Facebook
Google
Chopticon's Bobby Ehrhardt shot a 1-under 35 to lead the Braves to Wednesday's sweep.
Click here to view the photo gallery
By Andy States
Content Manager, SMAC
Prior to the start of the golf season, two teams stood above the SMAC pack as conference favorites -- La Plata and North Point. And, with the regular season down to its final two weeks and the two teams still unbeaten and set to square off in the final week, it figured that the final match would decide the conference's regular season championship.
Somebody forgot to tell Chopticon.
The Braves, paced by a 1-under 35 by Bobby Ehrhardt and an even-par 36 from Tyler Hall, threw a wrench into the works by knocking off North Point by three strokes on Wednesday at Wicomico Shores.
Chopticon (8-1) shot a 156 to sweep the match, which also included Thomas Stone (3-7) and Lackey (0-9). North Point (10-1) came in with a 159 and now heads to the final week needing a win to claim a share of the SMAC crown.
"It's a huge win," said first-year Chopticon coach Bob Ehrhardt. "I'm so proud of these guys. They came together as a team and played very, very well against a very seasoned and tough North Point team."
The rounds by Ehrhardt and Hall paced a consistent Chopticon effort in which no golfer carded higher than a 45. Mitchell Seifert and Tony Jerome brought in matching 42s to round out the Braves' top four. With the win, the Braves not only knock North Point from the ranks of the unbeaten, but also keep themselves alive in the running for a piece of the SMAC championship. If North Point were to upset La Plata next week, as it did last year, Chopticon would be part of a three-way tie at the top.
"[It means] a great deal," Bobby Ehrhardt said of the win. "It gives a great boost of confidence to everybody."
With eight wins, Chopticon has already doubled its win total of a year ago with one more match remaining on the slate.
"It's been awesome," said Bobby Ehrhardt. "It's been the best year so far that I've had. I've never been this late in the season with a good record."
Coach Ehrhardt expected his team to win around nine matches and finish close to the conference's top three. But with the upset of North Point, the Braves are in position to surpass those expectations.
"Now we have an opportunity to finish second or third in SMAC," he said. "I'm just flabbergasted with this win. I don't even have words for it. I'm just so proud of the guys."
McKenzie Cutter led the Eagles with a 38, while Michael Barnas finished his round with a 39. While the loss right before the La Plata showdown could help the Eagles refocus, the loss was still a bitter pill to swallow.
"We were really looking forward to being undefeated getting to them," North Point coach Tony Jones said. "Now it makes that match that much more important because in order to do anything with the SMAC title you have to beat them now.
"Does it put a little more pressure on my kids? Sure it does. But again, what we've talked about all year with our success is that we are as good as we are with such young talent."
Not one senior was on the course for North Point in Wednesday's match. That youth bodes well for the Eagles' future, but that aside, Jones still thinks his team has plenty left to accomplish this year.
"This team's not done," he said. "You can rest assured, they will come back with a vengeance for the districts, for SMAC, for county, for all those tournaments."
Chopticon 156, North Point 159, Thomas Stone 188, Lackey 225
Chopticon: Ehrhardt 35, Hall 36, Jerome 42, Seifert 42
North Point: Cutter 38, Barnas 39, Sawchak 40, Rollins 42
Stone: Reed 45, Tonstad 45, Schliep 47, Boswell 51
Lackey: Deloache 45, Herbert 56, Dickey 62, Orazio 62
