Photo by Erin Nelson.
Vestavia Hills boys golf team poses for photos with the Class 7A state championship trophy at the RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National Links Course in Opelika on May 16. The Rebels claimed their third consecutive state title.
The Vestavia Hills High School boys golf team pulled off a third consecutive Class 7A state championship May 15-16 at RTJ Grand National in Opelika.
The Rebels held off three other teams in a tight battle for the state crown. All four teams in the tournament finished within seven strokes in the total team score.
Vestavia Hills posted a two-day score of 594 to win the tournament by a single stroke over Auburn. Enterprise was third at 600 and Spain Park finished fourth with 601.
“To go back-to-back [state titles] is awesome, but man, it’s incredible to go for a three-peat,” Vestavia Hills coach Stephanie Meadows said. “I couldn’t ask for better kids all the way around.”
The tournament was so close that the Rebels had the fourth-best score on the second day and still managed to hang onto the lead. Meadows said the team knew the scores were close, but they were not entirely sure how it would shake out at the end.
“Our kids dug their heels in and knew what they had to do, and they finished strong,” she said.
It was a balanced effort from the Rebels, as evidenced by the fact Pierce Becker, their top golfer, only finished in a tie for sixth individually. He posted a two-day score of 145 (rounds of 71 and 74).
Ward Harris was tied for ninth (148), Parker Moellinger finished tied for 11th (150), Jay Clemmer was 13th (151) and Andrew Szymela was 22nd (159).
Harris, Moellinger, Clemmer and Szymela are all seniors and capped off their high school careers with three straight titles. The Rebels boasted a strong team in 2020 as well, before that season was wiped out. Harris is heading to play at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Moellinger will play at the University of Richmond.
“What might have been if their freshman year hadn’t been COVID? They had an incredible high school run,” Meadows said.
Those five golfers have comprised the state tournament team for the Rebels each of the last three years, a rarity in high school sports.
Meadows marveled at the team’s ability to steady the ship after tough holes. The Rebels gained a three-shot lead after the first day, and that ended up being a key for the team.
“They knew, even though maybe they weren’t scoring like they were on the first day, there was still a lot of golf left to play,” she said.
Throughout the season, the Rebels only won the Tom Bell Memorial Classic in Oneonta in the regular season. In the postseason, they got hot, winning the section, sub-state and state tournaments. At sub-state, Vestavia tied Spain Park in the team score and was awarded the victory via the team’s fifth individual score.
Spain Park’s Chase Kyes won low medalist honors, as he was one of three golfers to shoot under par for the tournament. He carded rounds of 69 and 66 to finish with a total of 135.
