Local high school golfers have spent the past several weeks playing in various championship matches. Following the Alachua County Championships, teams hit the links for their respective District and Regional tournaments. Here’s a look at how the local squads fared:

Buchholz & Oak Hall Girls Excel

The Buchholz High girls golf team advanced to the Region 2A-2 Championships, which were held at the Jacksonville Beach Golf Club. The Bobcats did not have any State qualifiers, but the team enjoyed a good season.

The Buchholz team qualified for Regionals with a third place finish out of nine teams at the District 2A-4 Championships, which were held at Ironwood Golf Club. Junior Nicole Boyett led the Bobcats by shooting a 78 and the ‘Cats posted an overall team score of 377. Freshman Carly Anderson (92), junior Vanessa Vogler (100) and freshman Sarah Kasprow (107) contributed.

At the District 1A-7 Championships, the Oak Hall girls team was victorious at the University of Florida golf course. The Eagles captured the title with an impressive team score of 372. Oak Hall was led by sixth grader Lauren Gros, who was the overall tournament champion with a score of 71. St. Francis junior Angela Marzak shot a 76 to finish third overall.

Prior to their District tournaments, the Buchholz and Oak Hall girls clashed at West End Golf Club at the Alachua County Championships.

Boyett claimed the overall championship for the second consecutive year, after defeating Gainesville’s Ashley Shinn in two playoff holes. Boyett finished her 18-hole round with an impressive score of 70 (35-35).

However, the Oak Hall girls, who were undefeated during the fall regular season, won the overall team title with a team score of 316. Oak Hall sixth graders Gros and Taylor Tomlinson led the Eagles by shooting 73. Sixth grader Caroline Holloway shot an 84 and eight grader Allie Crowers and sixth grader Chandler Whitefield each shot 86. Oak Hall seventh grader Colleen McIntosh won the overall title for the JV division.

“It has been a great season,” says Oak Hall coach Julie Stupianski. “We have a lot of players who contribute to the scores.” Stupianski says her team was never intimidated, despite the youth of its players.

The Buchholz girls finished second at the County Championships, coming in six strokes behind Oak Hall. The ‘Cats were led by Boyett, Anderson, who finished third overall with a 72, Vogler (87), junior Ashley Chaffin (93) and Kasprow (101).

“We’re going to be alright,” says Buchholz coach Marilyn Booher. “We have three juniors and two freshmen, so everybody will keep working and will be back next year.”

Local Boys Enjoy Solid Season

Buchholz High sophomore Bodi Karsono was the only Bobcat to qualify for Regionals. Karsono shot an 18-hole round of 82 (42 on the front nine, 40 on the back). “(The score) was uncharacteristic of (Bodi’s) performances all season,” says Buchholz coach Brian Tribby. Karsono averaged 36.9 per nine holes throughout the regular season. “Bodi is a great golfer and an even better person,” says Tribby.?“I am looking forward to watching him develop as both a golfer and a young man.”

The Buchholz boys fell short of winning a title at the District 4A-2 Championships, which were held at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine. The ‘Cats finished fourth with a team score of 320. Karsono, who shot a 75, finished sixth overall. Buchholz sophomores Alex Slaton and Jordan Ebanks both shot 80, senior Stephen Wilson contributed an 85 and senior Darrin Laforce shot an 86.

At the District 1A-7 Championships, St. Francis junior Matt Gagnon shot a 75 to finish tied for fourth, which qualified him for Regionals. The Oak Hall boys, under coach John Gaston, also advanced to Regionals as a team, after finishing second by just four strokes to Trinity Catholic. Eagles freshman J.D. Tomlinson took third overall with a 74 and freshman Parker Jones shot a 75.

The Buchholz boys team at least earned local bragging rights by winning the Alachua County Championships at Gainesville Golf & Country Club. The Bobcats were led by Karsono, who shot a 4-over-par 76 to win the overall title. Slaton finished second after carding a 77 and winning a scorecard tiebreaker over two other players, including St. Francis High’s Matt Gagnon, who finished fourth. The Bobcats’ Laforce (78) finished fifth and Ebanks (79) and Wilson (84) helped Buchholz win the team title by 18 strokes. It was the ‘Cats’ fifth straight title.