After sweeping through their regular season and the Class AAA W.Va. state championship in the fall, the Wheeling Park boys’ golf team will compete against the nation beginning Monday at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
All-staters Noah Seivertson and James Salvatori will join teammates Campbell Koegler and Gavin Goodrich at the nine-hole course golf facility. Head coach Don Headley is unable to make the trip, so Stephanie Goodrich is coordinating the trip, and Jason Koegler will serve as the team’s replacement coach during the three-day event.
“Every year, whatever team that wins the state golf tournament in West Virginia receives an invitation to go to the national tournament,” Goodrich explained. “Every team gets an invite, and every player that is a medalist in the state tournament gets an invite. I know these guys are very excited to be participating.
“Not only will Wheeling Park make the trip to North Carolina, but St. Marys High is going, too, so the state will be well represented,” she explained. “The Wheeling Park team had a very, very good season, and one of the reasons for that was that it was the same team that it was the year before, and they were the state runner-up in 2019.”
A Pandemic Season
There was a map with five colors that determined whether or not high school athletic teams were permitted to compete, but the Patriots still managed to defeat George Washington High by three strokes to win Wheeling Park’s first state title since 2014.
It was the fifth state title for Headley, who also has collected five runner-up finishes in his 12 years as head coach. Seivertson finished in second in the state tournament with a two-day stroke total of 153. Brooke High’s Ryan Bilby captured his second consecutive individual title by four strokes.
“It was a difficult season for the boys because while they were competing, we had to pay a lot of attention to the Covid map to see when and which teams we could play,” Goodrich said. “It was pretty crazy, but our two seniors ended the year being all-state, so they did really well. That’s one of the reasons these guys are very excited to be golfing together again.
“They will register on Sunday, and there is a Par 3 competition, and then beginning on Monday, they will play courses 7, 8, and 9 on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday,” she said. “These guys were undefeated the whole season, and they all improved as the season continued. They were really fantastic because they all pulled their own weight and picked each other up when one of their teammates needed it. They worked together each tournament so they could achieve their goal of winning the state title.”
One Last Time
Gavin Goodrich will be a junior on next year’s Wheeling Park team, and Koegler will be a sophomore, so Headley’s challenge is to replace his two senior all-staters.
That fact, however, will not be on the minds of these four state champions when teeing off Monday at Pinehurst Resort. Instead, they are looking forward to the courses, meeting golfers their age from throughout the United States, and hopefully shooting in the low 70s during the three championship rounds.
“These guys never stop playing the game, so they are always getting better and better,” Goodrich said. “They all got started with golf with Mike McLeod and the Ohio County Schools middle school golf program, and then they went on to be the state champions. We are so proud of them.
“They represent themselves very well, and they are all friends,” she explained. “Now, we’re looking at Pinehurst as their last chance to play together as the West Virginia state champions. It’s going to be bittersweet to watch them, but our seniors both signed to continue at West Liberty University, so we will have the chance to see them play again.”
