The Lord Botetourt golfers picked a bad time to have their highest score of the season. LB shot a 319 to finish fourth in the Virginia High School League Class 3 state tournament in Williamsburg last week.
The Cavaliers went to Williamsburg with hopes of a state championship. They shot a practice round at the Williamsburg National Country Club course on Monday, October 14, and felt like they were ready to contend, but it wasn’t to be.
“The course wasn’t set up that hard, but it was a course where you could get in trouble,” said LB coach Todd Smith. “Everyone started off a little slow, I don’t know if it was nerves or what. We picked it up in the middle, but then it was bad news at the end.”
Independence High School shot a 294 to win the state championship. Abingdon, who LB had defeated in the Region 3C tournament, was second with 307 and Western Albemarle took third with 315.
“We had to play our best, and even then I don’t know that we would have beaten Independence,” said Smith.
Nick Rakes of Rustburg and Will Watson of Abingdon tied for low score with 70. Both golfers shot 35 on both the front and back nine, then Rakes won a playoff to take the individual state championship on the par 72 course.
Sophomore Samir Davidov and senior Kyle Lograsso tied for had LB’s best score with 79. Samir shot 37 and 42 and Kyle carded 38 and 41.
Kaitlyn Mosdell was next for LB with 41 and 39 for 80, while freshman Ashton Harper had 40 and 41 for 81. Jake Koffman had a 91 and Logan Hollandsworth shot 92.
LB will graduate just two golfers, Lograsso and Hollandsworth, so the Cavaliers should be strong again next year with four of the top six returning.
Mosdell’s high school season is not over. She’ll play in the girls’ state championship on Monday, October 28, at Heritage Oaks in Harrisonburg. That will include over 60 girls from all VHSL classifications.