An excellent season continues for Panther men’s golf.
After a stellar start to the season, earning seven of eight possible team wins over their first four matches, on the week of March 11 Franklin faced another busy schedule. Versus 11 area opponents including all six Mountain Seven rivals, Ryan Raby’s team proved they’re a conference title contender.
On Monday, March 11, Franklin traveled to Springdale Resort in Canton for a unique outing. There, the entire Mountain Seven gathered for a kind of conference tournament preview, pitting each team’s top five golfers against each other in a massive match.
As one of the conference’s best golfers through two weeks, sophomore Tanner Jones continued to impress in Canton, shooting the second-lowest round of any team with 76 strokes. Jones’ round was just four strokes over par for the 18-hole course, and three behind Pisgah’s Matthew Mehaffey’s 73.
Junior Cole Martin also shot one of the day’s best rounds, tying two other golfers for fourth overall with 80. Senior Ashton Shope shot Franklin’s third-lowest round at 83, with junior Max McClure hot on his heels at 86. Senior Cameron Trubicza rounded out the Panther scorecard at 91.
As a team Franklin’s top four scores added up to 325, good for second place behind Pisgah’s 314. Tuscola finished in a distant third with 358.
After their strong showing at Springdale, the next day the team traveled to Georgia for a match at Sky Valley Country Club. Versus Murphy, Highlands, Hayesville, Robbinsville and Andrews, Franklin recorded the two lowest scores on the day, with Jones traversing nine holes in an even-par 36 and promising freshman Ryland Angel finishing with 40.
After Robbinsville’s Isaiah Brown (41), Shope and junior Gabe Stilwell tied for fourth at 42, with Martin hot on their heels at 43. As a team Franklin’s top four scores added up to 160, handily beating second-place Murphy’s 185. With so many different golfers consistently turning in low scores, Raby said he’ll be hard-pressed to select a lineup for postseason play.
“We’ll eventually work towards a set lineup, and that depends on the kids,” he said. “If the younger kids keep playing well and turning in good scores when we qualify, then it’s kind of hard for me to lock anybody in. But eventually, we’ll try to get to where we’ve got two, three, maybe four people locked in, and maybe leave one or two spots open so those guys can compete. It just depends on how steady the guys are playing.”
Selected by Raby based on intrasquad rounds throughout the week, no two Panther lineups have been the same so far this season. While the team’s depth presents a real conundrum for Raby, the coach said it’s more than a good problem to have.
“I like where we’re at right now. We’ve got several guys battling every day to be in the top five and earn the right to play in the matches,” he said. “In my seven years of coaching golf, I have never had a team with this much depth. I know I’ve said it before, but the kids have worked really hard to put themselves in this position – many, many hours of practicing on their own and with each other away from our normal team time. I can’t brag on them enough.”