For much of the season, it looked as though nobody in the 7th Region would come close to challenging Ryle.
The Raiders were rolling through region foes with wide margins, setting the tone as the clear favorite. But as the season progressed, Covington Catholic emerged as a legitimate contender. The Colonels surged down the stretch, even outpacing Ryle in back-to-back events leading into the regional tournament, a signal that the Raiders’ reign might be in jeopardy.
When the two teams finally met with the season on the line Tuesday at Boone Links Golf Course in Florence, Ryle responded with one of its strongest performances of the season. The Raiders posted a five-over 293 to win the Region 7 title by 10 strokes, securing their second championship in the past three years after finishing runner-up to St. Henry on the same course a year ago.
“We have the talent, it was just a matter of willing to commit to just executing on our game plan,” Raiders coach Mark McKelvey said. “That’s exactly what happened. We turned the corner today, which gives me a lot of confidence going into semi state. When the pressure is at its most, this is where we really did step up as a team, and shot a really good number today. I’m really proud of the guys for that.”
Paxton McKelvey led the charge, firing a two-under 70 to claim medalist honors. He opened hot, then managed the wet, rain-soaked course with precision to stay clear of trouble.
“Got hot with the putter early and got to three-under,” McKelvey said. “After that just kind of cruised and played conservative. Didn’t really want to make any big numbers so hit some irons off the tee and made a bunch of pars. Senior year, this feels great to win.”
Close behind was teammate Thomas Leone, who battled back from a slow start to card a one-under 71 and finish runner-up. Ryle’s depth carried the rest: Hayden Li tied for fourth with a 75, Chandler James added a 77 to tie for 10th, and Jake Roscoe rounded out the day with an 83 in a tie for 28th (only four scores count towards team scoring).
For Ryle, the victory was more than a trophy — it was an answer to the late-season wake-up call CovCath had provided.
“We have a lot of respect for Covington Catholic and every year they’re good and they’re a great competitive team,” Mark McKelvey said. “But we believe in ourselves and what we can bring to the table.”
The Colonels, meanwhile, showed just how far they’ve come. Joseph Mangine highlighted their lineup with a 73, a round that featured six birdies but was slowed by late back-to-back double bogeys. Carson White tied for fourth with a 75, while Brady Pagnotto tied for eighth with a 76. Matt Noe (79, 16th) and Marcus Diiulio (81, 20th) rounded out the scoring. CovCath’s runner-up finish sends them into next week’s first round of the state tournament alongside Ryle, a scenario that may have seemed unlikely just a month ago.
“I think we played 13 different kids at varsity because we’re just trying to find who would earn a spot,” Colonels coach Ryan Lubbers said. “I think this is only the fourth time we’ve all played together, because we had so much competition. Our guys played great today. This was our lowest score of the year.”
Joining them at Pendleton Hills Golf Course in Butler will be 10 individuals who qualified outside of the top two teams: Dixie Heights’ Jack Woolwine (75), Will Steczynski (77) and Kyle Flynn (80); Villa Madonna’s Tyler Brandstetter (75); Beechwood’s Jace Hammons (76) and Kayden Sautter (78); St. Henry’s Parker Isaacs (77) and Jake Montgomery (78); Walton-Verona’s Adam Gutman (78) and Conner’s Max Brunkel (80). Flynn and Brunkel secured the final two spots in a playoff against Scott’s Colton Jones.
From there, the road only gets tougher. At the first round, Regions 5-8 will compete, the top three teams and next 15 individuals will punch tickets to the state final rounds in Bowling Green. With powerhouses St. Xavier and Christian Academy-Louisville from the 6th Region expected to advance, another Ryle-CovCath showdown could determine who claims the final spot.
“Beat Ryle,” Lubbers said. “That’s ultimately because those Louisville schools are really good. Find a way to beat Ryle and hopefully qualify. We really like that course, played there a few times and our guys really like it. If not, hopefully we can get a few guys to qualify.”
For now, though, Ryle has shown it can meet the challenge — even when it comes from a familiar rival.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs this year,” Paxton McKelvey said. “The team camaraderie and believing and trusting each other throughout the year especially today, came in handy.”
Team and Individual Scores
Boone Links Golf Course
Par 72
*Ryle — 293 (Paxton McKelvey 70, Thomas Leone 71, Hayden Li 75, Chandler James 77, Jake Roscoe 83)
*Covington Catholic — 303 (Joseph Mangine 73, Carson White 75, Brady Pagnotto 76, Matt Noe 79, Marcus Diiulio 81)
Dixie Heights — 314 (**Jack Woolwine 75, **Will Steczynski 77, **Kyle Flynn 80, Oliver Nieheus 82, Lucas Powers 84)
St. Henry — 320 (**Parker Isaacs 77, **Jake Montgomery 78, Barrett McCollough 81, Hugh Wright 84, Parker Lutz 86)
Beechwood — 331 (**Jace Hammons 76, **Kayden Sautter 78, Quentin Knasel 88, Cameron Dillie 89, Griffin Eck 94)
Simon Kenton — 337 (Landon Smith 82, Nolan Goetz 83, Nolan Stone 85, Noah Hardcorn 87, Caleb Uhl 90)
Conner — 338 (**Max Brunkel 80, Noah Johansing 82, Owen Key 87, Zac Heilman 89, Tucker Lee 96)
Cooper — 351 (Liam Norton 82, William Hamblen 89, Mason Noel 90, Jarrett Turner 90, Brody Stout 91)
Walton-Verona — 356 (**Adam Gutman 78, Jacob Gore 91, Logan Bach 93, Tristan Clifton 94, Oliver Pfeffer 96)
Villa Madonna — 364 (**Tyler Brandstetter 75, Drew Gray 86, Drew Thomas 98, Austin Ash 105, Logan Brown 106)
Holy Cross — 373 (Grady Houston 82, Wyatt Owens 84, Grant Heidenreich 103, Luke Stewart 104)
Individuals: Colton Jones (Scott) 80, Dylan Piper (Calvary Christian) 82, Grayson Oster (Calvary Christian) 93, Trent Stone (Calvary Christian) 96, Will Burns (Boone County) 99, Oscar Kawaniski (Heritage Christian) 99, Landen Kuhn (Scott) 99, Matthew Miles (Heritage Christian) 101, Daniel Cahill (Scott) 107, Ayden Kays (Boone County) 112
*= Qualified to the first round of the state tournament as a team.
**= Qualified to the first round of the state tournament as an individual.