Galion boys qualify for state for third consecutive season
FINDLAY — The boys golf team representing Galion High School headed to Findlay on Thursday to compete in the Division II, Northwest District Championships held at Sycamore Springs Golf Course.
In a field chock full of talent, the Galion Tigers would fire a team score of 336 to win the district title, thus punching their ticket to the state tournament for the third consecutive season. The squad from Genoa also shot a 336 on the day in Findlay but would finish as the runner-ups thanks to “drop scores”.
Both Galion and Genoa will be on hand at the state tourney next Friday and Saturday at the NorthStar Golf Club in Sunbury and will be joined by individuals qualifiers: Brett Montgomery of Upper Sandusky and Case Hartman of Bryan.
Montgomery finished as the field medalist, turning in a front-nine score of 38 and a 37 on the back-nine to lead the field with a 75. Hartman tied for runner-up honors with Britton Hall of Bath but would advance to the state tourney by winning a playoff hole. Both Hartman (40, 37) and Hall (39, 38) carded scores of 77 on the day.
Galion was led by Spencer Keller on Thursday. Keller shot a 43 on the front but would bounce back with a 38 on the back to card an 81 to tie for seventh in the field. Matthew McMullen turned in a 42 and a 41 to total an 83 and a tie for 12th overall. Nick McMullen (43, 43) and Max Longwell (43, 43) tied each other for 17th with an 86. The most important score would turn out to be that of Bronson Dalenberg. Dalenberg finished tied for 34th in the field, shooting a 93 (50, 43) but would be the determining factor in the Tigers’ title over Genoa. Brock Pollauf (52, 43) of Genoa shot a 95, two strokes behind Dalenberg which led to Galion winning on the default scoring pattern.
Elli Chandler and Katie Baughn keep seasons, careers alive
SHELBY — While the boys golf team headed to Findlay attempting to punch their ticket to the state tournament, the Galion Lady Tigers tennis team traveled to Shelby to compete in sectionals play.
When all was said and done at the home of the Whippets, the senior tandem of Elli Chandler and Katie Baughn would prevail as the only members of the Galion squad to continue their respective season.
Entering the day, Chandler and Baughn were seeded third in the field and received a first-round bye. In second-round play, the Tigers’ duo defeated their opponents from Edison; 6-2, 6-2. Round three saw Chandler and Baughn paired up against a tandem from Bucyrus, which the seniors defeated in a difficult match; 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. In winning their third-round matchup, Chandler and Baughn move on to face a team from Willard on Saturday in the semi-finals, which also serves as a seeding-match moving forward to districts competition.
Senior Katherine Talbott opened up her day against a Willard opponent and cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory. However, Talbott would see her high school career come to an end as she was defeated in the second-round by her Ontario opponent; 6-3, 2-6, 2-6. In other singles action, sophomore Emma Maguire fell to a Clear Fork player in round one; 4-6, 4-6. Lydia McCabe, also a sophomore, dropped her opening-round match to a member of the Lady Whippets; 2-6, 2-6.
Another senior duo, Anna Court and Orchid Parsons, would also see their careers at Galion High School come to an end as they were eliminated in the first-round, falling to a duo from the Clear Fork Lady Colts; 4-6, 4-6.
