Boys Golf: Jaxson Yoder shoots 70, Amherst rolls to Grey Hawk Invitational title

LAGRANGE — There's something about Grey Hawk Golf Club that brings out the best in the Amherst Comets. With junior Jaxson Yoder leading the way with a 2-under-par 70, the Comets won the Keystone Grey Hawk Invitational for the third year in a row with a score of 297, easily besting runner-up Warren J.F.K., which finished with 310. Grey Hawk is also where Amherst clinched the 2024 Southwestern Conference title just weeks before winning the Division I sectional tournament. "Today we came out relaxed and we just went out and played," Amherst coach Mitch Gillam said. "Golf is a funny game. From day-to-day it can be fantastic or it can go south on you, and we had a fantastic day today. "The key today and the key the past couple years has been building depth and getting quality scores in the four- and five-man slots. That and being consistent is what we've got to keep working on." The Comets' depth was on display Tuesday as their top four golfers posted scores in the 70s. Senior Jordan Miller shot 73, which tied for the second-best round of the day, and Alek Kissane and Ben MIller came into the clubhouse with 77s. "My driver was on point today and almost everything was in the fairway," Yoder said. "I was driving it about 300 or 310 yards, which really set up my approach shots. The course was playing really short today. I was able to hit a lot of wedges and have a lot of scoring opportunities." Consistency has been the name of the game early in the year for Miller, who had one of the day's best rounds for the second consecutive tournament. "Today I was able to convert on the par 5s, I had two eagles, which is always helpful," he said. "We had a good team effort today from everyone. We're very excited about the scores we saw today and it gives us hope that we can convert when it's time for sectionals and SWC." With six SWC teams in action, the invitational was a good chance for teams to sort out where they stand on the course where the league championship will be decided in a little more than six weeks. With Connor Lehmann (77) and Quade Hess (78) breaking 80, Olmsted Falls finished third with a 319, followed by Avon (325), Avon Lake (327) and North Ridgeville (336). Midview finished 10th in the 16-team field with a 345. "I hit the ball pretty good and kept it in play except for a couple of holes," said Avon junior Ethan Olszowy, who led the Eagles with a 78. "I just couldn't drop my putts, I had a lot of two-putts. "I have a little bit of a rough past with this course so I was nervous on some of these shots today. I'm still trying to find the best way to approach different shots here. Hopefully we can come back here later on and bring home a conference championship." Avon Lake's Kooper Nilson had a 78, and Midview's Lucas Hendershot a 79. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Team results: Amherst 297, Warren J.F.K. 310, Olmsted Falls 319, Avon 325, Avon Lake 327, North Ridgeville 336, Bay 340, Strongsville 340, Keystone 343, Midview 345, Independence 351, Huron 378, Wellington 390, Elyria Catholic 403, Ravenna 457, Open Door 463. Medalist: Jaxson Yoder, Amherst, 70. Top individuals: Jordan Miller, Amherst, 73; Andrew LaPolla, Warren J.F.K., 73; Andrew Fredenberg, Warren J.F.K, 74; Nicholas Colagiovanni, Strongsville, 75; Kaden Schuette, Independence, 76; Alek Kissane, Amherst, 77; Ben Miller, Amherst, 77; Connor Lehmann, Olmsted Falls, 77. Amherst (297): Alek Kissane 77, Jordan Miller 73, Jaxson Yoder 70, Landon Wolf 94, Ben Taylor 77. Warren J.F.K. (310): Henry Phillips 79, Andrew LaPolla 73, Andrew Fredenberg 74, Julian Bolino 84, Preston Geracitano 91. Olmsted Falls (319): Cole Odon 80, Quade Hess 78, Connor Lehmann 77, Cam Bond 84, Owen Lehmann 88. Avon (325): Jack Hecei 88, Ethan Olszowy 78, Cam Ocepek 85, Jake Arnold 80, Sam Griffiths 82. Avon Lake (327): Kollin Nilson 81, Kooper Nilson 78, Tyler Fenton 84, Ben Soto 84, Chase Cartwright 85. North Ridgeville (336): Josh Behlke 82, Ethan Crevda 83, Mason Limpert 83, Matthew Luca 88, Teddy Greenfield 91. Bay (340): Travis Ropelewski 84, Matthew Mileti 83, Trever Ormsby 95, Ben Wagner 86, Jack Wunder 87. Strongsville (340): Nicholas Colagiovanni 75, Luke Trzebuckowski 90, Bryson Parrott 94, Paxton Karabaic 83, Aidan Luber 92. Keystone (343): Quinn Otto 86, Austin Duta 99, Liam Goran 90, Brady Schacht 84, Brody O'Boyle 83. Midview (345): Patrick Dolin 96, Jon Klooz 81, Lucas Hendershot 79, Zach Rubin 92, Kellen Sykora 345. Independence (351): Kaden Schuette 76, Johnny Walsh 91, David Crooks 92, Anderson Jolliffe 92, Josh Gray 102. Huron (378): Grant Humphrey 88, Paul Muarry 92, Luke Barton 94, Stephen Frenezy 104, Reece Kieffer 126. Wellington (390): Zach Kehl 95, James Wacker 98, Colson West 92, Luke Sword 105, Calab Hamer 117. Elyria Catholic (403): Breezun Hawke 103, Brady Basinger 111, Troy Degnegaard 107, Henry Kasper 99, Josh Anastasiadis 94. Ravenna (457): Ayden Surber 106, Kyle Brady 115, Jason Tanner 113, Aaron Welsh 123, Trenton Turney 134. Open Door (463): Coltan Burrer 119, Max Sooy 96, Will Hepner 120, Jack Polaniec 463. Lutheran West (No team score): Ray Pavlik 89.