“I was hoping that at the very least we could maintain that lead on day two,” head coach Alex Schuster said. “I certainly didn’t expect that we’d double it. But, when you’ve got five guys that are motivated to win and can all play really good golf, then anything like that can happen.”
The Knights’ final tally was 596 to make Cincinnati Wyoming a distant second at 647. Last year the Knights’ winning score was 618.
“We definitely knew that we were the best team out there,” senior leader Davis Gochenouer said. “But to win by 50 strokes is pretty crazy.”
The 596 tied the Division II state tournament course record set by Gahanna Columbus Academy in 2017. Schuster, however, wonders about one number. Are 51 strokes the record for margin of victory? The Ohio High School Athletic Association’s online records cache does not reveal whether that is a record.
But there are other numbers Schuster knows and, along with his team, will forever appreciate.
The Knights’ second straight title is No. 6 in program history and the third time they have won back-to-back. The Knights also won in 1992-93 and 1998-99. With four of the top five coming back next year, the Knights will have a chance to make it three straight.
Four Knights finished in the top 10 to earn all-state honors. Gochenouer, the individual state champion last year, finished third at 149 (74-75).
“I definitely would have liked to have won as an individual — I definitely could’ve,” Gochenouer said. “I just didn’t have my best stuff. That happens. But to finish third without my best stuff is still pretty good.”
Sophomore Andrew Gochenouer (81-71) and junior Grady Tabar (73-79) tied for seventh at 152. Junior T.J. Kreusch (76-77) was 10th at 153 and freshman Matthew Kreusch (155) was 17th at 155.
“I’m just super proud of what they were able to accomplish and their focus,” Schuster said. “Some of them had some ups and downs throughout the round today, and they just kept on grinding.”
The grind began in August as the team struggled to post the kind of scores they expected. But after Sept. 1 something clicked and they began to play like the team they knew they were capable of.
“I’m very proud of the way that we grinded throughout the whole year,” Davis Gochenouer said. “We kind of got off to a bad start to the year, but we definitely finished it off well.”
Saturday’s best finish came from Davis’ younger brother Andrew. His 1-under par 71 was the lowest round of the day. Overall scores were up because of early rain that gave way to wind and colder temperatures.
“He was incredible today,” Schuster said. “He just got hot, and when Andrew gets hot, he plays some incredible golf.”
Davis Gochenouer finishes his career with two team state titles and an individual title. He will play college golf at Ole Miss, which is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation.
“I enjoyed every minute of it,” he said. “It’s kind of crazy that It’s over already, but I definitely accomplished more than I thought I would.”
Schuster credits much of Gochenouer’s success to his competitive drive.
“He’s got the right mindset to be a successful golfer,” Schuster said. “He doesn’t get fazed by struggles or difficult circumstances that he can face on the golf course. With all the golf he’s played, he’s seen just about every circumstance. So having bad weather like we did today, it’s not like it was something that he’d never played in weather like that before.”
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