MOUNT VERNON — This time of year, it is not always about winning or losing. Sometimes, it is about survival.
The Mount Vernon High School golf team had an off day on Wednesday, but still managed to survive at the Division I Central District Sectional at Darby Creek Golf Course. The Yellow Jackets finished third, good enough to advance to the Division I District Tournament next week at Apple Valley Golf Course.
Dublin Coffman has the top score on the day, shooting a 298. Bishop Watterson took second with a 301; Mount Vernon finished third at 317; and Pickerington Central qualified fourth with a 318.
“Today was basically about survive and advance,” said Mount Vernon coach Mike Fuller. “It was a little scary at the turn. Our whole team was struggling. Obviously, we’ve got some experienced guys and they knew they had to play well on the back. We really settled in and did a great job on the back.”
Charlie Phillips led the Jackets with a 76 on the day. Matt Crouch, who struggle on the front nine, rebounded on the back to finish at 78. T.T. Crouch, who has been the medalist at several tournaments recently, struggled to find his stroke and finished with an 80. Mount Vernon got two solid rounds out of its four and five men. Brody Harwell and Alex Ashbrook each shot an 83 on the day.
“Matt Crouch had a good round for us today, and Charlie was solid,” said Fuller. “T.T. struggled a little today, and sometimes that is going to happen. That’s why our other guys have to step up.
“Both of our other guys were struggling a little. Brody turned with a 45 and was 9-over at that point, but finished at 11-over. He had a strong back nine. Both he and Alex battled and battled hard. Coming in, we knew we needed an 83 or better from one of them, and we got it.”
Fuller wasn’t quite positive what caused his squad to have an off day, but he is hoping they can use it to their advantage.
“I don’t know exactly what was going on, but I think they were thinking about shooting a score today instead of just going out and playing like we normally do. We were the third seed in the district so maybe they felt like they had to live up to that. It is not that important. What’s important is that we made it to districts.
“I’m hoping this was a little humbling, maybe an eye-opener. We can play well, but we have to do it each time out. I’m not worried. We have the ability to put up scores good enough to advance.”
Advancing to the district at Apple Valley should provide the Jackets with somewhat of an advantage. In addition to playing an Ohio Capital Conference match there early in the season, the team has grown up playing the course.
“I think this is going to be to our advantage for a little bit,” said Fuller. “We don’t have to travel very far this time. Most of the time we are the ones traveling the farthest, so we should get a little more rest. All of our kids are members at Apple. They know the course very well. I think it is going to be a good thing for them. Hopefully, they will have a lot of confidence.”
Mount Vernon has one regular-season tournament this weekend. It will play in the Panther-Golden Bear Invitational on Saturday.