Monday, August 26, 2024
Bruin’s Pierce Campbell, shoots 64 to take Medalist Honors in river Ridge District match
By Carl York, aka Captain Crunch
Hunting Hills C.C., Roanoke, VA – No surprise here. The Blacksburg Bruins golf team threw their weight around on Monday, to win the team match and four of the top five places for the afternoon.
| Team | Total Score (best 4 out of 5) | |
| 1. | Blacksburg | 274 |
| 2. | Hidden Valley | 314 |
| 3. | Salem | 315 |
| 4. | Cave Spring | 316 |
| 5. | Christiansburg | 320 |
| 6. | Patrick Henry | 323 |
| Pulaski Co | 323 |
Blacksburg, looking for their fourth consecutive 4A Virginia State Championship this year, was led by medalist Pierce Campbell with a 64 (6 under). Campbell got hot on the back to put distance between him and the field. “I made five straight birdies on the back nine and then parred in,” said the Senior.
Blacksburg head coach Rick Mattox was pleased with his teams performance. Jake Albert, the Bruins golfer slotted in the #1 spot this day and an Auburn Tiger commit, shot 67 to come in second. When asked about knocking off his own teammate Campbell said, “we play in the spot on the team each week based on where we finish the match before. I will be in the #1 slot next time out.”
C. Sharp (#2) shot even par 70 and finished 4th overall, (#3) G. Laird notched a 73 good for 5th, and (#5) E. Keene tied for 11th overall at 78. J. Skinner (#4) finished with an 81.
The only disruption to the Blacksburg rout was Salem Senior Kathryn Ha with a 69, one under, coming in at #3 overall. Ha is the defending 4A medalist from the state tournament last year.
As a team, Hidden Valley Valley finished 2nd overall, with a 314 total (totals come from the four best scores on your five golfers). HV was led by G. Lanier (#3) with a 75 which landed him tied for sixth overall. Titan Coach Mark Croye was happy with the effort. “Finishing number two is pretty good in this field. I am proud of our guys.” Salem finished a shot behind at 316, while Cave Spring, on their home course, was just another shot behind at 317. Christiansburg finished at 320. Patrick Henry and Pulaski County tied at 323. Take out Blacksburg and that’s about as tight as it gets for a district.
The top 15 best individual rounds were as follows:
| 1. P. Campbell | 64 | Blacksburg | ||
| 2. J. Albert | 67 | Blacksburg | ||
| 3. K. Ha | 69 | Salem | ||
| 4. C. Sharp | 70 | Blacksburg | ||
| 5. G. Laird | 73 | Blacksburg | ||
| 6. G. Lanier | 75 | Hidden Valley | ||
| S. Dowdy | 75 | Patrick Henry | ||
| J. Cummins | 75 | Christiansburg | ||
| 9. K. Jones | 76 | Pulaski Co | ||
| 10. H. Camp | 77 | Hidden Valley | ||
| 11. E. Keene | 78 | Blacksburg | ||
| A. Draper | 78 | Cave Spring | ||
| K. West | 78 | Cave Spring | ||
| A. Booan | 78 | Hidden Valley | ||
| 15. H Stephenson | 79 | Patrick Henry | ||