HARTVILLE, Ohio -- Ten teams bested Rocky River in 18-hole tournament action, but it was Congress Lake Country Club doing the most damage on Monday.
The Pirates placed 11th in a field of 14 teams over the challenging Donald Ross design near Akron, Ohio. Slick greens protected by newly renovated and menacing bunkers, combined with a lengthy 6,626 yards, made for ample defense on the par-71 track which dates back to 1923. It was a course that giveth and taketh away, but none among the half-dozen Swinging Corsairs who made the trip on an otherwise delightful late-summer afternoon can much remember the giveth.
Only two of the team's six entrants broke 90 on the afternoon. Led by senior Will Bennett (84) and freshman Nick Tianello (86), River came away with a team score of 350. That marks the squad's highest in three tournaments this season.
Congress Lake yielded just two Buccaneer birdies on the day (Bennett on the par-4 seventh and freshman Luke Dietrich on the par-4 ninth).
Monday's event -- the Blue Streak Congress Invitational -- was hosted by Lake High School. Led by medalist Nolan Haynes, who carded an even-par 71, Hoban won the tournament with a team score of 301.
Rocky River will return to action for a road match on Tuesday. The Pirates will travel to Weymouth Country Club in Medina, Ohio, where they'll face the Brunswick Blue Devils.
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