Golden Falcons finish 2nd team as team in East 3-A regional

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on May 3, 2016 1:49 PM

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jhayes@newsargus.com

FOUR OAKS -- Survive and advance.

Charles B. Aycock did just that Monday, fighting blustery conditions at Reedy Creek Golf Course during the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A eastern men's golf regional.

The Golden Falcons posted a team score of 332 over the 6,426 yard, par-72 course -- a mark that tied them with two other schools.

They waited to learn their fate.

And waited.

And waited some more.

The 3-A champ of the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference looked on for the better part of two hours as officials updated a crawling, high-scoring leaderboard. Their three-way logjam with Corinth Holders and West Craven was finally broken when the teams' fifth score was counted -- a seldom-used practice which allowed Aycock to post a 90 from senior Blake Bartlett and assume ownership of second place.

The Golden Falcons return to action next Monday and Tuesday in the NCHSAA state 3-A championship meet. The two-day, 36-hole event will be played at Whispering Pines Country Club beginning May 9.

For Aycock head coach Dave Elmore, the day was a microcosm of his team's effort this spring.

"All year, its been a different guy that's carried us," he said. "Out of these five guys, each one of them has posted our best score at least one time."

Enter Bryce Jones.

The sophomore was steady under fire, posting a 1-over par 73 and owning the clubhouse lead for the majority of the afternoon. His round, which included an even-par effort of 36 on the outward half, was punctuated by a birdie No. 18 -- a devilish par-4 that troubled players all day.

"I hit a drive down the middle and had some wind at my back," Jones said of the last. "And I figured I could get 7-iron there."

And did he ever.

Jones' effort from 170 yards came to rest five feet behind the hole, and when he converted a curling, downhill putt for birdie, Aycock's opportunity to advance was well on its way.

The Golden Falcons made good on that prospect by posting an 83 from Mitchell Langston and a round of 86 from junior Ty Daniels. The lineup was rounded out by Jake Flowers, who tendered a 90, and Bartlett, whose scorecard served as the tiebreaker.

And as the calligraphy strokes on the leaderboard went final, Aycock's crew rejoiced.

The afternoon, however, was far from over.

A three-man playoff for two spots determined the regional's final qualifiers, and was survived on the second hole by Triton's Nick Page and Candler Matthews of Wilson Fike.

After all three players missed the ninth green with their approach shots, Page and Matthews deftly converted testy par putts to advance. Wilson Hunt's Jacob Dowd, who carded a 78 during regulation, saw his championship hopes vanish with a bogey.

Page and Matthews joined Patrick Stephenson, Bryson Boyette, Patrick Schweitz and Peter Bryson as individual qualifiers. Stephenson, a lefty bound for East Carolina University this fall, posted a round of 68 en route to medalist honors.

Aycock will take its powder-blue act to the Sandhills this weekend, the first team to do so since 2007. Following official registration and a practice round, Elmore's team will begin the final stage of its quest on Monday.

"It will be something new for me and them," Elmore said. "(I want them) to have fun and relax, play free They've accomplished a lot already."

Indeed they have.