BHS golfers struggle with their games

October 18, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

For Boardman sophomore Jacinta Pikunas, the only consistent thing about her performance on Friday was inconsistency.

“Yeah,” she said. “It was quite an adventure.”

Playing in the first round of the Division I state golf tournament, Pikunas shot a 6-over 76 that featured four birdies, six bogeys, two double bogeys and six pars at Ohio State’s Gray Course.

“I got off to a good start on the first hole with a birdie, then I ran into a problem on the second hole, doubling on a par 3,” she said. “The next hole I bounced back.

“That can describe the whole round. I was all over the course.”

Pikunas is in an four-way tie for eighth place entering today’s final round, three shots behind Dublin Coffman senior Lexie Long.

Pikunas tied for 12th at last year’s state tournament, shooting a 77 in the first round and a 79 in the second.

“Last year I was just happy I made states and this year I’m treating it like a tournament,” she said. “Tomorrow I’m just hoping to pull out another consistent round. It’s gonna be a struggle, it’s gonna be frustrating, I’m gonna have regrets. I just have to stick with my game plan and keep grinding it out.”

Spartan freshman Brian Terlesky is taking the same approach after shooting a 10-over 81 in the first round of the boys tournament on the Scarlet Course.

Terlesky finished with 10 bogeys — five on the front, five on the back — and eight pars to move into a five-way tie for 25th. He’s 10 shots behind the leader, Toledo St. John’s Jesuit senior Jack Mancinotti.

Mancinotti has a five-shot lead entering today’s final round.

“I struggled a bit out there,” Terlesky said. “I couldn’t get anything going from the start. I made some bad swings and the wind was a big part of it. It was very tough out there.

“This tournament is all about grinding out pars and I wasn’t doing a very good job of that from the beginning.”

Terlesky is one of two freshmen in the top 25 — Cincinnati Moeller’s Michael O’Brien is tied for 14th with a 79 — and although he’s played in top tournaments all over the country, he admitted he still had some nerves.

“It’s different — you’re the youngest one there,” he said. “But you’ve just got to treat it like any other tournament.

“My goal [today] is just to break 74. I think that’s a good number. I want to get in the top seven and I think I’m only three or four [strokes] back of that, so if I can do that, I’ll be happy.”