BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Keystone Heights High School finished well in front of the eight-team field in claiming the District 3-1A trophy on Oct. 23 at Quail Heights Country Club in Lake City.
The Indians had a team score of 320 in winning their third straight district title. They were 32 strokes ahead of runner-up Madison County in the 18-hole tournament.
Bradford placed sixth with a score of 407, while Union County was eighth with a score of 496.
Keystone, Madison and Lafayette now advance to the Region 1 finals, which will be held Monday, Oct. 30, at Jacksonville Beach Golf Club.
The Tornadoes’ Charlie Zink qualified for the Region 1 tournament by virtue of being one of the top three individuals not on one of the top three teams.
Keystone was led by Connor Guy, who won the individual district championship with a score of 72. He had a birdie and made par on 15 holes in finishing four strokes ahead of Lafayette’s Trey Galbraith and Madison’s Jarrod Sullivan.
Guy improved upon his third-place score at last year’s district finals by seven strokes.
The Indians’ Alex Addington and Ty Mitzel placed fourth and fifth, respectively, with scores of 80 and 82. Addington made par on 11 holes, while Mitzel, who improved his score from last year by five strokes, had a birdie and made par on eight holes.
Keystone’s Nick Binet and Bradford’s Zink each shot an 86 to tie for 10th. Binet had a birdie and made par on six holes, while Zink, in improving his score from last year by 15 strokes, made par on six holes.
Also earning at-large individual spots along with Zink were Branford’s Gavin Barnes and Peniel’s Turner Hersey, who each shot a sixth-place score of 85.
Though his result wasn’t part of the team score, Keystone’s Jacob Beach also played, making par on two holes to finish with a score of 100.
Union was led by Tucker Williams, who placed 23rd out of 42 with a score of 104. Williams, who improved upon his score from last year by seven strokes, made par on one hole.
The Tornadoes’ Avery Burgin made par on four holes and finished with a score of 105, while teammates Jeffrey Brugh and Robert Halsey each shot a 108. Brugh made par on two holes, while Halsey made par on three.
Patrick Maxwell shot a 127 for the Tigers, who also had the following results: Eli Elixson 129 (par on one hole), Gavin Kuhn 136 and Jordan Seay 139.
The top two teams and the top two individuals not on the top two teams will advance from the Region 1 finals to the state finals, which will be held Nov. 14-15 at Howey-in-the-Hills’ Mission Inn Resort and Club.
