C. Milton Wright’s Jack Geyer wins Class 2A/1A state golf championship; South Carroll repeats as team champs
COLLEGE PARK — A hefty burden placed upon the University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. The MPSSAA state golf championships overloaded the grounds with 120 golfers, ensuring almost every one of the 18 holes would be in use at any given moment from morning until mid-afternoon.
Toward the end of it all, a heavy portion of eyes were on Class 2A/1A boys leader Jack Geyer of C. Milton Wright and three competitors closely threatening his advantage. They finally made their way to the final tee box while everyone else awaited their finishes to tally up the final team totals.
Geyer, who woke up on Wednesday as the lone golfer in his division under par, never trailed before sinking the final putt to finish with a two-day total of 1-under-par 171, five shots clear of Queen Anne’s Nathan Smith and six ahead of Fallston’s Cam Konkle and Patrick Carl, who’s South Carroll Cavaliers rallied past C. Milton Wright on the final day to win the team title for the second straight year.
“It was tight,” Geyer said. “There were a lot of great players out here and it got tight down the stretch. It feels great to pull this one out, but [my competitors] were all amazing.”
A decorated golfer with a college commitment at Loyola Maryland in hand, he’s still constantly trying to prove himself on any big stage that presents itself to him. A year after he admits he “folded like a lawn chair” in the second half of 2023’s title event, he chased those memories out of the College Park course upon his return to take home top individual honors.
“This was definitely big, because I felt like I’d been knocking on the door of this tournament for a little bit, so for me to close it out just feels special,” he said. “I tried not to remember [last year], but still learn from it.”
His final numbers fail to capture how close the race got in the middle, when he made some critical errors in a game that’s merciless in swallowing any competitors without rock-solid composure and focus.
Geyer was cruising until midway through the course until he fired off a series that included a lip out putt out on the eighth hole, another one that fully spun around and out of the cup on No. 9, and a poor drive on No. 10 that allowed Smith to briefly tie him.
He refused to flinch, though, maintaining his shoulders-behind-the-back walk when assessing the damage and keeping calm, thanks in part to his father, Randy, chatting him up about the previous night’s World Series game, even as he entered the final third of the tournament.
“You live and die out there with every shot,” said Randy, who spent the day struggling to decide whether he wanted to watch his son or look away out of nerves. “I’m a baseball coach. I say to other parents, ‘You know how you feel watching your son go to bat three to four times a game? Try that over 72-75 strokes.’”
The younger Geyer was still acutely aware of his situation, but trusted himself to evade the danger by checking the constant updates of the standings.
“Looking at the leaderboard, especially when I started falling back a little bit, I had to see who was coming up,” he said. “Whenever I saw that, I knew I had to make a move.”
South Carroll’s Patrick Carl shot a 70 on Wednesday, the best round during the final day of the MPSSAA state golf championship. (Brian Krista/Staff)
But the biggest move of the day was made by Carl and the Cavaliers.
South Carroll was 12 shots behind the Mustangs after Tuesday’s first round, but coach Matt Joseph knew what his foursome was capable of.
“They played like they’ve been playing all season,” Joseph said of the difference Wednesday. “I feel like they felt confident [Tuesday]. They knew if we just played to our average — and we’ve been shooting in the 140s for nine-hold matches pretty much all season — we figured no one needs to do anything special, no one needs to push. … I don’t know if they did get nervous, maybe they were too conservative where they weren’t playing their game. I don’t know. But that was definitely one of the biggest hiccups we’ve had in a while.
“But they seemed good yesterday when they left. They saw it as a positive. They saw they all had strokes to make up. … We said ‘We got to lock in tomorrow and do what we do.’ And they did. We shot a 303, we’ve been right around that number most of the year. They played the golf they’ve been playing for the past year.”
Carl improved from a 77 Tuesday to a 70 Wednesday, the low round of the day. He moved from a tie for 11th to a tie for third. Michael Valerio improved by nine shots. After an 88 on Tuesday he shot 79 Wednesday. Mason Peak followed up an 80 with a 72 and Jack Laur improved from an 85 to 82.
“They all push each other,” Joseph said. “I had probably three or four kids back home, they’re so supportive. Chase [Loden] was there today, Josh [Vendemia] was there today. They are all so supportive of each other. Knowing you have that many people out there rooting for you, I think just gives you the confidence to know, as a team, we got this.”
South Carroll totaled 633 for the event. C. Milton Wright finished second place, nine shots behind the Cavaliers with a two-day total of 642. Backing Geyer was Ryan Kilchenstein (158), Sean Downey (161) and Alex Ashman (182).
The state champ, for his part, can rest easy now that he’s completed an undefeated season, having won each of his matches save for a pair of ties. “His love for the game goes unmatched,” coach Melissa Berardelli said. “Today was his day. I look forward to following his golf career…Loyola is lucky to have him.”
Broadneck’s Ben Coe attempts a putt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Southern’s Winston Thomas hits a chip shot during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Howard’s Krish Patel attempts a putt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Marriotts Ridge’s George Williamson lines up a putt attempt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Westminster’s Luke DiDio hits out of a bunker during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
South Carroll’s Mason Peak hits a tee shot during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Crofton’s Owen Newberry hits an approach shot to the green during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Marriotts Ridge’s George Williamson hits an approach shot to the green during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
North Harford’s Greg Sebring hits an approach shot from the fairway during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
C. Milton Wright’s Jack Geyer hits a tee shot during the final round of the MPSSAA state golf championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
C. Milton Wright’s Jack Geyer watches a putt roll to the cup during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Broadneck’s Ben Coe competes during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Fallston’s Cam Konkle hits out of a bunker during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
C. Milton Wright’s Jack Geyer sinks a putt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
C. Milton Wright’s Sean Downey chips onto the green during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Broadneck’s Michael Peterson chips onto the green during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Fallston’s John Morton chips onto the green during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Dulaney’s Ryan Dannenfelser rolls a long putt to the cup during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
South Carroll’s Patrick Carl shot a 70 on Wednesday, the best round during the final day of the MPSSAA state golf championship. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Fallston’s Cam Konkle chips onto the green during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Crofton’s Owen Newberry chips onto the green during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Crofton’s Ty Swann attempts a putt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Catonsville’s Brayden Bates attempts a putt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Marriotts Ridge’s George Williamson lines up a putt attempt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Manchester Valley’s Jackson Streett rolls a putt to the cup during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Marriotts Ridge’s George Williamson chips onto the green during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Manchester Valley’s Matt Slivosky chips onto a green during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
River Hill’s Michelle Yeung hits an approach shot to the green during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Fallston’s Sarai Moss hits a shot from the fairway during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Harford Tech’s Kacy Day hits a tee shot during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
River Hill’s Michelle Yeung lines up a putt attempt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Fallston’s Sarai Moss rolls a putt into the cup during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
River Hill’s Michelle Yeung attempts a putt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Severna Park’s Nicol Chovanec attempts a putt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Marriotts Ridge’s Lila Becker hits an approach shot from the fairway during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Broadneck’s Summer Stroop competes during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
River Hill’s Evelyn Park attempts a putt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
1 of 37
Broadneck’s Ben Coe attempts a putt during the final round of the MPSSAA Golf State Championships at University of Maryland Golf Course on Wednesday. (Brian Krista/Staff)
Fallston finished third with a 651, led by Konkle’s 147. Sarai Moss added a 161, John Morton carded a 163 and Ronald Barkhorn finished with a 180. Hereford was fifth (670) led by Nikhil Rao (159)
Individually, Southern’s Winston Thomas finished fifth with a 148. Peak (152) was seventh and Southern’s Hank Lewis was eighth (153).
In the girls division, Harford Tech’s Kacy Day tied for third with rounds of 77 and 78 for a 155. Moss was sixth, Harford Tech’s Olivia O’Connor was eighth (166) and Glenelg’s Samadhi Tennakoon was 10th (170).
Leave A Comment