The Ammerman family welcomed a first child last week. Mrs. Ammerman delivered a baby girl. Mr. Ammerman would merely like to deliver another boys championship for the Covington Catholic High School golf team.
“My life just flipped upside down,” Alex Ammerman said. “Just glad the little girl joined us before golf season officially starts.”
Ammerman’s Colonels are one of several local high school boys golf teams with state tournament aspirations. They are the reigning Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Division I tournament champions with a 14-shot margin over runner-up Ryle at last year’s event. The Colonels were runners-up at the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Region 7 tournament, five shots behind winner St. Henry, the NKAC Division II champion and the local All “A” Classic champ.
CovCath is loaded with talent, returning six of last year’s top players. But there is some parity below No. 1 Mitchell Gastright, third individually at last year’s Region 7 tournament as a junior and seventh as a sophomore. Fellow senior Vince DiTommaso had the top regional finish among the other Colonels last year, placing ninth. The rest include seniors Luke Pieper and Avery Stanley and juniors Ben Unkraut, Nathan Arkenau and Jacob Thomas.
The coach is trying to figure out a way to give equal playing time to the top players behind the consistent Gastright, an eight-time CovCath medlist who won the Lexington City Junior Championship this summer. Gastright has shot 75 in each of the last two regional tournaments while qualifying for state both years. He has a hole-in-one to his credit at Ryland Lakes Country Club.
“Our lineup will be extremely fluid,” Ammerman said. “We have a lot of good golfers.”
The Colonels are not alone. St. Henry remains formidable. Region 7 individual runner-up Will Carter was part of a big sophomore class last season that helped lead the Crusaders past the Colonels at the regional. That group also included Ben Carter, Will Hammond and Charlie Bihl.
Ryle had three top-10 finishers at the regional, including Tanner Lorms (fifth), Paxton McKelvey (eighth) and Palmer McKelvey (10th).
St. Henry, CovCath and Ryle are the favorites in Region 7. St. Henry has won the region two of the last three years with a Ryle crown in between in 2021. CovCath last won the region in 2019. Topping the next tier this year are Cooper and Villa Madonna. All finished in the top five in that order last year. Villa Madonna, the reigning NKAC Division III champion, features brothers Adam Brandstetter, seventh at the regional, and Tyler Brandstetter.
The rest of the region includes Beechwood, Boone County, Calvary Christian, Conner, Covington Latin, Dixie Heights, Eminence, Heritage Academy, Holmes, Holy Cross, Scott, Simon Kenton and Walton-Verona.
Over in Region 8, three-time defending champion Highlands is in good position to keep the crown. The Bluebirds were the highest-finishing local team at last year’s state tournament and were the only local team playing on the last day.
“Any time you’re playing on the final day of the state tournament, you’ve had a good year,” Highlands coach Bert Richey said. “I’ve got several talented players back again this year. I’ve got four kids vying for the fifth spot.”
The Bluebirds’ top returnee is Region 8 medalist Hank Shick, a junior who scored 72 to win the individual crown. Behind him at the regional were senior Ryan Toole and fellow juniors Nate Surrey and Oliver Golden, representing a solid top four.
Returning Region 8 runner-up Campbell County, fourth-place Bishop Brossart and Newport Central Catholic represent the best of the rest of the region’s local contingent. The Camels and Mustangs lost a lot to graduation.
Sophomore Talen Beane leads the Camels. He was sixth individually at last year’s Region 8 tournament. Senior Caleb Eaglin, third at the regional and tied for 33rd at state as the area’s best finisher, is NewCath’s top player. Bellevue doesn’t have a full squad, but the Tigers boast one of the area’s top golfers in junior T.J. Sorrell, fifth at last year’s Region 8 event. Sorrell is the son of Bellevue girls basketball coach Tommy Sorrell.
In the second year of a new format, the top two teams in each of the 12 regions and the top 10 scorers not on those teams advance to the first round of the state tournament, which is featured at three different courses across the state. One of them this year happens to be at the Willows Golf Course.
The top three teams and top 15 scorers not on those teams in each of the three first-round events move on to October’s state finals in Bowling Green.