Recent North East High School graduate wins Maryland Junior Amateur

Noah Wallace, a 2024 graduate of North East High School and a three-time Class 2A/1A state champion, captured a first place finish at the 100th Maryland Junior Amateur at the United States Naval Academy Golf Club in Annapolis on June 26.

Wallace shot two under across the three-day tournament, seven strokes ahead of second place finishers Tommy Sharps and current C. Milton Wright golfer Jack Geyer. Geyer and Sharps finished the tournament shooting five over.

“I’ve wanted to win this for a while,” Wallace said in an interview with the Maryland State Golf Association last week. “It boosts the confidence.”

Wallace began the tournament at minus-two following a 68 on day one of tournament play. Wallace finished the first day of competition with five birdies, four of which came on the last five holes. Wallace finished the second round of championship play under par once again, this time with at one under. Wallace sunk three birdies throughout the second day. Wallace sat at minus-three and held a three-stroke lead entering the last day of competition.

The Wilmington University signee shot plus-two on the front nine of his final round. Wallace rallied with a one under on the back nine to finish his final round one over par.

“The front nine wasn’t my best start at all, it got pretty close there,” Wallace said of the first half of his final round. “The whole week I played pretty well on the back [nine] and made two birdies in the last five holes, which was similar to the first round.”

Lucas Kilgore and Wyatt Cudmore — state qualifiers in Class 2A/1A last fall — also competed in the championships. Kilgore, a member of Rising Sun’s golf team, shot plus-19 across the first two days of tournament play. Cudmore, a member of North East’s golf squad, finished the first two days of tournament action at plus-57. Neither made the cut to advance to the third day of competition.