Prep roundup: Dalton boys golf takes second at tournament

Published 11:23 pm Saturday, March 14, 2015

The tin cup isn’t exactly half full for Dalton High School boys golf coach Hunter Johnston.

It’s just that he knows his Catamounts — in spite of their youth — have a lot of potential, and he wants them to reach it as much as possible.

Led by junior Allen Behr’s par round of 71, the Cats posted a 306 and were runners-up in the team standings Saturday in the LaFayette Invitational at LaFayette Municipal Golf Course. Dalton shared second place with the host Ramblers, with both teams four strokes behind champion Etowah, a Cherokee County school.

The round was one stroke behind the 305 the Cats shot a week earlier in an eighth-place finish at the 21-team Apple Mountain Invitational. That performance matched Dalton’s best round from 2014.

“We were pleased with the 306,” said Johnston, who didn’t know the exact number of teams in Saturday’s tournament but said there were at least a dozen schools. “But I think we’re starting to realize there is a big difference between good teams and great teams, and we’ve got a lot of talent on our team — enough to say we’re a pretty good team. But we’re trying to figure out what it takes to be a great team.

“So we’re pleased with the 306, but in the same breath we’re starting to think about all the shots we left out on the course and trying to figure out what we can do to better manage that so we’ll have a better round.”

Behr’s score was good enough to share runner-up honors individually — an Etowah golfer was the medalist with a 68 — and earn a place on the all-tournament team as a top-10 finisher. Also earning all-tourney honors was Carter Pendley, whose 74 was the second best score by a Dalton golfer. However, because Pendley is an eighth-grader eligible only for junior varsity play under Georgia High School Association rules, it did not count toward the team total.

Dalton has no seniors on its roster and lost just one player to graduation last season.

“We’re a very young team, but these kids play pretty much year-round, and we’ve got a lot of good talent,” Johnston said. “We need to figure out how to jump that hurdle from good to great, and when we do it’s going to be nice to see.”

Dalton’s other counting rounds came from junior Landon Hicks (78), sophomore Davis Kirk (78), sophomore Addison Lambert (79) and freshman Jackson Quarles (79), although only one of the 79s was officially credited in the four-score format. Davis Smith, another freshman, also competed for the Cats, shooting an 80 in challenging conditions.

Recent rains left the course soggy enough that fairway restrictions turned one of the par-4 holes into a par 3 on Saturday.

Although team finishes for other local schools were not available, Christian Heritage, Northwest Whitfield and Southeast Whitfield also competed.

Northwest shot a 329, led by Alex Canady’s 78. Ethan Hayes (80), Tate Higgins (85) and Makray Kyer (86) also had counting rounds for the Bruins.

Christian Heritage carded a 353 in its first tournament of the season, with counting rounds from Hardin Chambless (82), Kyle Stanley (82), Will Hooper (94) and Levi Jolly (95).

Southeast coaches were unable to provide all of their individual counting rounds but said the Raiders were led by Ty Pendley (79) and Matthew Cleary (82).

Baseball

• Christian Heritage 13, Coahulla Creek 1: After back-to-back no-hitters by Christian Heritage pitchers that made little run support necessary, the bats came alive for the Lions (6-2) as they exploded for a 10-run fourth inning that led to a five-inning mercy rule win in the Scenic City Classic at McCallie High School in Chattanooga.

Leadoff hitter Tyson Cooper — who had thrown a no-hitter on Friday — went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, three runs and two RBIs, while Ian Robbins was 3-for-4 and drove in three runs.

“Tyson is really swinging the bat well right now,” Christian Heritage coach Preston Poag said. “He’s a weapon because of how well he runs. And he’s such a good competitor.”

Poag said Sam Sikes had a couple of big hits as well, going 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Darryn Pasqua, who threw a no-hitter this past Monday, added a hit and two RBIs.

Spencer Robbins earned the complete-game win, allowing five hits and no walks while striking out four. The lone run he allowed came in the first when an outfielder’s slip allowed the runner to advance.

“He had four or five walks in his last game,” Poag said. “So I told him to try not to let people get on base for free. That’s the first thing he said to me after the game, was that he didn’t walk anyone.”

Coahulla Creek (2-3) starting pitcher Ethan Cronan took the loss, but left the game in the fourth inning with tightness in his back. Most of the Lions’ damage in the inning happened after he left the game.

Jackson Sheppard had a hit and drove in the Colts’ lone run.

• Coahulla Creek 9, Marion County (Tenn.) 7: Haydn Lock went 3-for-3 with two RBIs to lead Coahulla Creek as it won its first game of the day at the Scenic City Classic.

Zack Glines was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Spencer Hawkins and Ethan Whaley each had a hit and drove in a run.

Hawkins earned the win on the mound, allowing three earned runs in five innings.  

• Ringgold 9, North Murray 3: The Mountaineers (5-3) dropped their Region 6-3A opener on the road.

Lake Burris went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead North Murray, while Blake Davis doubled and drove in a run.

Starting pitcher Cole Vaughn took the loss, allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out four in 4 2/3 innings.

Brady Harper allowed three unearned runs on two hits over the final 1 1/3 innings.

Boys soccer

• Southeast 2, Grissom (Ala.) 0: The Raiders (3-2-1) got back on track with their first win in three tries at the Baylor Invitational in Chattanooga.

Diego Landeros and Alexiz Rodriguez each scored — both goals came in the first half — while Victor Garcia and Christopher Guijon had assists. Cruz Ruiz, who was filling in for starting keeper Ivan Ortiz (broken finger), earned the shutout in goal.