RISING SUN, SERIO AND WALLACE CLAIM COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Kilgore surprised even himself with his second-place finish, with his round of 77 acting not only as one of the top scores of the day, but a personal competitive best for him. And he did it all on a tough course with even tougher elements to fight through.

“The course really was playing tough today with the wind and the cold,” Kilgore said. “The ball wasn’t traveling as far. … I was trying to come out here and shoot a 3-under bogie score, so an 85-88.”

“Lucas put everything together today,” Kerns said of his freshman. “He really played his game. He’s shown flashes throughout the season and it all came together today. … This was not the easiest layout, especially in the weather conditions, so he played very, very well. There’s a lot to look forward to with him.”

Cementing a firstplace finish in the women’s bracket – and clocking in at sixth-place overall – was Tome junior Karina Serio, who shot an 88 (+17), despite feeling under the weather and still having to deal with the high, frosty winds.

“It was miserable (out there), but you just have to stay in the moment,” Serio said. “I think when it comes to any tournament, I just want to make myself proud. So, stay in the moment, make a good shot, something you can go to sleep knowing that you did your best.”

Serio said that while she didn’t hit the score she’d hoped to, she was especially proud of her putting, an aspect of her game she strove to improve upon.

“Usually, my putting is really bad and my biggest weakness,” she said. “Last night, my dad and I went to the golf course and that's all we did was putt, putt, putt, putt, and that’s what matters.”

As a team, Tome placed fifth with a five-player total of 576 as Serio was the only sub-.500 score, with Spencer Cain (104, +33), Will Shocky (119, +48), Nick Hocker (128, +57) and Cavender McCoy (137, +66) following behind her.

However, the star of the show – and the player that’s helped to revitalize golf in Cecil County – was Wallace, weathering the winds and coming out on top with one of his best performances of the season, shooting a 69 (-2) just a few weeks out from his District VII Championship win at Geneva Farms on Sept. 20.

Wallace’s masterclass was on display as early as hole No. 5, when he hit a 290-yard drive on a short par 4, then hit an eight-foot putt to make eagle, setting the tone for the rest of the round.

A few holes later, on No. 8, he birdied on a par 3 to get him to 2-under in a moment he deemed “pretty big” for his eventual 2-under finish.

While the course inevitably tried to trip him up by trapping him in a handful of bunkers, Wallace managed to escape most of the time, going 3-of-4 on sand saves as his short game continued to be superb.

“He's got the composure, he's got the skill set. I mean, he's just a machine out there,” said Seth Grimes, the Indians’ head coach, of his junior. “Nothing will faze him, nothing will throw him off of his game.” continued on D-3

Down the stretch, he missed a couple of crucial putts on holes No. 16 and 17, taking his score from 4-under to 2-under, but he redeemed himself on the final two holes, finishing the round strong to take home the victory.

The Indians finished in second place as a team, earning a six-player total score of 583, a nearly 50-stroke improvement from last season’s county championships.

Behind Wallace, Wyatt Cudmore (89, +18) and Brandon Kristovich (91, +20) both had sub100 rounds, while Addison Groce (102, +31), Zac Conger (112, +41), Bryson Keithley (120, +49) and Logan Richardson (134, +63) rounded out the Indians’ scores.

“Some people came in and had some great scores for themselves, a couple didn't play the way they wanted. But as a team, we improved again,” Grimes said. “That’s the best finish we've had in a long time in the county, being second place. … Noah did what he wanted to do and it just shows that we've grown.”

Taking third place on the day was the Perryville Panthers with a total of 590, with Andrew Kidd’s score of 84 (+13) being good enough for fourth place overall, followed by Owen Kilduff (93, +22), Jared Eldreth (98, +27), Lucas Umbarger (102, +31), Michael Phillips (104, +33), Julien Howes (109, +38), Hayden Kenney (110, +39) and Aiden Zimmerman (116, +45). The Bo Manor Eagles were fourth as a team, shooting a 598, just eight strokes lower than Perryville. Topping the Eagles was Braden Paris (95, +24), Colin O’Neal (99, +28), Noah Ruleau (99, +28), Brody Means (100, +29), Jake Vaughn (107, +36) and Bryce McCoy (130, +59).

In last place was the Elkton Golden Elks with a five-player total of 627 behind the performances of Simone Foye (115, +44), Makhi Harkins (115, +44), Carly Esterling (124, +53), Juliette Suter (131, +60) and Isabella Morton (142, +71).

Next up, Wallace and Hogue will take the trip to College Park, where they’ll represent Cecil County at the MPSSAA 1A/2A Golf State Championships on Tuesday and Wednesday, where Wallace will attempt to defend his 2021 crown and Hogue hopes to end his senior season with a bang.

“I'm happy for him to be a part of this journey, just to watch him play and say he's part of our program is a great thing,” said Grimes when asked about Wallace.

“I think he's great for Cecil County, it just brings some more light to the scene. It's awesome to see Tyler (Hogue) this year, in his senior year, get down there, too, so now we're representing with a couple of players down there.”