PREP GOLF Liberty overcomes weather, sectional field for title

Colby DeCapua was the tournament's medalist for third-place Brookfield.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
WARREN -- Experience and talent are nice, but it never hurts to have a little luck, too.
The Liberty High boys golf team used all three on Monday, shooting a score of 321 to win the Division II sectional title at Trumbull Country Club.
"Our team played pretty well today, considering the conditions and the rain," said junior Ryan Baroff, who shot a 78 to lead the Leopards. "We were lucky -- we didn't catch all the bad weather. We played earlier and it wasn't bad for us until the last five holes or so.
"I think the rest of the teams played in tougher conditions and that increased scores."
Experience makes difference
Still, the weather wasn't the only thing the Leopards had going for them. Liberty returned five players from last year's team, which finished second at the sectional tournament.
"We really didn't have a goal coming in," Baroff said. "We were hoping to qualify. We just wanted to play well and see what happens."
David Ryan shot a 79 and Baroff's brother, Ryan, shot an 81 for Liberty, which went 16-2 this season to win the Trumbull Athletic Conference and tied for first at the Brookfield Invitational.
Adam Detwiler and Jim Weller each shot an 83 for the Leopards, who will look to improve on last year's district tournament performance.
"We didn't play well last year," Baroff said. "We missed qualifying by about 15 strokes. It was a combination of not having a good day and playing against higher level players."
But Baroff thinks last year's experience will help them this year.
"We won't be as intimidated," he said. "We have four people with district tournament experience, so we know what to expect. We'll be ready."
Jonathan Hamarik and Joe St. George each shot a 79 as Cardinal Mooney placed second with a score of 327. Colby DeCapua shot a 76 to earn medalist honors for Brookfield, which finished third with 335.
The top three teams and the top three scorers not on a qualifying team advanced to next week's district tournament at Windmill Lakes Golf Course in Kent.
The top three teams and top three scoring individuals not on a qualifying team from the district tournament will advance to the state tournament in Columbus.