The St. Marys golf team claimed the W.Va. Class A state championship Wednesday in Wheeling, W.Va. Pictured from left to right are head coach Catie Hamilton, Kenzie Armstrong, Tripp Morrison, Preston Lawson, Trent Renner and assist coach Blaze Armstrong.
(Photo by Kerry Patrick)

WHEELING, W.Va. — After a two-year hiatus, the St. Marys Blue Devils golf program is on top again.

Wednesday afternoon at the Jones Course at Oglebay, several schools gave the Blue Devils a run the past two days at the WVSSAC State Golf Tournament.

Gilmer County sat just one stroke back after one day then slid back into the pack, while Charleston Catholic made life interesting on Day 2 and at one juncture closed to within single digits only to have the all-tournament selections Trent Renner, Preston Lawhon and Tripp Morrison establish a roadblock over the final nine holes for a 17-stroke margin of victory.

“We have worked so hard for this – I coached these seniors (Lawhon and Renner) since seventh grade,” St. Marys coach Catie Hamilton said. “They have seen the championships that have come before them and had their eyes set on this since seventh grade.

“This is really emotional and I’m really proud of them.”

St. Marys’ Trent Renner hits out of the greenside bunker on No. 13 during Wednesday’s state tournament.
(Photo by Kerry Patrick)

After winning three straight titles from 2019-21, St. Marys’ trophy case went dry in terms of golf titles. Until Wednesday when Renner (80-78-158) flirted as medalist before placing runner-up – two strokes behind East Hardy’s Jordan Teets (82-74-156).

“My putter was hot both days,” Renner said. “I was pumped all day today. I was doing a lot of fist-pumping. I’m just proud of the team, proud of Preston for bouncing back after the first day and the first nine today.

“And Tripp. We always call him a freshman even though he is a sophomore. First day was his first time at state. He did so well. It’s a great day.”

Renner gave himself a break from the sport and did not pick up a club during the summer. The path through the regular season was a struggle for the senior. Until the postseason when coach Wells made it a point to be a constant presence and shadow the senior’s round throughout the Little Kanawha Conference meet, regionals and the state meet.

As a result, Renner flipped the switch and turned in the lowest scores of the season.

St. Marys’ Trent Renner, left, talks to head coach Catie Hamilton during Wednesday’s state tournament.
(Photo by Kerry Patrick)

“This is just awesome for the team,” Renner said. “Last year was rough. I think I shot 103 the second day. I think we were expected to win it last year and coming back empty-handed gave us some revenge coming into this year.

“It feels good bringing it back to our hometown after a long, long year. A long season. A long couple of days.”

Lawhon, who was a member of the 2021 state championship team as a freshman, struggled through the first 27 holes of the state tournament but managed to grind his way through the final stretch – similar to his finish at regionals the previous week.

By knocking eight strokes off his score from the first round, Morrison (90-82-172) tied for eighth place and gave St. Marys three all-state selections for the first time under coach Hamilton.

“We had an incredible season and no one can take that away from us,” Wells said. “We had an undefeated season against single-A team aside from the Callaway events we played against everybody throughout the state. So the road for them, individually, has been just as important as for the team. Everybody did what they had to do for the past two days.”

St. Marys’ Trent Renner, left, and Gilmer County’s Seth Stewart chat between shots during Wednesday’s state tournament.
(Photo by Kerry Patrick)

The fourth member of the St. Marys contingent – Kenzie Armstrong – tied for 17th place, which landed her in the upper half of the field.

The players’ reward resulted in the restaurant of their choice. Both Renner and Lawhon were already anticipating a night out at Fusion Japanese Steak House.

“When we made the turn for the back nine, I told the kids they had to fight,” Hamilton said. “Told them they had to put their best foot forward and do what you can do on this back nine because that’s where we sort of fell apart (Tuesday). We knew we had to play the back nine better.

“I told them they had to fight, and they did.”

Lawhon, who shared a similar experience as a freshman in winning a state title with his brother Brandon, also mentioned getting the entire team to spend time at his family cabin. Regardless of where the team ended up, coach Wells confirmed they would be treated to a hero’s welcome where fire engines would meet them at the county line and escort them into town.

St. Marys’ Preston Lawhon chips from the No. 13 fairway during Wednesday’s state tournament. Lawhon made birdie on the hole.
(Photo by Kerry Patrick)

“It was really nice having my brother watching me – he showed me the reins my freshman year,” Preston Lawhon said. “The next two years we couldn’t get the job done. It was heartbreaking. Coming into this year, we put it all on the line.

“Me personally, I didn’t play the best golf this week, but Trent Renner came up and brought us back. He was firing today. He brought the energy from what I heard today.”

A strong contingent of area golfers competed in Class A. Gilmer County, behind all-tournament selection Braylon Mencer (84-88-172), fell one spot to third place – 15 strokes shy of runner-up Charleston Catholic. Tyler Consolidated and Ravenswood brought up the rear in seventh and eighth place, respectively.

The Titans graduate two seniors and return one junior and one freshman, leaving coach Travis Woodford seeking anyone left with eligibility.

“You can’t win it on the first day, but you can definitely lose it,” Woodford said. “We didn’t give ourselves a chance today. We didn’t play very well today. We are disappointed about today, but it’s been a good season.”

Williamstown’s Toby Thompson looks over a putt on No. 18 during Wednesday’s state tournament.
(Photo by Kerry Patrick)

In Class AA, Ripley placed third and Williamstown finished sixth. Cameron Good’s 10th place finish (88-89-177) and Madilyn Buttrey’s tie for 11th place (89-179) represented the Vikings’ and Yellowjackets’ best individual finishes, respectively.

In Class AAA, Parkersburg South junior Cameron Fallon knocked one stroke off his first day result (83-82-165) to place in a tie for 17th.

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com