Warren Central qualifies for Class 6A golf tournament

Published 9:44 pm Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Warren Central didn’t have its best day on the golf course, but it had a good enough one.

Hartley Sullivan shot a 75 to finish second in the individual standings, and the Vikings just nudged under the cutoff to qualify for the MHSAA Class 6A boys’ state tournament at the Region 6-6A tournament Tuesday at Clear Creek Golf Course.

Warren Central finished with a team score of 353, good for second place and seven strokes under the state tournament qualifying standard of 360.

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The Class 6A state tournament is May 2 and 3 at Shell Landing Golf Club in Pascagoula.

“I checked the nine-hole score when they made the turn and we needed to play better. The boys responded and kept finding a way,” Warren Central coach Matt Williams said.

Brandon shot 322 to easily win the Region 6-6A team championship. It also had the medalist, with Landon Germany’s round of 72, and six of the top nine individual scores in the 24-player field.

The top four golfers from each team contribute to the team total. All six of Brandon’s golfers shot 86 or better. Sullivan, Northwest Rankin’s Matthew Barone and Pearl’s Noah Webb were the only other golfers at that mark or better.

Germany finished with two birdies to squeeze past Sullivan after the two went to the 17th tee tied.
Barone shot 77 to finish third, and Webb tied for ninth with an 86.

Warren Central’s next three golfers after Sullivan were Jessie Hallberg (91), Jackson Lafferty (93) and Lane Gordon (94). Evan Farrell shot 102.

The Vikings did win a competitive race for second, finishing just ahead of Northwest Rankin’s total of 355 and Pearl’s total of 357. All four Region 6-6A teams qualified for the state tournament.

“It was not our best day scoring-wise compared to the season. I think we were pressing too much because a trip to state was on the line,” Williams said. “But they were able to find a way to get us in state and that’s a huge accomplishment. Last year we weren’t even close to 360, and not to do it, it’s a great accomplishment for these boys.”

In the girls’ tournament, Northwest Rankin’s Callie Mobley shot a 76 to beat Pearl’s Allie Myers by one stroke and lead the Cougars to the team championship as well.

Northwest Rankin shot 162 — the top two from each team comprise its total in girls’ golf — and Pearl was second at 185. Northwest Rankin had four of the top five scores in the 15-player field, including third-place finisher Caymen Bunting.

Brandon totaled 196 as a team to finish third. Northwest Rankin, Pearl and Brandon all qualified for the Class 6A state tournament April 25 and 26 at Sunkist Golf Club in Biloxi,

Frances Thames was Warren Central’s top player, shooting a 105 to finish ninth. Kathryn Wong (119), Mary Makenna Wooten (120) and Addi Keller (121) rounded out the roster. The Lady Vikes finished fourth out of four teams, with a score of 224, and missed the state qualifying standard of 215 by nine strokes.

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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