By Cort Reynolds

LIMA __ The Ada High School varsity golf team competed in the second, in-season Blanchard Valley Conference tournament on August 19 at Hidden Creek Golf Course in Lima.

The Bulldogs finished ninth at the 10-team event with 421 strokes, 17 shots ahead of Pandora-Gilboa.

Van Buren won the tournament with just 299 strokes. Liberty-Benton was second at 330 shots, followed by Leipsic in third at 334.

Sophomore Brody Rister paced Ada with an 18-hole score of 45-51=96. Senior Ethan Lawrence was second for the Bulldogs, shooting a 49-54=103 round.

Sophomore Lawson Klingler carded a 54-56=110. Junior Sam Crawford was the fourth Ada scorer as he registered a 57-55=112.

Freshman Grady Morgan added a 69-72=141.

VB’s Ben Heitkamp and Leipsic ace Brevin Brandt tied for tournament medalist honors as each fired a 70. Heitkamp shot 34-36=70, while Brandt carded a 33 on the front nine and 37 on the back nine for his 70 total.

Black Knight Jake Schroeder finished third individually in the field of 44 golfers with a score of 38-37-75.

“As a team we didn’t putt well,” said Ada head coach Kurt Klingler. “We lost quite a few strokes on the greens.”

The Bulldog golf team hosts Elmwood and Pandora-Gilboa August 27 at 4 p.m. on the Bluffton Golf Course.