The 2019 TCHS Silver Knight Golf Team consists of Jesse Griffith, Mason Nichols, Landen Miller, Ezra Reed, Coach Joe Griffith, Anna Griffith, Isaac Melvin, Jackson Kibbey, Gavin Morris and Coach David Tucker.

The Silver Knights Golf Team wound up their regular season matches last week with the LKC Tournament and their final home match, while the middle school team traveled to St. Clairsville for their penultimate match of the season.

Mingo Bottom Golf Course was the site of the 2019 LKC Golf Tournament on Monday, September 23, with 12 teams participating. The Knights finished eighth among the field of golf teams on a nicely cool and breezy day after some light rain in the morning.

Williamstown took the championship, with a team score of 336, followed closely by St. Marys with 340. The rest of the team scores were: Ritchie – 357; Roane – 365; Webster – 382; Ravenswood – 396; Calhoun – 411; Tyler – 423; Gilmer – 432; Braxton – 437; Wirt – 439; and Parkersburg Catholic with only three players.

For TCHS, freshman Mason Nichols carded the low score with his round of 47/46=93. Fellow freshman Landen Miller followed with 47/48=95. Junior Isaac Melvin had 59/57=116; senior Anna Griffith had 64/55=119; and junior Jackson Kibbey had 66/66=122. Three golfers tied for medalist with rounds of 79, including Brandon Lawhon of St. Marys, Gavin Fox of Ravenswood, and Rigel Wilson of Webster.

“Mingo Bottom has a lot of different looks for golfers,” commented TCHS Coach Joe Griffith. “The fairways are not what one might call plush, but the greens have been in good condition this summer.

“There are some rolling hills, along with water and high grass areas, both of which can spell trouble for shots that go astray. It’s a good challenge for high school golfers.”

Nichols looked back at his LKC performance: “I am pleased with the way that I am hitting the ball. I am trying to finish the season strong.”

Anna Griffith reflected on her final LKC competition: “The match was good. I had a fun group and the weather was nice. I started out doing well in my round, but Mingo has a lot of places to get into trouble, and I found more trouble than I wanted.”

“The weather was cool, and that helped,” said Coach Griffith.

“We had umbrellas up for a bit mid-morning, but the rest of the day was nicely cool and cloudy-quite a difference from the conditions that we have had most of the season. It was a nice change for the players!”

The high school team rounded out their regular season with a home match on Wednesday, September 25. Tyler, Magnolia and Paden City met in their annual Parents’ Night, during which the teams recognize their seniors, and all players and parents join for a meal after the match.

Magnolia took the win on the night, with their round of 179, while the Knights had 194, and Paden City had one player.

Individual scores for TCHS were: Mason Nichols – 45; Isaac Melvin – 49; Landen Miller – 50; Jackson Kibbey – 50; Anna Griffith – 51; and Gavin Morris – 53. Paden City’s Will McGinnis had 51. Magnolia’s Trey Blain, a senior, fired a round of one over par, 35, to finish as medalist.

The Knights honored seven-year player and senior captain, Anna Griffith, along with Gavin Morris, who played for four years from grades six through nine before concentrating on soccer. Gavin did both sports this year, being able to participate in several golf matches.

“Anna has been with the program since we started middle school golf back when she was in 6th grade,” said her coach and father, Joe Griffith. “She has split time between golf and marching band, while Gavin has split time between golf and soccer. They are both wonderful young people and Coach Tucker and I have been blessed to have them as a part of the team for these many years. We will certainly miss them next year!”

“I really enjoyed my last home match,” said Anna. “I had a mostly good game. I had some trouble on a few holes, but I am really glad that I have played golf for the past seven years, and I am considering the possibility of continuing to play in college.”

Morris reflected on his golf days: “I really enjoy golf and I am very glad that this year I was able to play in a few matches, while still concentrating on soccer. I know I will play a lot of golf throughout the rest of my life.”

Jackson Kibbey said that, “Parents’ Night was my last match this year, and I am really going to miss it in the off-season. But I am excited to work on my game and continue to get better. Next season can’t come soon enough!”

Four players went on to compete in the regional tournament this past Monday, again at Mingo Bottom. They included Mason Nichols, Landen Miller, Isaac Melvin and Anna Griffith. Before the tournament, Miller noted that, “I haven’t been playing as well lately as I know I can, but I hope to change that at the regional tournament.”

Isaac Melvin also looked forward to regionals: “Parents’ Night was a good round for me, and I am hoping that gives me a sense of confidence as we go back to Mingo for regionals. I want to improve my score over what I had there for LKC.”

The past week’s action brought the record for the Knights to 24-48 on the season. Monday’s regional tournament finished out the 2019 season, unless someone was able to qualify for the state tournament on October 8-9 at Oglebay Park’s Jones Course.

The TCMS golf team traveled to Belmont Hills Country Club outside of St. Clairsville, Ohio, on Thursday, September 26, to take on several middle school teams from the Wheeling area.

Final team scores were: Ohio County – 192; St. Clairsville – 205; Tyler – 215; and Linsly – 225.

For the Knights, 8th grader Chandler Ash led the way with a nice round of ten over par, 46. He was followed by 7th graders Luke Deaton and Colby Nichols, who both had 56, while Nate Stollings, 8th grader, had 57. The final three players-all 7th graders-were Trenton Webster with 60; Cooper Clayton with 63; and Cole Moore with 67.

Paden City had one player, Colton Ash, who finished at 72. Medalist for the match was Adam Gill, of Linsly, with a round of 44.

Chandler Ash, who had a great drive to the green on the par-4 Hole #4 to give him a very long putt for an eagle, said that, “For a course I have never played before, I thought I did well!”

Deaton felt that, “Belmont had the toughest greens I have played on all year.” And Webster agreed, saying that, “the greens at Belmont were certainly faster than what I am used to!”

Coach David Tucker remarked that, “The course at Belmont is in great condition. It’s probably the nicest course that we have played this year for either middle or high school.”

The TCMS golfers have one more match to improve upon their record of 2-15. They travel to Wheeling Park Golf Course today to take on Ohio County and Linsly as they round out their season.