How Sexyy Red helped take Maysville to the Division II state golf tournament

SOUTH ZANESVILLE — Maybe it's the music.

There are many reasons why the Maysville boys golf squad is back in the state tournament for the first time in 30 years. Chief among them is a collection of on-course talent, good enough to win a district title.

The team element, however, is not to be discounted.

A group featuring five underclassmen among its top six players has an unquestioned leader in Owen Lutz, the lone senior who handles many duties. One day he's the affable jokester, the next unofficial team psychologist.

With sophomores Hoyt Dodson, Cade Pickrell and Gator Nichols and freshman Ethan Wright behind him, Lutz regularly crams as many teammates as possible into his whip to transport players.

'His clutch genes are like Kobe': Gator Nichols leads state-bound Maysville golfers

This is out of necessity.

"We probably hang out every day," Lutz said. "We go eat food all the time together, go to McDonalds after every football game. I'm always driving because these dudes can't drive.

"We get in the car, and we've got our playlist of our songs, so we know what to play," Lutz added. "We listen to a lot of Sexyy Red. 'Hellcats SRTs' — we listened to that on the way over here (for the district)."

The way coach Jared Cox sees it, their interests are good for camaraderie. He's proud of Lutz for embracing the leadership role.

"When I got here at 7:30-7:45 this morning, three or four of our guys came here in (Lutz's) car," Cox said. "They hang out all the time, go to all of the football games together. They hang out outside of practice, and that does a lot for a team. It builds some trust. They trust the guy behind them is going to shoot a good score, even if they don't play well. I think that's a big deal."

The leadership role is something Lutz embraces. It might be as important as his No. 1 spot in the lineup.

"When the year started, I told my dad that I needed to take these guys under my wing," Lutz said. "I didn’t know at the start of the (offseason) if Gator was going to play, and then halfway through summer I realized Gator was going to play, and it was just one more to the flock. They've been some good little players."

Nichols' addition, unexpected after playing football as a freshman, can't be understated. He was All-MVL as a first-year player, particularly impressive when considering he didn't pick up golf until after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Golf: John Glenn, West M defend division titles

"He's just super athletic," Dodson said. "The dude has never had a lesson in his life and he's a good player."

Their district winning score of 308, with Nichols shooting 76 out of the No. 4 spot, was 33 shots better than their district score on the same course in 2022. Only Carrollton's 295 in 2022, a year the Warriors were third in Division II, was better than Maysville's winning score in the last nine years.

In most years, Cox's squad would have mopped the proverbial floor with the rest of the Muskingum Valley League. They finished 30-3 in league play — all three losses came to John Glenn by narrow margins.

Those Muskies, into Division I for the second straight year, are making their own school history with one of the best teams the MVL has produced. They shot 295 at their sectional one day after the Panthers advanced.

Those defeats didn't deter Maysville come tournament time. The players knew how good John Glenn was entering the season and always had the postseason in mind.

Even in their losses, they wanted to make the most of their John Glenn matchups.

"We wanted to gets as many of those stressful situations for our kids as we could, and they handled it well," Cox said.

Now another tall order awaits.

Maysville and Sheridan, in the state tournament for the second straight year, must tangle with NorthStar Golf Club in Sunbury in the 12-team competition Friday. It is the longest course in central Ohio from its back tees.

Maysville has the third-best qualifying score, trailing only Kettering Alter (290) and Cincinnati Wyoming (304).

"I was talking to someone the other day, and they said, 'You might be one of the best teams in Division II, and you're not even the best team in your own league,'" Cox said "That's how good John Glenn is. Fortunately, it helps us."

sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Owen Lutz serves multiple roles for Maysville's state-bound golf team