Carrollton golf counting on fourth spot to contend in EBC
The Carrollton High golf team this season is comprised of Parker Roudebush, front left, Jackson Maddern, Cameron Roudebush, Coltyn Welker, Jayden Fedorko, Eric Caldwell; Coach Chris Barto, back left, Colten Rummell, Blake Herman, Nathan Sutton, Michael Mullen, Waylon Sinclair, and coach Gary Cogan.
Thomas Clapper
It will come down to that fourth and last spot.
It takes four golfers to fill out a scoring card in stroke play. And in planning for the 2025 season, Carrollton boys golf coach Chris Barto is confident in his first three slots, thanks to the progress made by returning letter winners senior Nathan Sutton, junior Michael Mullen, and sophomoreParker Roudebush last season.
Those three golfers kept Carrollton competitive in the Eastern Buckeye Conference in 2024, a season that saw West Branch go undefeated in EBC match play. However, Minerva walked away with the crown at the EBC golf tournament while West Branch finished second and Carrollton placed fourth. Still, as a testament to the competitive balance in the conference, only eight strokes separated Minerva and the Warriors.
Sutton, Roudebush and Mullen picked up invaluable experience during last year’s campaign. For instance, Mullen carded an 82 at the Division I sectional tourney – good for eighth place – and advanced to districts individually even though the Warriors as a team finished in fourth, one spot away from qualifying. According to Barto, this gained experience that will pay dividends this season.
“Our top three guys will all shot in the low 40s and high 30s,” said Barto, and so far that has been the case for much of this season, which is already in full swing. For instance, when Carrollton faced off against Beaver Local Aug. 13, Sutton, a senior, and Mullen, a junior, posted scores of 36 and 38, respectively.
So, spots one through three are solid. But about that fourth golfer? Well, that is where Jayden Fedorko, Nevin Woods and Colton Rummell enter the equation. According to Barto, one or more golfers from this troika will have to step up.
“We will struggle to get our fourth score with a lack of varsity experience from positions four through six,” he said.
Thus far, however, results have been promising. Case in point: Rummell, one of the three newcomers, was terrific in the match against Beaver Local, entering the clubhouse with a 40. True, Carrollton did come up short in that match against the Beavers, but on most days, the Warriors’ team score of 161 would win.
As for how the EBC will shake out this year, Barto envisions another year of close calls and closer matches.
“Minerva will be strong, but I feel we will be right there,” he said. “The EBC tournament will decide the league championship at Pleasant View.”
