The Franklin News-Post
P. O. Box 250
310 Main Street, SW
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
540-483-5113
Fax: 540-483-8013
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| Eagles place fourth in Northwest Regionals, Cooper earns state bid |
Kolton Cooper swings an iron from the 12th tee at The Westlake Golf and Country Club during play in last week’s Western Valley District postseason tournament. The Franklin County senior has earned a berth in next week’s Group AAA state tournament. (Staff Photo by Steven Marsh) |
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Wednesday, October 3, 2012
NOKESVILLE -- Four-time reigning Western Valley District golf champion Franklin County saw its 2012 season end Monday after a fourth-place finish in the Northwest Regionals at the Prince William Golf Course (par 70).
The Eagles carded a 324 total and finished 16 shots in arrears to Battlefield (308), which captured the championship for the second year in a row and for the third time in five years.
Battlefield and second-place Riverbend (316) will advance to next week's Group AAA state tournament in Virginia Beach as will FCHS senior Kolton Cooper, who fired a 77 to finish in a tie for fifth place.
Cooper, a first-time state qualifier, earned one of the six individual berths that were on the line. He was the only Western Valley District player to garner a bid.
Cooper's finish is the best by an FCHS player since 2007 when former standout David Hudgins placed second. Hudgins, who won the regional title as a sophomore in 2005, was a senior that year.
FCHS junior Landon Prillaman, the co-medalist of last week's WVD postseason tournament, failed in his attempt to make the Group AAA state tournament field for the second year in a row.
Prillaman lost to Chad McCann of Stonewall Jackson-Manassas in a playoff to decide the final individual state tournament berth. Both players finished regulation play with 80s.
McCann birdied the playoff hole.
Battlefield will make its fourth state tournament appearance in five years.
A Cedar Run District team has won each of the last six Northwest Region championships.
Former league member Loudoun Valley started the run with its first of three region titles in 2007 when the tournament was played at The Westlake Golf and Country Club.
Albemarle (323) came in third, followed by FCHS, Halifax County (328), Patriot (335), Woodbridge (352) and Osbourn Park (363).
Thomas Fricke of Battlefield claimed the individual championship with a 2-over-par 72. He finished two strokes ahead of Michael Mead Jr. of Riverbend and teammate Brian Ganow, both of whom carded 74s.
Woodbrdge's Adam Szwed came in fourth with a 76 and Cooper and Andrew Mueller of Riverbend were deadlocked in fifth.
Earning individual state-tournament berths were Szwed, Cooper, Alex Simmons and Caleb Martin of Albemarle, Terry Smith of Patriot and McCann.
Besides the scores posted by Cooper and Prillaman, FCHS counted an 81 by junior Jeremy Lester and an 86 by senior Josh Harkema.
An 86 by senior Cameron Hicks and a 91 by sophomore Tyler Peterson did not factor into the Eagles total.
Halifax's Josh Irby, who shared WVD tournament championship laurels with Prillaman, led the Comets with an 81.
Halifax also counted a pair of 82s by Peter Gasperini, the league's regular-season champion, and Tyler Holt and an 83 by Joey Gasperini.
Scores posted by Alex Tepper (88) and Ryan Green (91) were non-counting ones.
Patrick Henry had five individual players in the field: Blake Brown (82), Hill Donihe (85), Rob Brailsford (91), Thomas Vance (92) and James Breakell (92). Also, George Washington-Danville's Lyndsey Harris shot a 92.
The Eagles' fourth-place finish is their fourth in a row.
FCHS was playing in the Northwest Regionals for the 14th year in a row.
The tournament may become the victim of statewide reclassification from the current A, AA, AAA format to a 1-A through 6-A alignment depending on how state championships in golf are decided next fall.
The state tournament will be contested at the par 72 Red Wing Golf Club.
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PAST REGION
WINNERS
YEAR TEAM
1996 C.D. Hylton
1997 C.D. Hylton
1998 Cave Spring
1999 Franklin County
2000 E.C. Glass
2001 E.C. Glass
2002 Osbourn Park
2003 Osbourn Park
2004 Franklin County
2005 Franklin County
2006 Franklin County
2007 Loudoun Valley
2008 Battlefield
2009 Loudoun Valley
2010 Loudoun Valley
2011 Battlefield
2012 Battlefield
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FRANKLIN COUNTY
FINISHES
YEAR PLACE
1996 2nd
1997 DNQ*
1998 DNQ*
1999 1st
2000 4th
2001 2nd
2002 2nd
2003 2nd
2004 1st
2005 1st
2006 1st
2007 2nd
2008 5th
2009 4th
2010 4th
2011 4th
2012 4th
*Did not qualify |
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