Youth and inexperience are typically a bad combination when it come to the postseason.
That was not the case for the Midland Trail golf team.
Competing in the highly competitive Class A Region 3 tournament at Pipestem State Park last Monday, the Patriots defied the odds to win the regional title guided by three freshman and a sophomore.
Midland Trail will next compete in the state golf tournament Tuesday and Wednesday on the Jones Course at Oglebay Park in Wheeling.
“The guys are very excited,” second-year head coach Justin Barnhouse said. “The community is excited and we have had a lot of support. We have had a great year. I would like to say I had something to do with it, but the kids just worked their butts off.”
The Patriot golf team for the postseason is made up of freshmen Landyn Cordle, Jacob Brown and Van Wood, along with sophomore Cameron Thomas.
“In the spring we had a few flex practices and played an 18-hole round. My freshman didn’t do well,” Barnhouse recalled. “My one-seed (Landyn) shot 103 at Bridge Haven (On the Gorge). Jacob and Van were in the mid-90’s, but all them told me that day they would be in my top-four players. They worked so hard over this summer and they all improved, but I have never seen a kid improve like Landyn did.”
Heading into the regional tournament, a regional title did not seem to be in the cards. Midland Trail was coming off of a couple of disappointing finishes following a strong showing all year during the regular season.
“Back in the spring we had several teams on our radar and Charleston Catholic was No. 1 and we felt like Pocahontas County was No. 2. I didn’t realize at the time that Wyoming East was going to be so strong,” Barnhouse said. “We played Wyoming East at Twin Falls two weeks before the regionals and they beat us. Then they beat us in the Coalfield (Conference Tournament) and Pocahontas County was second. Summers County was third and we were last that day.”
“We got our butts kicked and our kids were down, but I had confidence in them,” Barnhouse went on to say. “They weren’t down because they didn’t win, they were down because they knew they could play better. It was more of coach, we are going to show you that we are going to win this at the regional.”
The Patriots weren’t playing the Pipestem State Park course for the first time, but they weren’t highly familiar with it either. Prior to Monday, Trail had played one competitive round and one practice round on the Geoffrey Cornish design.
“I have to thank head coach (Dave) Moore from Pocahontas County who got us included in the Dave Hicks Memorial Golf Tournament a week before the tournament (at Pipestem),” Barnhouse said. “The tournament is a warm-up to the regionals.”
The team confidence was high Monday morning, but the day did not exactly start with a positive vibe.
“We started on the range that morning and it was not a good session,” Barnhouse said. “It looked like how we played back in May. They were a little excited, so I told them they were going to have to calm down.”
Stepping to the first tee, the first swing for Cordle could have derailed his entire round in his first regional appearance.
“Only the coaches are allowed to go up with the players to the green. So, I tried to be with the kids at least three or four holes, as much as I could get with them,” Barnhouse said. “I started off with my No. 1 seed, which was Landyn . On the first tee, I think he hit his drive about eight feet. I don’t really think he hit the ball. It was more like he swung under the ball and hit the tee. He immediately snapped his head around to me and I just told him he was fine.”
The young freshman shook off the tough swing and went to work on what would be the best round of the day for the Patriots.
“He then hit his six-iron and hit his pitching wedge to about four feet (from the pin) for a chance to par,” Barnhouse said. “My kids can hit bad shots, but they still have enough confidence to know they can come back. Landyn was an example of that Monday.”
Barnhouse met up once again with Cordle on the last two holes of his round.
“I got back with Landyn on hole 17 and 18,” Barnhouse explained. “I knew the scores were close and that we had a chance to win. We were walking from 17 to 18 and he was like coming off of an (emotional) high because he had gathered himself and was playing well. He told me if he made a birdie (on 18) he would shoot 79.”
“He didn’t think at that point we were going to go to states, but I told him, we may be winning the tournament. He had a five-iron in his hand and he asked me if he made birdie were we going to states. I told him I couldn’t say, but we were likely within a couple of strokes.”
With his No. 1 player debating between a five-iron or a driver for the final tee shot on the dangerous par-4 18th hole, Barnhouse hearkened back to a slogan that signified the team mentality.
“We had a fundraiser this year and we had Midland Trail golf on the front of the shirts and on the back it said, “we are not basketball, we don’t do layups.” After I told Landyn that, he said I was right, we are not basketball,” Barnhouse said. “He put his five-iron back in the bag and pulled out his driver. I may have said a prayer or two because there is out-of-bounds to the right (of the fairway), but he ended up making birdie. I don’t think I will forget that moment ever.”
The decision became even more significant when the scores were totaled at the end of the round.
In high school golf, four players compete in the team competition with the top three scores comprising the team’s total score.
Wood followed Cordle with a round of 81 and Brown was one shot back at 82.
When the scores were totaled, Midland Trail and Charleston Catholic were tied. The tie-breaker for the regional title was the score of the fourth player on each team. Thomas was two-shots better to give the Patriots the historic win.
“Those young men live at the course,” Barnhouse said. “I knew we could compete and they were so confident. I was not shocked that we won, but at the same time, it is the first postseason experience for most of them.”
Now the youngsters from Midland Trail will once again be tested. This time it will be on the state’s biggest stage, on arguably one of the toughest courses in the Mountain State. A course that has not been kind to first time participants.
Even though the Patriots will be seeing the course for the first time, they won’t be going in totally blind.
“For me the pressure is off. Wheeling is icing on the cake. The kids thought process is they are going to win,” Barnhouse said. “It comes from inner-team competition. My freshman think they can go out there and beat Tiger (Woods). They are that confident.”
Trail will hit the Jones Course possessing some insight to the course layout and the difficult task at hand thanks to a very successful former player.
“My nephew is Indiana Eades. He played at Trail and now plays for Concord University,” Barnhouse said. “He was in this weekend and we had a war room meeting. He had all of his notes and practice round notes. He also had his notes on the greens showing which way they break.”
Barnhouse received some in-depth help from Summers County head coach Jerod Ewing. The Bobcats were the Class A runner-up in 2023.
“Coach Ewing sent us his practice round notes from last year. He had all of the breakdowns of the fairways and the yardages,” Barnhouse said. “We printed that off and put it in yardage books, then Indy went hole by hole Saturday with the kids about his experiences. They really painted a great picture from my kids.”
Although youth can be a disadvantage in the big events, there is also a positive side as well.
“Sometimes the younger kids may not understand fully what they are stepping into,” Barnhouse said. They may not have the nerves of a senior that is trying to win it.”
Thomas will be the first to tee-off Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. and Brown will follow 10 minutes later. Wood hits the first tee at 8:50 a.m. with Cordle scheduled for a 9 a.m. start.
