It’s very possible the Wakefield Warriors in recent days enjoyed their most success in the high-school golf program’s long history.
In three different 18-hole tournaments over a four-day stretch, Wakefield won a title, tied for second just a day earlier in another event and finished fifth in its opening competition of the 2024 season.
No one can remember when the Warriors last won any tournament.
“This is so new for us,” Wakefield coach Dave Knorr said. “We don’t even know how to stand to get our picture taken with the trophy.”
Knorr was referring to Wakefield’s convincing victory at the Stallion Invitational on Aug. 8, hosted by South County High School at the Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton. Wakefield won with a 306 score. Chantilly was a distant second with 321.
“This is great for our team and players,” Knorr said. “They are getting better and better. We’ve been in contention some to win tournaments in recent years, but I don’t know if we expected this.”
Wakefield had four players shoot in the 70s at the 16-team Stallion Invitational. Leading the way was freshman Philip Verghese with a 73, the fifth lowest individual score in the tourney.
Also for Wakefield, senior Tully Andress shot 76, sophomore Miles Maravilla 78 and senior Andrew Middleton 79. Senior Beckett Hampton shot 80 and junior Ari Liebman 91.
“We were not expecting to win this, but we showed we have that next-level ability,” Middleton said.
Added Andress: “It’s been a real good week for us. Now we’ll see how far we can go from here.”
Hampton was in disbelief. “This is insane because winning was unexpected,” he said.
A day earlier, the Wakefield team carded a 309 team total to tie the host Yorktown Patriots for second at the Patriot Invitational at Bristow Manor Golf Club in Prince William County. On Aug. 5, the Warriors had a fifth-place 317 total in their season-opening tourney at Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville.
At the Patriot Invitational, Middleton and Verghese each shot 73, Hampton 81, Andress 82 and Liebman 89. Only five players competed for each team.
At the Stonewall Golf Club, Andress had a team low of 76, Middleton 79 and Hampton and Verghese each shot 81.
Coming events for Wakefield will be the three-team Arlington County championship match with Yorktown and Washington-Liberty and another tournament hosted by Marshall High School, back at Bristow Manor.
The early-season success probably makes Wakefield a contender in postseason district and region tournaments.
Yorktown’s individual scores at its own 16-team tourney were 73 by Maddie Cameron, a 76 from Jack Freeman, a 79 from Austin Barbieri, an 81 from Ryan Pericak and an 83 by Nick Senkus. Cameron was a top female finisher at the event.
Western Albemarle won the Yorktown event with a 306 total and Centreville’s Timothy Yi was the boys individual winner with a 69.
The day before, Yorktown had a 323 team score to finish fifth at the 20-team fourth annual Don Roth Memorial Warhawk Invitational tournament at Twin Lakes Golf Course in Clifton. The competition was the first of the season for Yorktown.
Cameron shot 76 to lead Yorktown, Jack Freeman shot 79, Luke Sanne 83, Ginger Beall 85 and Roger Allenbaugh 86.
NOTE: Last fall, Wakefield’s two-round scores in the 36-hole Liberty District tournament were much higher than its first three tournaments this fall, at 329-339.
