MOSLEY, ZEDIKER WIN BIG AT COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

That Mosley came out on top in Thursday’s Bay County Golf Championship at the Bay Point Nicklaus Course on Thursday was no big surprise to the Dolphins or their county opponents. For the Dolphins, the day was more about inching ever closer to the standard necessary to achieve their primary goal: a trip to Howey-in-the-Hills at the end of the month for the state championships. The 303 team score that Mosley posted Thursday would’ve been good enough in last year’s Region 1-2A tournament to earn a state berth, and it was more than enough to claim the county championship over Arnold, Bay, and Rutherford. “We played well,” first-year Mosley coach Josh Laatsch said. “We had a lot of kids step up and hit big shots down the stretch. I think 1-through-5, we all played well. We’ve been anywhere between 303 and 310 (this season), and 300 is that magic number we’re trying to get to. If we can do that, I think we have a really good shot at going to state.” Arnold was second at 339, followed by Bay at 341, and Rutherford at 513. Mosley junior Noah Zediker was the low player for the day with a 69, though in a season in which he has shot as low as 63, it wasn’t cause for him to celebrate. “It was pretty good, but I left a few out there, honestly,” he said. “I missed an easy putt on (the second hole) and another easy putt on (the fifth hole). I just missed some easy putts I should’ve made, but it was still a pretty good round. I’m happy with it.” It’s the second straight county title for Zediker, but he said the bigger focus for himself and his teammates is getting back to the region tournament getting the breakthrough that they couldn’t get last season. “We’re trying to make it to state,” he said. “I think if we play like we should, then we should make it to state. We barely missed out (last year). We have four seniors that want to go to state and it would mean a lot to them.” If the Dolphins do capture that elusive state berth, Laatsch said Zediker would be a big reason why. “He’s one of the kids who really carries our team and is fun to watch,” he said. “He has fun playing out there. He’s always consistent with his emotions and I think our team feeds off that.” Zediker’s 69 was five strokes better than the next best score of 74 posted by Bay senior Steve Johnson. Dom Canfora led Arnold with a 77, while Steven Martin had the best score for Rutherford at 107. Johnson is also focused on making a run at state later this month after missing out by three strokes last year, although he’ll most likely have to do so as an individual. His score Thursday would’ve been good enough to qualify as an individual at last year’s region tournament. “I was pretty happy with it,” Johnson said of his performance Thursday. “I could’ve played better. I had some opportunities I didn’t convert on, but I had the ball bounce my way a few times. All in all, it evened itself out, so I was pleased with it.” Johnson said the season that Zediker is having is motivating him to raise his game. If the two maintain their current level of play, they could end up headed to state together.

MOSLEY, ZEDIKER WIN BIG AT COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

Photo Credit: Josh Boucher

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