By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
The 2026 high school boys golf season moved into postseason play last week as all four county squads competed in sectional play, two of those in Division II and two in Division III. Three of those teams will be moving on into this week’s district tournament as West Union, Peebles and Manchester all qualified for the next round.
first up was Coach Carl Schneider and his West Union Dragons who teed of on September 23 at the Elks Country Club in Division II action. In his long and storied career, Schneider and his teams are no stranger to district play and once again, they will be advancing on as they placed second overall in the sectional team standings (top five teams advance). West Union was led by junior Samuel Griffis, who scored a 39 on the front nine and followed that up with a 38 on the back for a 77 total, sixth place overall on the individual leader board.
Dragons’ sophomore Thomas Barnhart went 38 on the front, slipped to 42 on the back and finished at 80. Junior Alex Dillow went 41-42 (83), and senior Landon McIntosh and sophomore Ethan Caldwell both shot 87, McIntosh going 45-42 and Caldwell 41-46. West Union’s total team score was 327, trailing only first place Ironton’s 304.
Coach Michael Walls and his Peebles Indians continued their memorable season by advancing to the district tournament in division III action on September 24 at the Jaycess Golf Course. With the top five teams advancing to the district tournament, the Indians placed fourth overall, trailing Fairfield, Whiteoak and first place Waterford.
Peebles placed a pair of players in the top 10 golfers at the sectional tourney, led by junior Cooper Meade. Meade cared a 44 on the front nine and dropped that to 42 on the back for an 18-hole total of 86. He was joined in the top 10 by classmate Calen Vogler, who shot 42-45 to finish one stroke behind Meade at 87.
Also on the sectional course for the Tribe were senior Josh McClary at 95 (48-47), sophomore Gage Bennington at 97 (47-50) and freshman Chase Fossyl at 104 (50-54).
Coach Austin Kingsolver and his Manchester Greyhounds also punched their tickets to Division II district competition, placing one spot behind Peebles and claiming the fifth and final berth. Manchester’s top sectional golfer was junior Bryce Young, who scored 47 over his first nine holes and dropped that down to 40 on the second nine for a total of 87. Right behind Young was junior Brayden Palmer who also improved over his second nine, going 47-41 to finish at 88.
Greyhounds’ senior Carson Inman completed his sectional round at 96 (51-45), with junior Kenton Butt close behind at 98. 49-49). Sophomore Luke Rigdon had a tough day at the Jaycees, shooting a 124 (62-62).
Coach Hannum Taylor and his North Adams Green Devils were the only county team not to move on to district play as they finished 11th in the Division II sectional at the Jaycees on September 23. North Adams’s top sectional score came from freshman Jace Michael, who went 45-44 for an overall 89. Senior Carsyn Raines was right behind at 90 (47-43), with sophomore Colt Ward at 96 (48-48), senior Cash Hupp at 102 (46-56) and senior Caleb Brown at 104 (49-55).
West Union will be in Division II district action on Wednesday, September 30 at the Crown Hill Course in Williamsport, Ohio. The top two teams and top two individuals will move on to the OHSAA State Tournament.
Peebles and Manchester will play their district rounds also on September 30 at the Elks Country Club, again with two teams and two individuals moving on to state.
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