All-County golfers. John McCoy holds plaque.
By Mike London
Salisbury Post
SALISBURY — Salisbury juniorJohn McCoy birdied the final hole and came from behind to claim medalist honors in the 18-hole Rowan County Championships staged at Rolling Hills on Wednesday.
McCoy has built a reputation for poise and consistency — and enhanced it. He shot 1-under 71.
McCoy didn’t have his best day on Tuesday in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament at Sapona, but he more than atoned for it.
McCoy trailed his friend, East Rowan junior Brady McIntyre, by one shot through 17 holes. They were playing in the same group. On the last hole, things went perfectly for McCoy, who shrugged off any hint of pressure.
But McIntyre’s tee shot sailed right, he had to scramble and he took a double bogey. The long-hitting Mustang dropped into a second-place tie at 73 with Salisbury’s Jacob Trainor.
It’s the second individual county championship for McCoy, who shot 72 and tied former East golfer Landon Merrell for first place in the 2023 event held at Crescent.
“John played really well,” Salisbury coach Josh Brincefield said. “Rolling Hills is not a long course. There are probably eight drivable par-4s for these guys, so there were a lot of birdie chances, and there were eagle chances on the par-5s. But there also were a lot of bogeys. While the course is not long, it’s not easy.”
Rolling Hills was an unusual venue for the county tournament, which has no specific home site. Crescent, Warrior, the Country Club of Salisbury, McCanless and Corbin Hills all have been in a casual rotation.
“Rolling Hill is a course we played when I was in high school (at Salisbury), so it’s always been around,” Brincefield said. “But It’s probably the first time that some of the county golfers ever played there.”
Salisbury’s deep, talented team liked Rolling Hills, shooting 292. This group of Hornets won the county team championship for the third straight year.
Six on a team can play, but only the best four scores count. The Hornets’ 292 was the best posted in a county tournament since a stout East Rowan team that featured Nick Lyerly and Logan Shuping, among others, shot 291 at Warrior in 2016.
All six Hornets shot 77 or better on Wednesday and finished in the top eight. All six made the all-county team.
Besides McCoy and Trainor, Bo Brincfield (74) and Jackson Sparger (74) had counting scores. Warren Fesperman shot 76, while Sam Goodman shot 77.
For most matches, including the upcoming regional at Pilot Knob, Coach Brincefield will have to designate the five who will represent the Hornets, so one is left out.
McCoy, who has been Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year twice and was runner-up this season, is almost always the best scorer for the Hornets, but the others are virtually interchangeable. It’s a veteran team now with four seniors and two seniors. They’ve all had their moments. There’s no way to predict who’s going to shoot 73 and who’s going to shoot 79 on a given day.
“It’s a good problem to have as far as having six really good golfers,”Coach Brincefield said. “But it’s also tough on those days when you have to decide which one of your kids is going to sit out. One of the nice things about the county tournament is that all six get to go out there and play, and all six played well. They root for each other, but they also like to beat each other. That’s been a healthy thing for us. They do a really good job of pushing each other.”
Salisbury’s most serious competition came from East Rowan, the runner-up team in the competitive 3A South Piedmont Conference. East shot 308, finished 16 strokes off Salisbury’s pace and was county runner-up for the third straight year.
Besides McIntyre, freshman Griffin Robbins (75) and sophomore Mason Mainville (78) had rounds that put them on the leaderboard and on the all-county team. Jason Bonds and Sawyer Kluttz shot 82s and provided the fourth score for the Mustangs. Freshman Brody Benfield has enjoyed a stellar season (he was all-conference), but he didn’t have his best day.
“It was a long couple of days of competitive golf for us,” said East coach Shane Benfield, whose team played 18 holes Tuesday at Skybrook in the SPC Tournament. “I’m very proud of our young team as they are all so full of potential. I think in many cases they are much better than they think they are.”
McIntyre almost always leads the Mustangs. He earned South Piedmont Conference Player of the Year honors, and that was significant. There are some super golfers at Northwest Cabarrus and Lake Norman Charter.
Samuel Faulkner’s 79 led West Rowan. He finished 10th. Carson’s Jacob Rockwell and South Rowan’s Dane Wheeler shot 80s. They tied for 11th and were the final members of the all-county team.
South Rowan shot 325 and was third in the team scoring. West Rowan shot 347, while Carson shot 351. North Rowan could not post a team score.
Besides Wheeler, counting scores for South were turned in by Miles Carden (81), Carson Hurst (82) and Cooper Welch (82).
Other golfers breaking 90 were West’s Carson McDaniel (83), Carson’s Jake Young (85), South’s Jadon Moore (87) and Benfield (89).
Regionals are next. The Hornets will be in Pilot Mountain for the 2A Midwest Regional on Monday. East and South have qualified to play in Tuesday’s 3A Midwest Regional at Monroe Country Club.
The 18-hole regional is probably the most pressure-packed day of the season, as teams try to qualify for the state tournament.
Salisbury finished sixth in 2A two years ago and was third last year.
“With four seniors and two juniors, this is our last, best chance with this group of guys,” Coach Brincefield said. “We’ve prepared for the regional by playing a really tough non-conference schedule. We’ve competed against some of the best 3As and 4As and private schools, and our guys have played some great matches.”
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