By:Justin Wallin
Ngapsdotcom@Gmail.com
The Gordon Lee Lady Trojans made the long drive to Waycross this weekend to compete in the Class A girls’ state tournament.
They’re driving back Monday night carrying a little more than they brought with them.
Sophomore Rachel Mason won the individual state championship after shooting an 83 and that, combined with teammate Jorden Watson’s 88, gave Gordon Lee their second state team championship in the last five years.
Watson, a junior, finished fourth overall in the event, held at The Lakes at Laura Walker Golf Course.
Gordon Lee’s team score of 171 gave the Lady Trojans a nine-shot win over runner-up Ware County Magnet School.
“It’s just been steady progress,” head coach Jared Willerson said in a phone call while returning to Chickamauga. “We finished fifth at state two years ago and third last year. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
The Lady Trojans last won the state championship in 2004.
Two more Gordon Lee players, senior Christa Mariakis and junior Molly Ramsey, also played in the event, which takes only the lowest two scores to make up the team score.
Gordon Lee finished play approximately 2 p.m. on Monday and had to wait nearly four hours before the final groups finished and the scores were made official.
Willerson said putting on lightning-fast greens was the key to his team’s win on Monday.
“With the drought in Waycross, the greens were super fast,” he explained. “The USGA tested them (Monday) morning and they were rolling a 12 on the Stimpmeter, but our girls just flat putted better than any else. Rachel didn’t have a three-putt all day and Jorden only had a couple.”
Both Mason and Watson improved their scores significantly over last year’s state tournament.
Read More On Walker County Messenger
