Photo by Brian Hoffman
James River junior Mason Gilliland earned first team all-state honors as the team finished seventh in the Class 2 state tournament last week. River shot a team score of 332 at the Hobbs Hole Golf Course in Tappahannock.
“The day didn’t go exactly like we had planned, but several golfers had a fantastic showing,” said River coach Donna Cox.
Gilliland shot even par 71 to tie for fourth individually with Hunter Crist from Radford, Isaiah Cantrell from Floyd and Noah Mulkey from Graham. That was good for first team all-state honors.
Landon Bolling, another junior, shot three-over 74 and tied for 10th in the state with Landon Hermansky from Poquoson and Dawson Goins from Graham, earning second team all-state honors. The individual champion was Carter Wolfe of Gate City who shot a three-under 68. Rylin Szymanski and Kylar Holland, both of Windsor High, tied for second with 70s.
James River freshman Braden Persinger shot his second best round of the season, carding an 84. Elizabeth Johnson had River’s fourth counting score at 103, while Camden Saunders had a 113 and Trenton Taylor shot 117 on a tough Hobbs Hole course.
Graham High won the team championship with a 297, just one stroke better than Windsor High. Lee was third at 105, Three Rivers champ Floyd shot 308, followed by Randolph-Henry at 326, Strasburg at 327, James River at 332 and Stonewall Jackson at 344. With everyone returning, the Knights plan to move up that list next season.
“We are not losing any of our starting golfers and they are all making plans for next season,” said Cox. “The future is extremely bright for James River golf.”
