Southern Gap High School’s first varsity athletic contest ended with a victory.
The Eagles’ varsity golf team made history Aug. 3 by winning the first competition in school history, capturing a five-team golf match at Willowbrook Golf Course at The Breaks with a team score of 170.
Southern Gap finished ahead of Honaker (185), East Ridge, Kentucky (201), Southern Gap’s junior varsity team (205) and River View, West Virginia (223).
The victory came less than three weeks before Southern Gap officially opens its doors to students on Aug. 21. The new high school combines students from the former Grundy, Hurley, Council and Twin Valley high schools, making the win a memorable first for the Eagles’ athletic program.
Leading the way was senior Mason Boyd, a three-time Black Diamond District Player of the Year who earned medalist honors with an even-par 38.
Boyd paced the Eagles with his medalist round of 38, while Ethan Deel followed with a 41 and Brayden Hopkins and Jaxon Hardin each shot 43. Jackson Deel finished with a 48, Ben Mayhew carded a 50, Gavin Hartford shot a 51 and Ayden Whited recorded a 52.
Southern Gap also dominated the individual standings. Boyd claimed medalist honors, while Ethan Deel tied Honaker’s Silas Harris for second after each fired a 41. East Ridge’s Jayce Cantrell finished fourth with a 42, followed by Southern Gap’s Hopkins and Hardin, who tied for fifth with rounds of 43. Honaker’s Parker Musick placed seventh with a 44, Southern Gap junior varsity golfer Wyatt Street finished eighth with a 46, East Ridge’s Ryan Shepherd was ninth with a 47, and Jackson Deel rounded out the top 10 with a 48.
Head coach Preston Hibbitts said he was encouraged by what he saw in the team’s season-opening performance.
“I am very pleased with our first match performance,” Hibbitts said. “We had a lot of players record new personal bests and posted a great number for this point in the season.”
The significance of the victory was not lost on the veteran coach.
“I’m really proud of my guys claiming the first win in school history,” Hibbitts said. “I hope it points to great things for all Southern Gap athletics.”
Complete individual scores were:
Southern Gap: Mason Boyd 38, Ethan Deel 41, Brayden Hopkins 43, Jaxon Hardin 43, Jackson Deel 48, Ben Mayhew 50, Gavin Hartford 51, Ayden Whited 52.
Honaker: Silas Harris 41, Parker Musick 44, Kade Shortt 50, Landon Schneider 50, Lincoln Combs 53, Halle Hats 55.
East Ridge: Jayce Cantrell 42, Ryan Shepherd 47, Jackson Damron 53, Kourtlee Keene 59, Hunter Adkins 60, Kaylen Adkins 61 and Carrigan Ratliff 62.
Southern Gap JV: Wyatt Street 46, Jase Hurley 49, Carter Deel 53, Levi Tackett 57, Parker Hughes 59 and Jansen Davis 61.
River View: Jacob Stacy 50, Jarrett Auville 56, Donavon Bradley 57 and Colton Hale 60.
For a program just beginning its journey, the Eagles could not have asked for a better start.
