SOUTH ZANESVILLE — At this point, no one is surprised at Gavin Gress’ golf exploits.
River View’s freshman, with more than 250 tournament wins to his credit since he began playing competitively at 6, has proven to be a quick study at the high school level.
Within a week he earned winning medals in the Muskingum Valley League and Division II sectional tournaments, which came after he secured MVL Player of the Year honors for the league’s top Match Performance Rating.
Now he can add a bigger one to his resumé.
A third straight day of rain had EagleSticks soaked on Monday for the Division II district tournament. But Gress navigated the difficult playing conditions admirably, posting a 2-under-par 68 that earned medalist honors and secured one of the two individual qualifying spots for the state tournament.
Gress finished five shots better than Indian Valley’s Deagan Beaber, who shot 74 and survived a playoff with Meadowbrook’s Ben Coss for the final qualifying spot. The state will be held Oct. 13-14 at Firestone Country Club’s North Course in Akron.
Gress joins champion St. Clairsville and runner-up John Glenn, who qualified as teams with 309 and 310, respectively. Indian Valley was third (314), Meadowbrook fourth (325), West Muskingum fifth (334), Beaver Local sixth (352), Uhrichsville Claymont seventh (371) and Martins Ferry eighth (375).
River View’s Caleb Kline shot 77 and Maysville’s Hoyt Dodson and Philo’s A.J. Layton, playing as individuals, shot 85.
The entire field played most of their rounds in steady rain as the remnants from Hurricane Helene made their final bit of noise in the Muskingum Valley.
Gress was among those undeterred. He made the turn at 1-under and sank a downhill 40-footer for birdie on the par-3 17th to provide an emphatic culmination.
When asked where this round stood on his list, he said only the 8-under 64 he shot at Hickory Flats compares.
“That was my best round ever,” Gress said of his 64. “But this is right up there. My putter was on fire.”
His dad and coach, Chad Gress, said nerves were never a factor. Per usual, the freshman proved mature beyond his birth certificate.
“I was way more worried about this than he was,” Chad Gress said. “I had to go get him out of bed this morning. You’d have never even known he was playing in a golf tournament today.”
John Glenn gets back to familiar place
The Muskies were stuck in the depths of Division I for two years, fighting for dear life with the best the deep and talented Central District had to offer to keep their postseason success on track.
They were close in 2023, reaching the Apple Valley district, but Noah Dever and Co. ultimately fell short. The return to Division II had them back in their happy place.
C.J. Dolan’s 74 and Noah Dever’s 75 led the team, with Hayden Gensor checking in at 80 and Cooper Briggs 81.
It marked their sixth state berth under coach Chad Orecchio.
“I knew it was going to be tough today and with the conditions you really had to be a grinder out there,” Orecchio said. “And there was no way to prepare for today, because obviously it hasn’t rained. You’ve got a whole different worry when it does this. Are we keeping our stuff as dry as we can? Do we have rain gear, umbrellas? It brings all of that into the equation. We did a really good job of just focusing and being mentally tough.”
Many players wore dual rain gloves and had hats on backwards by the end of the round, the residual effect of water build-up on players’ bills that dripped and threw off focus. It was an example of an added measure of difficulty that each player faced.
Dever said the biggest challenge he faced was simply making solid contact. He echoed his coach in that it wasn’t a day for the psychologically fragile.
“If you didn’t hit the ball first it wasn’t going anywhere,” Dever said. “Normally I hit a fade, but with the ground being so soft I had to play it back in my stance and hit a draw.”
It was the steady play of the D&D Express that essentially carried the Muskies’ mail. It took a 78 from St. Clairsville’s No. 5 man, Ethan Turner, to prevent them from winning.
“Dever was solid and C.J. was great all day,” Orecchio said. “If you get those anchors you’ve got a chance.”
West Muskingum’s Reid Lemity made his own run at the final qualifying spot, as he stood at 2-over with three holes to play before finishing at 77. No. 5 man Jack Touvell added 83 and Nick Anton and Kyle Porter had 87 for the Tornadoes, who won their third straight MVL-Small School Division title this season.
Lemity tied for 10th with Kline of 48 players.
“Overall I was happy with the way I played,” Lemity said. “Two-over through 15, then I played bad after that. With the weather, everyone had to deal with that. It was hard to stay consistent.
“I was happy with how I finished,” Lemity added. “Getting fourth at the MVL (Tournament) and second at sectional, coming here I had high expectations for what I could do. Shooting 77 with the way the weather was the shape the course was in, I’m happy with it.”
sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Gavin Gress, John Glenn punch state tickets at EagleSticks
