The Perrysburg High School Girls Golf team travelled to the District Championship last week at Stone Ridge Golf Course to compete for the opportunity to go to state. The top two teams and the top two individuals on a non-qualifying team make the trip to Columbus for the state championship. The Jackets finished 5th out of the 10 teams competing with a team score of 380. Team captain, Sydney Deal, fired a low score of 73 for the day, won the tournament and punched her ticket to the OHSAA State Golf Championship.
"I was a little nervous to start because I had this goal in mind since the beginning of the season," said Deal. "Once I started, though, I relaxed and I really felt good during the day. It feels great to go back to state."
Sydney was one of two golfers who shot in the 70's on the day. Ashland's Klaira Paramore also qualified to state with a 75.
This will be Sydney's second trip to state and the experience she had last year will certainly be an asset in this year's competition. "I think I will be more relaxed this year and I won't be as hard on myself. I learned a lot last year and it can only help me in this year's tournament.
In the team competition, St. Ursula and Notre Dame will be representing the Northwest District after surviving a scare from a young Yellow Jacket team who was in second place overall after all teams completed the first nine holes.
"The wind conditions were pretty rough," said Varsity Coach Rick Rettig. "We practiced keeping the ball under the wind throughout the season and I think that really helped us compared to the other teams. The whole team we brought today are sophomores and most only have a little more than a full year of experience. As we mature as a team I think we'll do a better job of playing with the lead. The fact that the winds let up after we were in the clubhouse and the other teams had better scoring conditions was a factor in the final result, but I was very proud of how our young team fought today and didn't let the tournament intimidate them. We got what we were looking for in the tournament."
The Scarlet and Gray Course is the host of the Division I Boys and Girls State Championship. The tournament runs October 22nd-23rd.