2024 Central Ohio High School Golf: Top guys to watch this season
Who are the top high school golfers to watch for the 2024 OHSAA season?
By the looks of things, the Central Ohio high school boys golf season will once again feature exciting competition in all three divisions.
In Division I, Olentangy Liberty, Upper Arlington and DeSales finished third, fourth and fifth at the state championships last year. Perennial Dublin Jerome have a new coach in Brad Sparling and hope to make up for last season’s sixth-place finish at the district championships.
With the graduation of Vaughn Harber from DeSales, who now plays for Ohio State, there will be a new individual state champion in the big school division.
Dublin Jerome Boys golf coach Brad Sparling previews 2024 season
Dublin Jerome Boys golf coach Brad Sparling discusses what the 2024 season looks like for his team.
In Division II, Columbus Academy is aiming for an eighth consecutive finish. The Vikings return four players from last season’s third-place team.
In Division III, Newark Catholic has finished second at state for two straight years. Senior Brogan Sullivan and junior Bobby Kieber are expected to lead the Green Wave.
Because Ohio State refuses to continue hosting the state tournament, two of the three boys competitions have been moved to courses outside of central Ohio. Division I will be held Oct. 14 and 15 at NCR Country Club in Kettering, while Division II will be held Oct. 13 and 14 at Firestone Country Club in Akron. Division III will be held Oct. 11 and 12 at NorthStar in Sunbury.
Here are 12 Central Ohio golfers to watch this fall:
Noah Andry, Olentangy Liberty
The junior is one of four players who competed for Liberty at the state level last season. Andry finished 22nd at the state level (156) after finishing 11th at the district level (76). He finished with a 72.25 average in OCC Central play and was named to the league’s first team.
Bric Baird, Upper Arlington
The senior is a key player returning for the Golden Bears as they look to make up for the loss of Brady Catalano and Chase Bokker by graduating. Baird, who has committed to Miami University, finished 28th at the state level (158) last season. He finished 31st at the district level (80) and was a second-team All-OCC Central selection (75).
Brady Barnum, Dublin Jerome
The sophomore is one of three key players returning to the Celtics. The Celtics remain one of the strongest teams in Central Ohio, but have not won a state title since winning their ninth title in 2019. Last season, Barnum finished 31st in the district and was a first-team OCC Cardinal (74).
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Jackson Harris, Olentangy Liberty
The junior helped the Patriots to their third-place finish at the state level last season, finishing 16th (153), third at district (75) and first on the OCC Central team (73.25).
Noah Mulford, Olentangy Liberty
The senior should again be a key contributor to a strong Liberty team after helping the Patriots win a district title last season. He finished 19th at state (154), 26th at district (79) and earned honorable mention on the All-OCC Central list (77).
Zach Radtke, Dublin Jerome
The senior hopes to put the Celtics in a position to win the state title again. Last season, he finished 31st in the district and was a second-team player for the OCC Cardinals (74.75).
Alexander Ritter, New Albany
The Ritter triplets are back with the Eagles and Alexander hopes to lead the team to the Division I state tournament. Last season, the senior finished 31st in the district (80) and was OCC-Ohio Player of the Year (75.25). Huston and Evan Ritter are expected to be other key contributors.
Grant Ruffing, Grove City
The senior is coming off a special 2023 season in which he finished 32nd in the Division I state tournament (159) after finishing second in the district (69). He was a first-team All-OCC Ohio selection (76.25).
Gabe Scherer, Christian from Delaware
The senior is looking to make his third consecutive Division III state tournament appearance after finishing eighth (154) last season and 11th (162) as a sophomore. He finished second in district (71) last season and is a two-time Mid-Ohio Christian Athletic League champion, helping the Eagles win three straight league titles.
Mitchell Stock, Upper Arlington
The senior pairs with Baird to form a solid tandem at the top of UA’s lineup. Last season, Stock finished 28th at state after finishing 26th at district (79) and being a second-team OCC Central selection (75). The Bears have won a record 17 state championships, but none since 2006.
Brogan Sullivan, Newark Catholic
The senior has helped lead the Green Wave to back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Division III state tournament, finishing 31st last season (167) after medaling in district (70) and being selected to the Licking County League first team (77.5).
Jack Woods, Columbus Academy
The junior is one of four key players returning for the top-ranked Vikings in Division II. Last season, Woods finished 30th in scoring at the state level (167), fifth in scoring at the district level (75) and was a first-team player in the Central Buckeye League (78.3).
@DispatchFrank
