional showing. The Minutemen finished third last year.
“It’s exciting,” Lexington coach Ryan Zahn said. “We were really happy to see the girls make it to state. They have a great team.”
The boys aren’t bad, either.
Spencer Stierhoff led the charge with a 2 over 73 on the 6,633 yard layout, 13 strokes better than his finish last year. Charles Mikelait came in with a 3 over 74, a nine-shot improvement from a year ago.
“To have a couple of guys come in under 75 is outstanding,” Zahn said. “Last year our top guys were in the 76 or 77 range. We played very well.”
Kaleb Smith had a 77, while Joey Zahn finished at 78. Tommy Barkett shot an 85 but his score was dropped.
“The guys have a comfort level with the course,” Zahn said. “They played well here last year and we came up Sunday for a practice round. They had a plan for how to play certain holes and they executed that plan.”
Next up for the Minutemen is the district tournament Oct. 9 at Red Hawk Run Golf Course in Findlay. Only the top two teams and top two individuals advance to the state tournament.
“The guys are familiar with the course, having played in the district last year,” Zahn said. “Some of them have played in junior tournaments there. We will go up Sunday and play a practice round.”
Best of the Rest: Madison and Mansfield Senior both were in action Tuesday at Eagle Creek. The Rams shot a 357 while the Tygers carded a 457. Austin Hallabrin led Madison with an 86. Dylan Dudley topped Senior High with a 91.
