South County and Hayfield Wrap Up Golf Seasons at Regionals

South County and Hayfield appeared together in the Northern Region golf tournament for the first time in a number of years, and while the schools finished sixth and eighth in the eight-team field, players and coaches said Tuesday’s play capped great seasons.

The Stallions, under head coach John Caulfield, won the Patriot District for the first time in the young school’s history, and while none of the team’s members moved on to the state tournament as individuals, the experience bodes well for the future in Lorton.

“We played really hard with very tough conditions,” Caulfield said, referencing the chill and cold that dominated Day 1 on Monday, and the bluster that forced players to keep their balls low on Tuesday. “Right now, the next step in the process is trying to get past the regionals and get to the states. We had really high hopes to do that this year because being at Laurel Hill, we would have had a bit of a home court advantage.”

The VHSL golf championship will pit the top two teams from each of the state’s four regions along with six individual qualifiers in Lorton on Oct. 10 and 11.

The primary scorers for the Stallions were Josh Carey, Mary Barbero, David Rabil and Taylor Wirth. Rabil, a freshman, led the team with a 81-77 for a two-day score 158, which earned a tie for 16^th. Barbero, a senior, combined to shoot at 165, and will attempt to qualify for the girls’ state tournament later this month.

The senior trio of Barbero, Wirth, and Carey will leave South County knowing they helped the school accomplish a major goal – winning the Patriot District.

“We’ve played together since freshman year,” said Wirth, who went 91-84-175. “We’ve always just pushed each other and our coach has always helped us along the way. That’s gotten us good enough to be able to compete against everybody else.”

Caulfield said there’s no secret t being successful in tournament golf.

“You have to work very hard on the fundamentals in the offseason,” he said. “Short game, general preparation, all the things that are the focus of a competitive, tournament player.”

But the team’s accomplishment this year shouldn’t be overlooked.

“It was a big milestone for the program and the school.”

Up the road at Hayfield, the Hawks handled a rocky regional tournament by taking solace in the fact that they made the event as a team for the first time since they moved to the National District.

“The seniors who are graduating, we’ve have three really good years. We’ve gone 22-2 in the regular season the only school we’ve lost to was Yorktown,” said coach James Purdham. “It’s a test to get out of your district in the top two regardless of what district you’re in.”

Senior Megan Budnik led Hayfield with an 86-86-172, good for 40^th place. She’ll be playing in the girls’ state tournament later this month. While Trey Larson, a junior, didn’t play particularly well on Tuesday (he stepped in for Kyle Gray as the Hawks’ sixth player), he loved the chance to get experience on the regional stage, and he plans to prepare better for next season.

“I could have taken it a little more seriously over the summer. I did try, but not as hard as I should have,” he said. “Now that I know what it takes to play here, I’m definitely going to do better, take it more seriously and practice more shots in practice.”

Purdham admits the 2012 season will be a rebuilding year for Hayfield, but he’s looking forward to coaching Erin Drolet again, who will be the Hawks’ top returning player. She finished with a 181 over two days, and will try to qualify for the girls’ state tournament for the second-consecutive year.

“I really hope that I can make it back. It’s really fun to play with a bunch of girls who are just playing really well,” she said.