The Lord Botetourt and James River golfers finished seventh and eighth among 13 teams at the Botetourt Metro Golf Tournament on Tuesday of last week. Jefferson Forest edged Salem, 304 to 305, to claim the championships at the Botetourt Golf & Swim Club.
After JF and Salem, Patrick Henry finished third with 316 while Blacksburg came in fourth at 317. Franklin County was fifth with 324, Northside carded 330, Lord Botetourt had 332 and James River was eighth with a 338. Next was William Byrd at 341, followed by Hidden Valley with a 347, Glenvar at 358 and Cave Spring was 12th at 387. William Fleming had three competitors but did not have a full team. Nick Crawford of Northside was medalist with an even par 71.
Lefty Ashton Harper led Lord Botetourt with a score of 74, good for third overall. Xavier Shelton had the next best score for LB with an 80; also scoring were Hunter Duncan with 89 and Cadyn Bowles at 90.
“We’re showing improvement,” said LB coach Todd Smith, who lost most of his starters from last year’s team. “We’re trying to get better as the season goes along and play our best at the end of the season.”
For River, Ryan Steger, Dylan Hicks and Sam Bell all shot 81 in a balanced Knight attack. Dakota Thomas shot 95 for the fourth counting score.
“We finished just eight strokes behind LB,” said River coach Donna Cox. “It was a great day for River golf.”
Lord Botetourt played the first Blue Ridge District match last Thursday at Copper Cove, hosted by Franklin County. The host Eagles shot 308 to win the round and LB was second at 320. William Byrd was third with a 329, followed by Northside at 339 and Staunton River at 440.William Fleming had just one player.
Individually, LB’s Harper was the medalist with a two-under-par 69. Michael Pankey of Northside was second at 75 and Sam Fansler of Franklin County was third at 76.
“That’s what we expect out of Ashton,” said Smith. “It’s not a surprise when he shoots two under, he’s a really good golfer.”
Botetourt’s next best was an 81 by Shelton. Also scoring were Duncan at 83 and Bowles carded an 87, one stroke better than teammate Tyler Meade. Kasey Davis also played and shot 91.
The Cavaliers were scheduled to return to the links on Tuesday at Ole Monterey in a match hosted by Fleming. Next Tuesday, August 23, LB will host the match at the Botetourt Golf & Swim Club.