AVON, Ohio -- Rocky River tangled with a pair of St. Edward teams on Wednesday at Red Tail Golf Club, and the Pirates took home one win and one loss.

Led by a Will Bennett 38 on the 3,0004-yard, par-36 inward nine at Red Tail, the Maroon & White posted a four-man score of 165. That figure was bracketed by the Green Eagles (153) and Gold Eagles (180).

"Some big numbers really cost us today," said Head Coach David Hendrickson, whose Pirates are now 9-3 over a dozen matches."I'm still encouraged by the overall performance, but we displayed some flaws that came through on a challenging golf course."

Those flaws included a run of three straight bogeys at the outset of Bennett's round. But the senior rallied with pars at Nos. 13, 14, and 15, and then back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17. He has now averaged a 37.6 over five matches since Sept. 3.

Fellow senior Hayden Weaver posted River's second-best score on Wednesday. Weaver logged five pars and four bogeys to card a 40. He was followed on the score sheet by a 42 (Nick Tianello) and a 45 (Luke Dietrich, Aidan McDonald).

Rocky River's busy week on the links continues Thursday in the familiar setting of Rocky River Reservation. The Pirates will host Brecksville at Big Met Golf Course. The event will mark Senior Day for the program.



CANNON FIRE ...

TIGHT SPREAD: Will Bennett's 38 at Red Tail fits into a tidy season-long trend. The Sons of Blackbeard have played seven nine-hole matches this season, and if you laid Bennett's scores end-to-end, you could cover them with a golf towel. The Pirate senior has carded a 37 or 38 in each of the seven rounds. Bennett's season average now sits at 82.1.

WEAVER-WIRE: With his 40 on Wednesday, Hayden Weaver has now logged a stroke average of 80.0 since Sept. 1. The senior athlete has registered an 83.6 figure on the season.

by Skip Snow