Southern Wayne’s Hunter Merritt takes a cool sip on hole No. 4 at Lane Tree Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon. Merritt won a sudden-death playoff to earn a spot in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3A eastern regional. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Charles B. Aycock’s Talan Gardner hits from the bunker on hole No. 4 at Lane Tree Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon. Gardner earned all-Quad County 3A Conference honorable mention accolades. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Charles B. Aycock’s Reed Jones carried the water on hole No. 5 and hits this shot onto the green during the season-ending Quad County 3A golf match at Lane Tree Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s James Faulk measures the distance from his fairway shot to the green on hole No. 5 at Lane Tree Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Wilson Hunt’s Johnathan Lewis hits from the water’s edge on hole No. 5 at Lane Tree Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Zyon Alston watches his putt roll just left of the cup on hole No. 4 at Lane Tree Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Anthony Culbreth watches his tee shot on No. 5 at Lane Tree Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Charles B. Aycock’s Garrett West lines up a downhill putt on hole No. 4 at Lane Tree Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Joseph Strange emerged victorious in a sudden-death playoff and clinched a spot in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3A east regional Tuesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Charles B. Aycock’s Wade Aycock waits to tee off at No. 5 during Tuesday’s round at Lane Tree Golf Course. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
East Wake’s Gage Garvin reads a putt on the fourth hole at Lane Tree Golf Course on Tuesday afternoon. Garvin qualified for the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3A east regional. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne head golf coach Frank Stauffer, right, talks to golfers Hunter Merritt, center, and Joseph Strange, left, before they tee off at hole No. 4 on the Lane Tree Golf Course links Tuesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
GOLDSBORO — Barely a blip on the regional radar, Southern Wayne golfers Joseph Strange and Hunter Merritt, resuscitated their respective seasons Tuesday afternoon.
Each emerged victorious in sudden-death fashion at Lane Tree Golf Club.
Strange and Merritt each prevailed on the first playoff hole and earns berths in next week’s N.C. High School Athletic Association eastern 3A regional, scheduled May 8 at LTGC.
“Joseph and Hunter began their rounds on the outside looking in, knowing they needed to score a low round today in hopes of getting back in [regional consideration],” SW head coach Frank Stauffer said. “They secured their positions.”
No doubt.
Strange carded a season-low 83, one stroke better than his 18-hole total of 84 at Wendell Country Club. Merritt turned in an 85 – his second-best round after he posted an 81 at Willow Springs Country Club last Thursday.
The duo also garnered all-QCC honorable mention accolades.
As a team, Southern Wayne shot its second-lowest round (362) this season. Anthony Culbreth (89) and Isaac Worth (105) completed the four-player total. Teammates James Faulk (105) and Zyon Alston (115) also tackled the challenging LTGC links in breezy conditions.
West Johnston’s Colby Stephens earned medalist honors with an even-par 72.
Named as the QCC golfer-of-the-year, Wilson Fike’s Ethan Boyette finished at 1-over 73. Charles B. Aycock’s Gage Garvin (77), and South Johnston’s twosome of Brady Carroll (79) and Parker Denning (80) completed the top five.
Boyette and Garvin each qualified as individuals for the regional.
South Johnston claimed the 2023 QCC team championship. West Johnston took second and Wilson Hunt wound up third. All three teams for the eastern regional.
Daniel Benson (SJ) and Matt Lemmons (Hunt) were named co-QCC coaches-of-the-year.
Quad County 3A Conference
Boys’ Golf
(at Lane Tree Golf Course)
Tuesday’s team scores
South Johnston (SJ) 325, West Johnston (WJ) 336, Hunt (H) 343, Fike (F) 352, Southern Wayne (SW) 362, East Wake (EW) 371, Charles B. Aycock (CBA) 373, Smithfield-Selma (SSS) 504.
Top 15 Individuals
Colby Stephens (W) 72, Ethan Boyette (F) 73, Gage Garvin (A) 77, Brady Carroll (SJ) 79, Parker Denning (SJ) 80, Landon Kintzele (H) 82, Joseph Strange (SW) 83, Kayden Gray (SJ) 83, Gus Canady (SJ) 83, Wyatt Aycock (A) 84, Hunter Merritt (SW) 85, Hayden Campbell (WJ) 86, Ben Guthrie (H) 86, Hayden Campbell (WJ) 86, Josh Winborne (H) 87.
NOTE: Golfers played from the blue tees, which measured 6,323 yards.
QCC All-Conference
First Team
Ethan Boyette (F), Colby Stephens (WJ), Parker Denning (SJ), Brady Carroll (SJ), Hayden Campbell (WJ), Kaden Gray (SJ), Gus Canady (SJ), Gage Garvin (EW), Noah Gurganus (H), Thomas Pope (H), Landon Kintzele (H), Phillip Lee (SJ)
Honorable Mention
Joseph Strange (SW), Hunter Merritt (SW), Davis Mitchell (H), Talan Gardner (CBA), Zach Hill (F), Will Jorgensen (WJ), Cooper York (EW), Preston Hagwood (SSS), Davis Lemons (SSS).
