WEST POINT — Tuesday wrapped up the Oak Hill Invitational, a two-day tournament held at Mossy Oak and Old Waverly Golf Clubs in West Point, the first tournament for Oak Hill Academy golf of the spring season.
The reigning state champions for the past six years, Oak Hill has garnered a reputation of being the best high school golf program in Mississippi and one of the best in the country.
That level of success and dominance was on full display over the two-day invitational as the Raiders didn’t just win, but they lapped their opponents and then some, winning by 82 strokes.
Oak Hill was the only school of the 10 who participated to even sniff even par as a team, and the Raiders not only finished below par, but they shot an incredible 24-under amongst the top four scorers from each day.
However, this is far from an outlier performance for a program of this caliber.
“The performance was really solid,” OHA head coach VJ Trolio said. “Jacob (Blanton) and Collins (Trolio), being the older guys, they did their thing. Eliza (Yelverton) played really well and had some good numbers. It’s always great to see the girls playing well.
“The team itself is a tough golf team to make. The kids are good, they work hard, and they’re reaping the rewards, even though they know this course really well.”
The Raiders’ top five boys golfers and top girls golfer (Yelverton) shot 15-under, and the team’s top six golfers shot an impressive 18-under, showing the depth of Oak Hill this season
Not only did Oak Hill lap the competition, but the two best individual golfers in the invitational were Raiders. Blanton and Trolio combined to shoot 20-under.
Blanton posted two straight 66s for a 12-under tournament while Trolio matched him with a 66 on Tuesday but shot a 70 on Monday.
The junior and senior set the tone from the jump, and the Raiders were able to build from there, hitting quality shots and attacking the pin early and often.
“This was our home course, so I’m very used to it,” Blanton said. “I think I had a bit of an advantage, but I do really think I hit the ball well. I don’t think I missed very many fairways, many greens. That helped me a lot.”
Being that both Mossy Oak and Old Waverly are the home courses for Oak Hill Academy, not only do the Raiders have the advantage of playing at such nice courses, but they know the courses well.
Reading the lies on different holes and knowing where to attack definitely put the Raiders in the driver’s seat, but for as much as they know the course, this might be one of the most complete teams OHA has seen in recent years.
Golfers are bouncing off each other’s successes en route to creating a tight-knit group on the course.
“Coming in, of course we wanted to win, but we kind of wanted to see how our lineup stacks up for the rest of the year,” Collins Trolio said. “We’re really competitive this year. We have a lot of players who are shooting around the same scores every time, so qualifying is really competitive.
“I think it’s cool to see how everyone is going to play when it actually comes down to tournaments.”
Above anything, the Oak Hill Invitational was a first glimpse of what the Raiders are going to bring to the course this season and like the last six years, thoughts and expectations of another state title are firmly on this team’s mind.
They might not win every tournament by 82 strokes moving forward, the makings of another must-watch season have begun.
“The cool thing about the team itself is that what Oak Hill is doing was built upon the shoulders of those that came before them,” VJ Trolio said. “In the past, the good players got along and welcomed and pushed the younger kids and I’m still seeing that now.
“Everyone is getting along, everyone is pushing themselves, everyone is pulling for the team, but they’re competing inside it. It’s just fun to see a group of people collectively trying to do something.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
