GALION — Jack McElligott and his Galion teammates were good in 2017.
They could be great in 2018.
Led by McElligott, the All-Richland Source Boys Golfer of the Year, the Tigers placed sixth as a team at the Division II state tournament at NorthStar Golf Club last month. Galion shot a two-day team total of 658 and was one of just four teams in the 12-team field to improve on its first-round score.
A junior, McElligott shot matching 76s for a two-day total of 152. He finished 11th.
“To have Jack shoot 76 again was really important,” Lehman said after the closing round. “He was steady for us.”
The Tigers had just one senior among the top five. Galion could make another run at the state tournament next fall.
“We only have one senior in our top five, so we’ll get all of them back except Mitch (Dyer),” Lehman said. “It has been a crazy ride, but we had a lot of fun.”
Max Watson, Ashland: A junior, Watson is the most recent in a long line of great Ashland golfers. He tied for 17th at the Division I state tournament with a two-day total of 156 on Ohio State’s Scarlet Course. An Ohio Cardinal Conference first-team pick, Watson was fifth at the Mohawk sectional with an 80 and tied for second with a 75 at the Red Hawk Run district tournament.
Marc Wilkins Jr., Ontario: The senior and son of former big league pitcher Mark Wilkins was a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference first-team selection. Wilkins Jr. led the Warriors to a sectional championship at Country Acres, finishing fifth with an 80. He tied for 10th at the Red Hawk Run district with an 81.
River Wiseman, Madison: A senior, Wiseman was selected to the Ohio Cardinal Conference first team. He tied for 30th at the Division I Mohawk sectional, shooting a 91.
Nick Stehle, Lexington: The junior was an Ohio Cardinal Conference second-team selection but turned it up in the postseason. Steele shot an 85 at the Division I Mohawk sectional, tying for 18th place and earning a trip to the district tournament. He carded an 83 at Red Hawk run, good for tie for 14th.
