Liberty High School's Breakthrough Season Ends at Region 2C Tournament

The Minutemen close a season that included the program's first team regional appearance in many years, while Amherst's Caitlyn Baxter, and E.C. Glass teammates Preston Laughon and Nikko Guanzon prepare for Tuesday's Region 4D Championship.

Liberty High School's breakthrough golf season came to an end Monday at Stoney Creek at Wintergreen, where the Minutemen competed in the VHSL Region 2C tournament after reaching regional competition as a team for the first time in many years.

Liberty finished sixth in the six-team field with a 384, led by Jayce Macaioni's 91 and Cole Caron's 92.

Jax Bomar shot 100 and Tripper May 101 to complete Liberty's four counting scores. Jeb Stanley finished with a 107 and Marlon Creasy a 114.

Floyd County won the Region 2C team championship with a 316, five strokes ahead of James River's 321. Radford finished third at 335, followed by Appomattox at 346 and Chatham at 364.

James River's Landon Bolling captured individual medalist honors with a 67, five strokes ahead of teammate Mason Gilliam's 72. Floyd County's Garrett Vest was third with a 75.

For Liberty, Monday's result closed a season that represented a significant step forward for the program.

The Minutemen earned their trip to Wintergreen by finishing third in their sub-regional qualifier at Tuscarora Country Club. Liberty shot 365 that day, with Macaioni firing an 81 — the second-lowest score in the field — to help punch the team's ticket to the Region 2C tournament.

Liberty coach Hank Whitehouse said he was proud of the work his golfers put into the season and credited assistant coaches Scott Stanley and Corey Caron for helping the program reach a level it had not reached in years.

“I'm very proud of the hard work our golfers put into this season. Their dedication produced incredible results, including us punching our ticket to regions as a team for the first time in many years.”

Whitehouse said the experience also gives the program something to build on.

“We learned a lot today, and we're going to work hard to get even further next year.”

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VHSL Region 2C Tournament

Stoney Creek Golf Course at Wintergreen Resort • Par 72

Team Results

1. Floyd County — 316
Garrett Vest 75, Bryson Harris 79, Ryder Quesenberry 81, Josiah Underwood 81, Owen Williams 81, Jaycee Williams 85

2. James River — 321
Landon Bolling 67, Mason Gilliam 72, Brayden Persinger 88, Tucker Hall 94, Trenton Taylor 95, Mason Huxs 104

3. Radford — 335
Hunter Crist 78, Owen Horton 82, Alex Nicely 83, Landon Pugliese 92, Ethan Woodall 98, Kwon Weightman 99

4. Appomattox — 346
Owen Chavis 80, Cedreau Arnaud 88, Wesley Glover 88, Clay Evans 90, Jake Chandler 92, R.J. Martin 112

5. Chatham — 364
Wyatt Reynolds 80, Eli Nixon 88, James Elliott 97, Kenny Beale 99, Chase Adkins 110, Blake Norton 115

6. Liberty-Bedford — 384
Jayce Macaioni 91, Cole Caron 92, Jax Bomar 100, Tripper May 101, Jeb Stanley 107, Marlon Creasy 114

Individual Results

67 — Landon Bolling (James River)
72 — Mason Gilliam (James River)
75 — Garrett Vest (Floyd County)
78 — Hunter Crist (Radford)
79 — Bryson Harris (Floyd County)
80 — Owen Chavis (Appomattox), Wyatt Reynolds (Chatham)
81 — Ryder Quesenberry, Josiah Underwood, Owen Williams (Floyd County)
82 — Owen Horton (Radford), John Deel (Glenvar)
83 — Alex Nicely (Radford)
85 — Jaycee Williams (Floyd County)
88 — Brayden Persinger (James River), Cedreau Arnaud, Wesley Glover (Appomattox), Eli Nixon (Chatham), Easton Quesenberry (Glenvar)
90 — Clay Evans (Appomattox), Ben Joyce (Patrick County)
91 — Jayce Macaioni (Liberty-Bedford)
92 — Landon Pugliese (Radford), Jake Chandler (Appomattox), Cole Caron (Liberty-Bedford), Daniel Howerton (Dan River), Caleb Vaughn, Laine Errichetti (Patrick County)
93 — Max Burton (Dan River)
94 — Tucker Hall (James River), Evan Smack (Nelson County)
95 — Trenton Taylor (James River), Mason Young (Glenvar)
97 — James Elliott (Chatham)
98 — Ethan Woodall (Radford), Brook Dowdy (Gretna)
99 — Kwon Weightman (Radford), Kenny Beale (Chatham), Blake Dalton (Gretna)
100 — Jax Bomar (Liberty-Bedford)
101 — Tripper May (Liberty-Bedford)
103 — Trace Jones (Dan River)
104 — Mason Huxs (James River)
107 — Jeb Stanley (Liberty-Bedford)
110 — Chase Adkins (Chatham)
112 — R.J. Martin (Appomattox)
114 — Marlon Creasy (Liberty-Bedford)
115 — Blake Norton (Chatham)

⛳ Next on the Tee

Region 4D: Three Area Golfers Tee Off Tuesday

Three Greater Lynchburg golfers will compete as individuals Tuesday in the Region 4D Championship at Winchester Country Club.

Amherst County's Caitlyn Baxter and E.C. Glass golfers Preston Laughon and Nikko Guanzon advanced from the Region 4D South sub-regional at Hidden Valley Country Club.

Baxter led the qualifiers with an 8-under-par 63, setting a women's course record from the black tees. Laughon shot 69 and Guanzon 71.

Class 3: LCA Headed to State

Liberty Christian Academy is headed to the VHSL Class 3 State Championship after finishing second at Monday's Region 3C Championship at Lake Monticello Golf Course.

LCA shot 310, four strokes behind regional champion Western Albemarle's 306. Tanner Hesse also captured the individual Region 3C championship for the Bulldogs.

Brookville tied Turner Ashby for sixth with a 348. Caeth McAndrews led the Bees with a 7-over-par 79, narrowly missing one of the three individual qualifying spots for the state championship.

LCA will compete in the Class 3 State Championship on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Cutalong at Tributary Resort in Mineral.

Greater Lynchburg High School Golf Report Presented by Baird Private Wealth Management

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