Photo by Cody Nespor Wheeling Park’s Campbell Koegler putts on a green at the Jones Course during the OVAC 5A Championship.

WHEELING — To say that the Wheeling Park golf team feels comfortable heading into Tuesday’s State Tournament may be an understatement.

The Patriots’ top two golfers, senior Gavin Goodrich and junior Campbell Koegler, have each won major tournaments in the last few weeks and are playing some of their best golf of the season. Not to mention they’ll get to compete for a state title on their home turf at the Oglebay Jones Course.

“It takes a group effort, but it really helps when your No. 1 and 2 guys can play their best and put up a good number at the Jones Course,” Park coach Don Headley said.

Goodrich won his secondstraigh OVAC 5A Championship on the Jones Course two weeks ago, while Koegler led the field at the WVSSAC Class AAA Region 1 tournament at Stonewall Resort on Monday.

The Patriots also claimed the team title at the regional with a score of 231 thanks to strong rounds from Koegler (73) and Goodrich (76), who came in third.

“Monday was a good day,” Headley said. “We were very pleased with that win because anything can happen down there. That’s a tough golf course with high rough and a lot of pit falls around it. You’re just happy to go down there, get it over with and get out of there in either first or second.”

Rounding out Park’s team are senior Noah Milhoan and freshman Andrew Pennybaker. Milhoan shot 82 at the regional and Pannbacker signed for 94.

Headley knows it will take a good effort from all four if the Patriots are to claim a state championship next week.

“There’s four kids on the team and they all have to play the best that they can play,” he said. “We all know what Gavin and Campbell’s best is. Andrew and Noah have to play their best also and be as close to 80 as they can.”

Winning their regional means the Patriots will tee off with the winners’ group Tuesday, another boost on top of the team’s home course advantage that Headley is pleased about.

“That’s the advantage of winning the regional, now you get to play with all the winners of the other regions,” Headley said. “The people that you should have to beat are playing with you and then the second day the numbers line up and whoever played the best the first day are together.”

The Patriots stumbled out of the gate on the first day of last year’s tournament, effectively playing themselves out of the running for day two. Despite that, Park regrouped to play well on day two. Goodrich even shot the round of the tournament. Headley is hoping to avoid any similar let down this year.

“It’s their home course, it’s up to them to shoot a really good number,” he said. “They feel good, we know what we have to do. Now it’s just time to go execute some shots and make some putts.”

Park was one of two local teams to qualify for the state tournament, joined by Wheeling Central in Class A. Three area golfers also made it as individuals with John Marshall’s Colton Sprowls in Class AAA, Weir’s Jude Smith in AA and Tyler Consolidated’s Mason Nichols in A.

Sprowls is no stranger to the state tournament, making his third career appearance in the event. After a 12th-place finish in 2021, Sprowls hopes to make it into the top six this year.

“Colton will admit that he does not hit his driver as far as others, but his greatest strength is course management,” JM coach David Gaudino said. “When he gets in trouble, he gets himself out of trouble working hard to avoid big numbers. This season he has been very good at making big putts in critical situations.”

Sprowls shot 77 at the regional tournament to finish in fourth place.

Wheeling Central’s state tournament team consists of Justin Doerr, Landon Prager, Luke Tiu and Ryan Costanzo.

Smith was the individual runner-up at the Class AA Region 1 Tournament with a round of 81.

Nichols shot 79 at his regional, which tied with Parkersburg Catholic’s Blake Lewis. Lewis won a playoff hole to get the high seed, but both golfers qualified as individuals.