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They secured one title, but there’s still work to do. That’s the mindset of the Randolph-Henry High golf team, after winning their latest district championship this past week. The Statesmen secured the title after winning back to back competitions. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 11, Randolph-Henry picked up the win against Nottoway County and Amelia. Randolph-Henry collectively shot a 162, with Nottoway coming in at 187 and Amelia finishing last with a 229. Then the next day, the Statesmen had been scheduled to compete in a three-team match. However, Prince Edward High bowed out, due to the alleged school threat. That threat turned out to be an old image found on Snapchat, one that didn’t even mention Prince Edward by name. 

But Prince Edward officials decided to err on the side of caution and pull teams from all competitions, both at home and away. As a result, Randolph-Henry played against Central High. The Statesmen picked up the win in this event as well, shooting a 164 collectively on the day, with Parker Allen shooting a 37 and both Liam Hottle and Caden Powell shooting a 41. Central High, meanwhile, shot a 186 on the day. With the back to back wins, Randolph-Henry improves to 22-1 overall, 19-1 in District play, good enough to win the district title. In fact, the only loss for the Statesmen so far on the season came earlier in September, as Nottoway eeked out a victory. But since then, the golf team has dominated. 

“(The district title) is a great accomplishment for this team,” said Randolph-Henry coach Eddie Pyle. “We’ve won it a lot but it always feels good. We have had some good scores from those younger players the last couple of matches.” 

Randolph-Henry golf team spotlight

A driving force so far this year has been a trio of players for the Statesmen, two sophomores and a junior. Allen, Hottle and Powell have constantly shot the lowest on the team, going back to early August. Pyle praised Powell and Allen, the two sophomores, as well as the junior Hottle, saying they were a key part of the team. 

“They have been solid all year,” Pyle said. “Very consistent, we could always count on them.” 

With the regular season wrapped up, the team has its eyes set on regional competition, which begins Sept. 30 at Sleepy Hole Golf Course in Suffolk.