KHHS wins inaugural Public School Championship, BHS places 6th
Keystone won the inaugural Florida 1A Public School Golf Championship, defeating Frostproof in a playoff round. Pictured (l-r) are Coach Ryan Begue, Jacob Beach, Hunter Sheppard, Ty Mitzel, Will Begue and Nate Bardier.
BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Keystone Heights High School Boys Golf Coach Ryan Begue knew what the statistics said. If his team played to those statistics, it wasn’t going to return home with a trophy.
Four of the Indians’ five players bettered their season averages, with Hunter Sheppard sinking a putt in the playoff round as Keystone won the inaugural Florida 1A Public School Golf Championship, which was held Oct. 25 at Quail Heights Country Club in Lake City.
“I was blown away,” Begue said.
Keystone earned the sixth seed in the eight-team tournament, though fifth seed Northview didn’t participate due to a number of its players having FFA commitments that same day.
Still, Begue said his team was a “major underdog” to the top three seeds: Frostproof, Fort Meade and Lafayette. In talking to his players beforehand, he told them placing fifth was a “realistic” goal. If they played “really good,” they could be fourth, while placing third would be an “amazing” accomplishment.
The Indians surpassed amazing.
Keystone finished tied with Frostproof in regulation, with each team having an 18-hole score of 324. That set up the playoff round in which all five of each team’s players took turns playing a hole. The Indians trailed the Bulldogs early, then tied it up before Sheppard came up clutch. Sheppard had to hit around a tree on his second swing, while his third swing had him pitching a shot up out of the rough from 50-60 yards out.
Keystone’s Ty Mitzel (center) receives his medal for a third-place finish. He’s pictured with Keystone Coach Ryan Begue (far left) and Lafayette Coach Robbie Kerby. Begue and Kerby worked together to make the Public School Championship a reality.
into the hole from approximately 17 feet out to make par and give his team the win.
Fort Meade placed third behind Keystone and Frostproof with a score of 325, while Walton (336) and Lafayette (337) were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Bradford, which made the tournament as an alternate due to Northview not participating, placed sixth with a score of 345. The Tornadoes finished four strokes ahead of Holmes County and five strokes ahead of Baker.
The top eight teams out of the state’s 36 traditional public schools in Class 1A (not including Union County, which didn’t compete with a full team this year) qualified for the event based on iwannamaker.com rankings that factored in averages and course difficulty.
Trophies were awarded to the championship and runner-up teams, while medallions were presented to the top five individuals as well as every individual on the first- and second-place teams.
Keystone’s Ty Mitzel finished tied for third with Hilliard’s Brayden Allen. Each shot a 74, leaving them trailing medalist Nolan Hyatt of Cocoa Beach by four strokes and Jordan Castillo of Frostproof by three strokes.
Mitzel had four birdies and made par on seven holes, with only two bogeys on his first 13 holes.
It was an incredible day for Mitzel and his teammates. Begue said his team had failed to play to its potential all season, so he knew the majority of his players would have to have their best rounds to even be in contention for the championship.
The Indians got just that, with Mitzel, Sheppard and Jacob Beach all finishing approximately 10 strokes better than their averages. Nate Bardier shot slightly better than his average, while Will Begue finished right at his.
“They went off,” Coach Begue said, noting that Frostproof and Fort Meade both played better than their season average.
Beach, who had a birdie and made part on 11 holes, placed seventh with a score of 76. He made par on his first six holes.
Sheppard, who had a birdie and made par on eight holes, was part of a five-way tie for 22nd. He, Lyndan Flanary of Holmes County, Grant Goodman of Holmes County, Harrison Jackson of Lafayette and Thomas Watts of Baker each finished with a score of 85.
Bardier, who had two birdies and made par on two holes, shot a 33rd-place score of 89.
Will Begue shot a 94, finishing in a four-way tie for 35th with Zach Dent of Fort Meade, Jadon Frenette of Frostproof and Will Sirola of Lafayette. Begue made par on two holes.
“It was definitely a day to remember,” Coach Begue said.
The Public School Championship was created to give public schools a chance to play for something as part of a more even playing field. With Class 1A dominated by private schools, public schools don’t have a realistic chance of competing for a championship as part of the Florida High School Athletic Association’s state series.
Participating teams will still take part in the FHSAA state series, which begin this week with district tournaments. Keystone will play in the District 1 tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Bradford made the tournament as an alternate and wound up placing sixth out of eight teams. Pictured (l-r) are Tucker Griffis, Charlie Zink, Steven Carter, Cody Spratlin and Avery Burgin.
Tornadoes led by Spratlin and Zink
Bradford, like Keystone, played better than where it was seeded. Bradford was the top alternate after the original eight qualifiers were chosen. With Northview not participating, the Tornadoes entered as the eighth seed, but improved upon that by two spots.
Tornadoes Coach David Duncan said his team would’ve been a higher seed, but Charlie Zink missed four weeks due to an injury. Duncan said Bradford was as high as third and fourth in the iwannamaker.com rankings before Zink’s injury.
“We’re a different team (when healthy),” Duncan said.
Zink and teammate Cody Spratlin each shot a 79 and were part of a five-way tie for 10th with Elijah Harrell of Fort Meade, Champ Stokes of Baker and Andrew Wingate of Fort Meade. Spratlin made par on his first six holes and made par on 11 overall. Zink had three birdies and made par on eight holes.
Bradford’s Avery Burgin, who had a birdie and made par on seven holes, shot an 86, tying him for 27th with Ethan Griffis of Frostproof. Duncan said a sub-90 was “phenomenal for a second-year guy to shoot.”
First-year players Steven Carter and Tucker Griffis placed 42nd and 44th, respectively. Carter, who made par on five holes, shot a 101, which tied him with Cy McGowan of Holmes County.
Griffis’ score was 107.
Duncan expressed his appreciation of the efforts of Keystone Coach Begue and Lafayette Coach Robbie Kerby for making the Public School Championship a reality.
“It’s a lot of work,” Duncan said. “Kudos to those guys for stepping up and getting it done.”
Bradford being able to put itself in position to qualify for the first-ever Public School Championship is a testament to the community support it has received, Duncan said. His program received $14,000 that went toward such things as practice equipment and virtual simulators. Future plans include adding a chipping and putting area at the former site of the baseball field.
“That’s where we’re going to get better,” Duncan said.
The Tornadoes will play in the District 3 tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at Capital City Country Club in Tallahassee.
