High school golf: Highland wins easily at Medina County Tournament

HINCKLEY TWP. — The Highland boys golf team swept the top four scores Thursday to walk away the winner of the Medina County Tournament. Senior Drew Mamer took medalist honors with an 8-over-par 79 on a day in which gusty winds, wet conditions and tough pin placements tucked away on some sloped greens made conditions difficult at Pine Hills Golf Club. Behind Mamer were juniors Luke Butcher (81) and Zach Butcher (82) and senior Nathan Sprutte (83). Mamer is the third player to lead the balanced Hornets in scoring in as many days. "Three of us (Mamer, Sprutte and senior Ryan Przybysz) have been playing together since we were freshmen, which is cool," Mamer said. "As a team, we know we can always trust each other. If one of us is having a bad day, the other four will push through and help us out. "Today was a little bit different, but we ended up alright and pulled through." Brunswick, which shares Pine Hills as its home course with Highland, finished second with a 350. The Blue Devils were led by Dayten Bobula's 85, which tied Wadsworth's Landon Blizzard and Przybysz for fifth individually. The Grizzlies finished third with a 363. Buckeye, which was led with a 96 from sophomore Luca Violi, rounded out the scoring with a 418. Mamer had a strong day with his putter and also had great moments striking the ball. On the 483-yard, par-5 No. 15 hole, Mamer ripped his second shot onto the green and into the group in front of him, then narrowly missed his eagle putt before picking up the birdie. The Hornets are looking for the first Suburban League American Conference championship for the senior class and are off to a good start with a win a little more than a week ago. Highland will look to duplicate that performance next Wednesday at the second SL Tournament at Pleasant Valley Golf Course. "I think our team will be pretty good all year, and we'll keep doing what we're doing," Mamer said. "We all have some ups and downs, but I hope we end up doing alright." Bobula hit 10 fairways with his driver, which left him in good positions to go after greens despite the difficult conditions. He closed his round by saving par after being just off the green after his second shot with a chip and one-putt, navigating a difficult pin placement near the back right corner that gave many players a difficult time. "The course was playing really tough today," Bobula said. "The pin placements were tough and the wind played a factor, but I feel like I played pretty well considering the circumstances. I, obviously, left a few shots out there I could have had back." Led by Blizzard, the Grizzlies' only returning starter, Wadsworth shaved 12 strokes off its SL Tournament score at Pine Hills. For Blizzard, Pine Hills proved to be a tough challenge once again, but he mixed in some good moments in an up-and-down round. He birdied the 394-yard, 10th with a 10-foot putt, and his birdie chip from the back-right corner of the green on the 405-yard second rattled the flagstick before making par. Blizzard's 85 was one stroke better than the first SL Tournament. "I had a lot more confidence going into today and wanted redemption for not doing well on this course last week," Blizzard said. "It's hard to see myself shooting 75 or 76 consistently through the summer and I haven't played this course. I tried to finish strong and do the best I could do for my team." In his first time playing Pine Hills, Violi turned his round around after the turn after shooting 51 on the front nine. He was on pace to improve by 10 strokes until he struggled with the final hole. "The first nine wasn't my greatest, but I improved on the back," Violi said. "A lot of the holes, didn't know what to hit off the tee and figuring out the greens and the breaks was a struggle, but I got used to it by the end." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Result at par-72 Pine Hills G.C. Standings: 1. Highland 325, 2. Brunswick 350, 3. Wadsworth 363, 4. Buckeye 418. Highland (325): Drew Mamer 79, Luke Butcher 81, Zach Butcher 82, Nathan Sprutte 83, Ryan Przybysz 85, Austin Valore 88. Brunswick (350): Dayten Bobula 85, Cayden de Wever 87, Ethan Kovacs 87, Jonas Hinderer 91, Eric Carbone 96, Mike Makara 105. Wadsworth (363): Landon Blizzard 85, Michael Fahey 90, Jacob Schmeltzer 92, Ethan Dolgowicz 96, Cam Croley 97, Ethank Kuzmik 102. Buckeye (418): Luca Violi 96, Nathan Heineman 101, Grace Palermo 108, Andy Kost 113, Noah Czyrba 124, Matt Csach 126.