2021 All-Area Athletes & Teams

Page 28 www.yoursun.com By VINNIE PORTELL SPORTS WRITER Golf was one of the least affected sports during this coronavirus-short- ened season. Local players practiced all throughout the summer as courses remained open, and the hard work paid off. Two Boys Golfer of the Year finalists, Eddie Lainhart and Zach Starkey, led Port Charlotte to the state tournament for the third straight season. The other finalist, David Del Purgatorio, finished in a tie for first place at the district tournament and followed up with an 80 at regionals for Venice. While no girls team made it past regionals, several teams were well represented in the postseason. Girls Golfer of the Year finalist Hailey Lainhart led Lemon Bay to its sixth straight district title and a strong show- ing at regionals. Another finalist, Sara Tirb of Port Charlotte, tied Lainhart for first place at districts with an 82 and then was the top local scorer in region- als with an 88. The third Girls Golfer of the Year finalist, Elizabeth Ireland, was Venice's best and most consistent scorer as she led her team to an eighth place finish at regionals. Rodney Taylor is the Boys Golf Coach of the Year for leading the Pirates to the state tournament despite losing the 2019 Boys Golfer of the Year in Marc Kaneko-Fujii. Cary Willgren is the Girls Golf Coach of the Year after leading Venice to an eighth place finish in a tough region. The Lady Indians were the area's deepest team with four players breaking 100 at regionals. Boys Golf First Team Eddie Lainhart Port Charlotte junior A 2019 Player of the Year finalist, Lainhart finds himself back in the conversation for area's best boys golfer in 2020. He continued to be one of the team's top players, shooting a third-place 79 at districts, a 78 at region- als and had a (+7) 45th place finish at the 36-hole state championships. "Eddie is a great leader on and off the course," Taylor said. "He's a quiet lead- er by example that you wish you had a full team of. He was a big part of the team winning its fourth straight county championship, seventh straight district championship and third consecutive state appearance. "He had a great junior year, and we're looking for big things from him next year." Boys Golfer of the Year: Zach Starkey Port Charlotte senior It was Starkey's turn to step up as the go-to Pirate this year, and he lived up to the challenge. The senior shot a first- place 74 at districts, a 77 at regionals and a (+13) finish at the 36-hole state championships. "Zach was very consistent in all of his matches this year," Taylor said. "He was automatic. You could always count on him shooting low for the medalist or top two spot. "He is a competitor in everything he does. He's got a great game and has grown so much within the game. He will definitely be missed in our lineup next year." David Del Purgatorio Venice senior Though he wasn't Venice's most consistent scorer, Del Purgatorio had a knack for coming up big in important moments for the Indians. He shot a 75 to finish in a three-way tie for first place in a competitive district, and then followed that up with an 80 at regionals. "I'd go to him and say, 'David, listen. I need you here,'" Venice golf coach Lamont Andrews said. "David really was outstanding from the perspective of when I needed him to get some pars to help us as a team get to where we need- ed to go, I could really count on him. "David had his moments of brilliance." Tristen Evans Venice senior Venice's best scorer throughout the season, Evans was Mr. Reliable for his team. He shot an even-par 72 at the Lakewood Ranch Invitational and shot 79 at both the district and regional tournaments. CJ Kemble North Port freshman Kemble didn't waste any time mak- ing his mark on the Bobcats. He was the team's No. 1 player from the first practice and within two months helped the Bobcats record their lowest score in school history — a 158 in a 33-stroke win over Lemon Bay. He shot an 81 to finish in 10th place at districts, advancing to regionals where he shot another 81 to finish in 30th out of the 71-player field. Boys Golf Coach of the Year Rodney Taylor Taylor guided Port Charlotte to the state tournament for the third straight season despite fielding a six-to-seven man squad for the entire season. Taylor coached two-time Player of the Year Marc Kaneko-Fujii and two of his players — Lainhart and Starkey — are up for this year's award. Boys Golf Second TeamCharlie Dillmore Lemon Bay junior One of the Mantas' most consistent scorers, Dillmore shot an 83 at regionals to help Lemon Bay finish in seventh place. Bryce Noll Lemon Bay junior Another reliable player for Lemon Bay, Noll placed fourth individually at the district tournament and shot an 86 at the regional tournament. Jackson Adams Venice junior One of several Indians to contribute out of a deep group, Adams shot an 80 for a top-10 finish at the district tourna- ment and recorded a team-best 79 in a win over Lemon Bay. John Piroli Venice sophomore It looks like Piroli will have a bright future at Venice after his sophomore season. He shot an 82 at the regional tournament and also led the Indians with a 38 in a win over Sarasota. Clayton Hayse Charlotte sophomore Hayse advanced to the regional tour- nament as an individual by shooting an 86 at districts. At regionals, he finished in a tie for 40th place with an 88. Girls Golf First Team Girls Golfer of the Year: Hailey Lainhart Lemon Bay senior Lainhart and the Manta Rays finished one spot out from a second straight state tournament appearance — placing fourth at regionals. Still, it was another year of winning for the senior. She led her team to another district and county championship, often shooting in the mid to high 30s per nine holes. "Hailey was instrumental in leading our team to its sixth straight district title and third straight county cham- pionship," Lemon Bay girls golf coach Darrell Roach said. "She was our team co-captain and the low scorer for our team in every match this season." Sara Tirb Port Charlotte senior Again the Pirates' No. 1 player, Tirb turned in another strong season — fin- ishing in second at the county champi- onship (83) and a share of first in the district tournament (82) with Lainhart. "Sara has shown serious dedication to her golf game this past year and the hard work paid off," Pirates girls golf coach Katie Root said. "It's sad that this is her last season with us. I think Sara could have advanced to the state tourna- ment with one more year of experience. She will be missed by her team, but we are proud of all she has accomplished." Elizabeth Ireland Venice junior Ireland was Venice's top player with a 43.1 average per nine holes — coming up with her team's lowest score in 16 of 25 matches. Her best round of the year came when she shot a 77 in a tourna- ment hosted by St. John Neumann in Naples. "This season Elizabeth was our Pirates, Indians lead area in competitive golf season District titles, top finishes and a state tournament appearance highlight this year in prep golf SUN PREPS ALL-AREA BOYS GOLF TEAM SEE VOLLEYBALL, 29

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