For the third consecutive year, the North Adams Green Devils are the team champions of the Adams County Cup. From left, Coach Corey Richmond, Caleb DeAtley, Breestin Schweickart, Christopher Hall, Connor Young, Cash Hupp, Carsyn Raines and Assistant Coach Ryan Brewer. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)

For the third consecutive year, the North Adams Green Devils are the team champions of the Adams County Cup. From left, Coach Corey Richmond, Caleb DeAtley, Breestin Schweickart, Christopher Hall, Connor Young, Cash Hupp, Carsyn Raines and Assistant Coach Ryan Brewer. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)

<p>The 2024 Adams County Cup All-County Team. From left, Parker Hayslip (Manchester), Breestin Schweickart (North Adams), Christopher Hall (North Adams), Connor Young (North Adams), Landon McIntosh (West Union), Zach Shoemaker (West Union) and Thomas Barnhart (Manchester). (Photo by Mark Carpenter)</p>

The 2024 Adams County Cup All-County Team. From left, Parker Hayslip (Manchester), Breestin Schweickart (North Adams), Christopher Hall (North Adams), Connor Young (North Adams), Landon McIntosh (West Union), Zach Shoemaker (West Union) and Thomas Barnhart (Manchester). (Photo by Mark Carpenter)

<p>With an 18-hole score of three-over 74, Manchester junior Parker Hayslip captured the individual championship at last week’s Adams County Cup Tournament. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)</p>

With an 18-hole score of three-over 74, Manchester junior Parker Hayslip captured the individual championship at last week’s Adams County Cup Tournament. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

Bragging rights for the next year were on the line on August 7 at Hilltop Golf Course as the four boys golf teams from the county high schools gathered for the 2024 Adams County Cup Tournament. It was a perfect day for the 18-hole tourney and though golf can be a funny sport from day-to-day, the expectation going in were a repeat of last year’s results where North Adams’ Breestin Schweickart won the individual title and the Green Devils won their second consecutive team Cup trophy.

One of those two outcomes did come about as the North Adams squad, led by first-year head coach Corey Richmond, took home their third consecutive team title, outdistancing second-place Manchester by seven strokes. The individual battle was a different story, however. Schweickart was looking for his third straight Cup championship, but Manchester junior Parker Hayslip had other ideas. In what might be considered an upset, unless you were on the Greyhound side, Hayslip took an early lead on the front nine, then held on to shoot three over-par for the day, good enough to defeat Schweickart by two strokes.

Playing in his final County Cup as a senior, Schweickart got off to a rough start, carding a seven on the fourth hole and trailing for four strokes after eight. He made up three of those strokes on the par-three #9 with a birdie while Hayslip double bogeyed and the front nine closed with Hayslip up by one. The Greyhound junior would maintain that lead throughout the back nine, add one stroke to it, and finish off as the new individual champion of the Adams County Cup, denying Schweickart the chance to become the first to ever three-peat in the tourney. Ironically, the two are close friends who can be found together on the course quite often during the summer months.

“It feels pretty good, just happy I won,” said Hayslip. “When I birdied 15 and Breestin parred it, that put me up three and I knew I just had to par out to win it.”

“If I had to lose to someone, I’m glad it was Parker,” commented Schweickart after the tourney.

In the team competition, North Adams had to hold off Manchester to capture their third consecutive Cup. In the team scores, the top four golfers on each squad are tallied up and when that was complete, it was the Devils at 319 and the Greyhounds at 326.

“I thought it went well,” said NAHS Coach Richmond. “The guys got off to a slow start but got it together on the back nine and played well down the stretch. I’m happy for my seniors who were able to get the team win.”

Besides Schweickart (76), North Adams had two more golfers in the top five, junior Christopher Hall (78) and senior Connor Young (80). The remainder of the 2024 All-County Team included a trio of golfers who finished the day at 82- Manchester’s Thomas Barnhart, and from West Union, Landon McIntosh and Zach Shoemaker.

The final individual scores for the 2024 Cup were as follows:

• North Adams: Breestin Schweickart 76, Christopher Hall 78, Connor Young 80, Caleb DeAtley 85, Carsyn Raines 91, Cash Hupp 94

• Manchester: Parker Hayslip 74, Thomas Barnhart 82, Joel Blythe 84, Bryce Young 86, Ryan Mack 88, Elijah Crabtree 93

• West Union: Landon McIntosh 82, Zach Shoemaker 82, Tegan Knox 85, AJ Cooper 86, Sam Griffis 89, Carsen Francis 95

• Peebles: Garrett Shiveley 86, Calen Vogler 95, Colt Seaman 102, Andy McFarland 111, Cooper Meade 111, Cole Henderson 136

2024 Adams County Cup Final Team Standings: North Adams 319, Manchester 326, West Union 335Peebles 394