‘We have come a really long way’: Blythewood girls win first state golf title
The Blythewood girls golf program has been building for a moment like Tuesday.
After a couple of top three finishes, the Bengals got that elusive Class 5A championship and unseated powerhouse Lexington at a rainy Mid-Carolina Country Club.
‘The Bengals finished with a two-day total of 621, nine shots better than the two-time defending champion Wildcats, who were going for their third straight title and 14th in the past 16 seasons.
“We have come a really long way as a team together,” Blythewood coach Jason Minkel said. “We finished third two years ago, second last year. This was obviously the goal this year. They have come together and worked so hard as a group. They deserve all the credit they get. They put everything together out there on the course.”
It was Blythewood’s first team championship in any sport since 2010. The Bengals came into the tournament as the top-ranked team in Class 5A and led by three shots after round one and four shots heading into the back nine.
That’s when freshman Ella Stalvey got hot, birdieing three of her final four holes to tie for medalist honors. Sophomore Paige Paolucci shot a 75 Tuesday after an 87 in the first day. Lindsay Hoile (160) was 13th and Elizabeth Madden (161) tied for 14th.
“That was huge for us,” Minkel said of Stalvey’s performance. “Then Paige shot a 75 and came out of nowhere with that. That was really great for us.”
Lexington’s Karlee Vardas defeated Stalvey on the second playoff hole to win the individual title. The Wildcats had three golfers on the all-state team — Vardas, Molly Hardwick and Emily Beiers.
Chapin’s Emily Baker earned all-state honors.
“I’m extremely proud of our team to overcome all the adversity that we had to deal with toward the end of the season to still be right there with a chance to win with three to four holes to go,” Lexington coach Brandon Smith said. “Congrats to Coach Minkel and his team as they played lights out down the stretch to win.”
Class 5A
Team Scores: Blythewood 621, Lexington 630; Boiling Springs 664; Dorman 697; Wando 705; Byrnes 705; St. James 711; Chapin 721; Carolina Forest 730; Fort Dorchester 747; Nation Ford 755; TL Hanna 764; Spartanburg 790; Conway 804; Stratford 818; Mauldin 819
All-State: x-Karlee Vardas, Lex 143; Ella Stalvey, Blythewood 143; MK Talledo, Boiling Springs, 151; Adrian Anderson, SJ, 153; Madison Dixon, Boiling Springs 153; Molly Hardwick, Lex, 156; Lora Ledbetter, Conway 158; Emily Beiers, Lex 159, Emily Baker, Chapin, 159; Alayna Fortenberry, CF, 159; Anika Rana, Byrnes, 159; Sarah Boeteler, JLM, 159
x-Won in playoff
Class 4A
Team Scores: Daniel 638; Wren 690; AC Flora 722; Belton Honea Path 723; Myrtle Beach 738; Hilton Head 756; North Myrtle Beach 759; Pickens 765; Greenville 780; Blue Ridge 786; Walhalla 818; Hartsville 821
All-State: Chloe Holder, Wren 140; Kennedy McGaha, BHP 144; Katelyn Lee, Wren 149; Peyton O’Brien, Daniel 152; Courtney Collins, Daniel 156; Cara Hilburn, NMB, 163; Izzy Stone, Beaufort 163; Adrienne O’Brien, Daniel 164; Gracie McCoy, AC Flora 165; Jennifer Gao, Daniel 166; Taylor Pirttima, MB, 84
Class 3A
Team Scores: Oceanside 582; Chesnee 613; Gilbert 647; May River 662; St. Josephs 671; Greer Middle 690; Legion Collegiate 711; Bishop England 714; Catawba Ridge 725; Loris 727; Ware Shoals 737; Landrum 742; Aynor 756; Waccamaw 761; Pendleton 763; Christ Church 766; Seneca 793
All-State: Emma Schimpf, OC 138; Isabella Britt, Chesnee 139; Rachel Rich, Oceanside 141; Sydney Roberts, Chesnee 142; Kennedy Gooding, Gilbert 143; Buggy Reinke, Legion Collegiate 144; Abbey Schimpf, Oceanside 151; Kayla Bartemeyer, Oceanside 152; Jalen Castle, Gray Collegiate 155, Caleigh Noonan, St. Joseph’s, 155
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 5:48 PM.
