Demons rule 3-A East Regional again

DUNN — With a collective performance that was more grit than glitz, the Fike High girls golf team resumed its role as NCHSAA 3-A East Regional champion with an impressive 11-stroke victory at Chicora Golf Club on Monday, Oct. 21.

Most impressive was the fact that none of the five Golden Demons in action Monday for Fike’s fourth regional title in five years was part of its last regional title in 2022 when it won its second straight state 3-A championship. Leading the charge at Chicora was freshman Loulie Harrison, who tied for fourth place, while sophomore Payton Durham, the lone holdover from last year, tied for sixth place. Another freshman, Kensley Hill, completed Fike’s scoring in the 46-over-par 259 team result on the par-71, 4,975-yard layout that none of them had played before.

After the graduation of four-year all-conference performers Bree Council and Avery Briley, Jones knew some talented freshmen were headed his way but they had some high standards to uphold. Fike had won four straight conference titles, including three in the 3-A Quad County Conference.

“Our conference probably didn’t expect us to win our conference, No. 1, and so those little — those, those young kids,” Jones said, searching for the right words. “Man, I don’t want to call them ‘little;’ they’re just young. They just came out with a little grit to them. They just played along and kept battling, fun to watch.

“And you can tell today we were inexperienced. They made a lot of inexperienced kind of mistakes and so we went over some of that in the practice round on Friday. I wouldn’t let them keep score. I didn’t want them to get caught up in whether or not they thought the course was easy or hard. So I just wanted them to have their best day today, and they did. They did have a great day.”

Harrison rolled in three birdies, including two in her final three holes, to finish with a 12-over 43-40—83 and tie QCC individual champ Jenna Underwood of West Johnston for fourth place. Just three shots back was Durham, who collected three pars and a birdie on the back nine on her way to a 14-over 47-39—86 that tied her for sixth place with Croatan senior Madeline Cunningham.

Hill, who normally would have been playing No. 5 singles for the Fike girls tennis team in its first-round playoff match against West Brunswick, made two of her three pars on the day in her final three holes.

“They’ve had their moments,” Jones declared. “Each one of them’s had their own moment. Today was Loulie’s day. Loulie made several key putts, long putts for par, two chip-in birdies. She had another birdie on probably the most difficult par 3 that I’ve ever seen and so that was a chip-in on that hole. And then Payton just really flipped the switch on the back nine.

“I mean, at one point we were, like, in fifth place, and like, seven or eight strokes behind. And then with six holes to go, we were seven strokes back, I believe, and then we flipped the switch on it.”

Fike also had sophomore Addison Barnes, who tied for 44th with a 54-53—107, and freshman Addison Brinkley with a 56-57—113 that deadlocked her for 60th out of 77 players.

Croatan slipped to a distant second place with a 57-over 270 while South Central was the third team to qualify for the state championship match with a 68-over 281. Those three teams and the top 17 players not on a team will advance to the NCHSAA 3-A championship next Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 28-29, at Longleaf Golf and Family Club in Southern Pines.

Among those to qualify as individuals was Hunt senior Cassidy Kyles, who shot a 26-over 50-47—97. Kyles, who started on the back nine and birdied No. 17, tied for 25th with Emma Fish of regional host Harnett Central. However, Fish exited for a playoff so Kyles is headed to the state tournament as Hunt’s first representative since Anna Brooke Taylor in 2022. Teammate Morgan Radford tied for 39th place as the other Warrior competing Monday.

Also qualifying for the state tourney was C.B. Aycock junior Marinah Bryan, who tied QCC rivals Mack Kennedy of West Johnston and Penny Reese of South Johnston for 20th place.

Southern Nash, the 2-A/3-A Big East Conference champion, finished 13th as junior Audrey Jones led the Ladybirds with a 52-57—109. Junior Sarah Ewers (110) and senior Bryleigh Colbert (112) accounted for Southern Nash’s other scores.

The fun will continue for Fike, Hunt’s Kyles and CBA’s Bryan in Southern Pines next week as this young group of Golden Demons looks to add to their growing list of accomplishments that doesn’t seem to stack up to their main goal of enjoying their time together.

“They all rode the bus home,” Jones said of his players. “They’ve been riding the bus home all year. The moms and dads are there to take them home, but this group of girls, they just ride the bus home because they like being around each other.”

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