Golf starts before the other Ohio high school fall sports – on July 29 this year – so it is almost time for the OHSAA postseason.
League champions and Players of the Year already have been determined in OCC boys golf, and several teams have high hopes for postseason play, which begins Sept. 22 with sectionals in divisions II and III and Sept. 28 in Division I.
Here are five storylines so far this season in central Ohio boys golf:
Worthington Kilbourne thinking big after latest OCC title
Winners of five consecutive OCC-Capital titles and six OCC championships in seven years, Kilbourne’s goal is a trip to the Division I state tournament.
The Wolves secured their latest league title by finishing first (299) in the fourth and final OCC-Capital tournament Sept. 9 at Darby Creek, ahead of runner-up Big Walnut
(309).
Kilbourne went 23-1 in league play, finishing ahead of Big Walnut (21-3) and Westerville North (16-8).
“It’s having the right players,” Kilbourne coach Gavin Meeks said of his program’s sustained success. “When these seniors were freshmen and sophomores, they’d come back from a match and they would want to go back out and play a few more holes. Even if we won, they didn’t care, they wanted to go play. They’re just golf course rats because they’re dedicated and they put all the time and the work in. I give all the credit to them. They’re fantastic.”
North senior Clark McGeorge, a Tennessee Tech commit, earned OCC-Capital Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, finishing with a 70.25 average over the four rounds. He also was first-team all-league for the fourth season in a row.
McGeorge was medalist (68) at Darby Creek, ahead of Kilbourne’s Gavin Troiano (73). Big Walnut’s Anthony Castiglione and Kilbourne’s Mac Ferguson tied for third (74).
Kilbourne is seeded third for Division I postseason play, behind defending state champion Dublin Jerome and 2025 state runner-up St. Charles. The Wolves are seeking their first state berth as a team since 2000 and third overall (1995).
“We have to get over the hump this year,” Meeks said. “The obvious goal is we want to get to the state tournament.”
The top three teams and top three individuals not on qualifying teams at district Oct. 6 at Apple Valley advance to state Oct. 12 and 13 at NCR Country Club in Kettering.
Humphreys brothers spark Upper Arlington
In their only season together at UA, senior Rocco Humphreys and freshman Max Humphreys helped the Golden Bears go 20-0 in the OCC-Central for their second consecutive league title.
Rocco Humphreys earned Player of the Years honors with a 71.25 average over the four-round league tournament. Max Humphreys, UA’s Beckett Dodge and Olentangy Liberty’s Mitchell Corbin tied for second (74.75).
UA finished first (295) in the final round Sept. 9 at Turnberry, ahead of Liberty (296) and Dublin Coffman (299), which tied for second (14-6) in the team standings.
“I feel like we have the toughest [OCC] division top to bottom, so for us to get to play that competition four times during the season puts them in a good frame of mind,” UA coach Troy Arbaugh said.
New Albany flourishing under new coaches
The Eagles continued their dominance of the OCC-Ohio in their first season under coaches Kyle Mitchell and Carson Stone, who are also sharing duties for the girls program.
New Albany earned its fifth consecutive OCC title (19-1), finishing ahead of Pickerington North (16-4) and Grove City (13-7).
The Eagles closed their title quest by finishing first (284) in the final league event Sept. 9 at Darby Creek. Sophomore Elijah Hall-Blomberg earned medalist honors (67) to secure league Player of the Year honors (70.75 average).
“We got off to a slow start,” Mitchell said. “We have a very talented, young group. It’s cool to finally see them click. [Sept. 9] was the best round we had all year. ... I’m really proud with how the guys have battled the past few rounds. We’re really finding our stride, which is cool to see.”
Olentangy Liberty ready for postseason
Liberty coach Ryan Snivley feels the same way about the OCC-Central as UA’s coach – it gets his team ready for the postseason.
Although the Patriots finished one shot behind first-place UA in the final OCC-Central tournament, junior William Qiao earned medalist honors for Liberty with a 70.
“Our schedule puts us on some of the toughest and best golf courses in Ohio against the best competition,” Snivley said. “Our guys realize that and enjoy the challenge, and we reflect after each round, ‘How can we get better? What can we do differently?’ Our biggest focus is course management and making sure we avoid areas of the course that will result in big numbers.
“This is a very enjoyable team to be around, and our goals are to make it to the district tournament and put together a great round at Apple Valley, which they are capable of doing.”
Bexley eyes Central Buckeye League title
Bexley will try to capture the CBL title when the final round of the league tournament is played Sept. 15 at Darby Creek.
The Lions finished first (316) in the opening round Aug. 3 at Denison Golf Club, ahead of Columbus Academy (332). The Aug. 11 second round was canceled because of bad weather.
For Bexley, seniors Christian Avoli (74 average) and Quinn Simons (77.4) and freshman Hendrix Kauffman (80.7) have led the way. Avoli and Simons each shot 77 at the first CBL event to share medalist honors.
“We have a great group of seniors who have provided strong leadership, and Hendrix has stepped in as a freshman and made an immediate impact,” coach Will Gingery said. “We’ve been consistent throughout the season and have shown that when we’re playing well, we can compete with some of the best teams in central Ohio.”
For Academy, freshman Arjun Kumar finished third (78) in the first CBL event. Senior Gavin Snook and sophomore Kevin Klingerman have been other key contributors.
“We’ve been a little bit up and down,” coach Craig Yakscoe said. “We’re trying to find ourselves and who we are as a team.”
High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 storylines in central Ohio boys golf as OHSAA postseason approaches
