HS Golf: The quest for Wheeling is at hand
State Tournament berths will be handed out Monday and Tuesday across the Mountain State
The 2025-26 school year is still in its infancy, but postseason play is now upon us.
Monday morning, regional golf tees off with a trip to Wheeling in the balance for teams and various individual standouts.
In the Class AAA, AA and A events, the top two teams will advance to Wheeling, along with the top two individual golfers who have the lowest score and are not on the winning teams.
Class AAAA has 20 teams, split into two 10-team regions (north and south) with the top four teams in each region qualifying for the big dance.
The Region 3 clash in class AAA is expected be a monumental battle between Shady Spring, Greenbrier East and Princeton.
The match will be played at Grandview Country Club with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
The Tigers are the No. 1 ranked team in their classification followed by the Spartans at No. 3 and Princeton at No. 4.
All three teams are more than capable of winning a state championship this year, but they first have to traverse the regional qualifier.
The regular season matches between the three titans have been tight, decided by a small stroke differential.
Cart Hinkle from Princeton, who won the AA individual state title in Virginia last year, is the No. 1 ranked player in AAA and No. 2 overall statewide.
Cooper Ward from Shady Spring is No. 2 in his class and No. 5 across the Mountain State, while Isaac Hutchison from Greenbrier East is No. 5 in AAA.
Ward's teammates Tyler Beard and Malachi Flohr are ranked six and seven, respectively, while Spartan senior Nate Dolin is No. 10.
Seth Napier (Greenbrier East), Blaine Morgan (Princeton) and Grant Winkler (Shady Spring) are also ranked in the top-20.
Class AA, Region 3 has been controlled by Midland Trail and Wyoming East who will be heavy favorites to secure a berth in Wheeling.
The Patriots have been very consistent all season as a team and are the No. 1 ranked team statewide in their class.
Jake Brown enters the postseason as the No. 4 ranked golfer, followed by Landyn Cordle (12), Van Wood (21) and Camryn Thomas (25).
Talan Muscari leads the Warriors who are No. 4 in AA. Muscari is No. 5 statewide as an individual. Jake Stewart (22) has played well this year along with Braden Hood (27) and Broc Johnson (36).
Westside is the No. 7 ranked AA team and could make the day uncomfortable for the heavyweights.
The Renegades are led by freshman Ayden Pavlik who is the top-ranked player in AA. Pavlik is battled tested thanks to numerous WVGA Junior events, as well as other big time tournaments.
Summers County will be considered a long-shot, but the Bobcats are still in the mix led by senior standout Xavier Honaker who is the No. 3 ranked player.
Liberty senior Josh Lafferty qualified for state meet last year and will once again be a strong individual contender Monday.
Carson Koen from James Monroe and Devin Maynard from Mingo Central will also be in the individual mix.
Greater Beckley Christian is the No. 8 ranked Class A team followed by Sherman who is No. 11. Webster County and Greenbrier West will also be in the hunt.
Max Carr has led the Crusaders this year and is ranked No. 8 in the state.
Both the AA and A matches will be played at Pipestem State Park.
The southern regional in AAAA will not take place until Tuesday because of scheduling issues at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club.
Three of the top-four teams among the big schools class, Hurricane, Cabell Midland and George Washington, are in the south and are expected to punch their tickets to the Northern Panhandle.
The final spot is projected to be a battle between Woodrow Wilson (11), Oak Hill (13) and Parkersburg South (8).
The Flying Eagles are led by Tyler Stover who is ranked No. 11 in a stacked AAAA field. Austin Long and Drew Gallaher will flank Stover.
Oak Hill has played well down the stretch led by Josh Maynor and Braxton Sizemore.
The state golf tournament will be played at the Speidel Golf Club/Jones Course at Oglebay Park, Oct. 14-15.
