SW's Horner named SOC Girls POY, 'Burg girls win SOC girls golf title
· Yahoo Sports
MCDERMOTT — It can be difficult for any person to handle the pressure of playing a sport at high level.
That's particularly the case for any freshman coming in.
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However, South Webster's Reese Horner has put together a masterclass lesson in how to properly approach any sport coming in as a high schooler.
A relentless worker who lets her game do 100 percent of the talking, Horner completely controlled matters during the SOC-concluding Girls Golf Championship Match on Tuesday afternoon at the Elks Country Club in McDermott, with Horner shooting a strong nine-hole 39 to clear the remaining participants by eight full strokes en route to winning the 2026 Southern Ohio Conference Girls Golf Player of the Year Award.
Wheelersburg head coach Jarrett Stamper lead an impressive effort himself. His quintet clinched a rather convincing SOC Girls Golf Championship, finishing off the year by shooting a 217 in the final match of the regular season.
Stamper's championship squad included seniors Adalyn Noble, Ella Runyon, Ella Reinhold, sophomore Reese Erwin and freshman Stevee Reinhold.
"I'm proud of the girls," Stamper said. "They worked hard all year. We have a senior heavy team. We're going to graduate three of the five players that participated in our matches, and those girls played a huge part in making sure the girls continue with their success."
Horner, who has the potential to play the sport of golf at the highest levels collegiately, was stout from the getgo. She birdied the 108-yard par three and had even pars on four additional hole, including the 450-yard par five and the 410-yard par five on holes two and eight, respectively.
Had Horner played an 18-hole round of golf, the freshman would've averaged out to a highly impressive 78.
"It means a whole lot to me, especially since we don't have a girls team and I am the only girl playing golf (at South Webster)," Horner said of winning the Southern Ohio Conference's Player of the Year in girls golf. It was my best score at the Elks."
As a primary scorer for South Webster's boys golf team as well, Horner ended up shooting 27 rounds of golf over a two-day stretch between Tuesday and Wednesday. Horner finished in a tie for ninth place in the final 18-hole SOC Boys Golf Championship Match, shooting an 89.
"I'm just trying to take the sport of golf one day at a time," Horner said. "I just tell myself to stay calm and composed if and when I hit a bad shot. That helps me stay in the game and continue playing at the best that I can possibly play."
Minford's Ava Flaig and Symmes Valley's Pozee Holland each tied for second place each tied for second place in the tournament field with 47s, while Noble and Erwin led Wheelersburg's winning cause with 48s to tie for fourth place. Eastern Pike's Kenleigh Bapst and Waverly's Bre Dutcher tied for the final SOC I First-Team slot in sixth.
Valley's Cameron Perkins finished eighth to put five Scioto County representatives among the top-eight finishers.
Stevee Reinhold finished in a tie for 10th while Runyon and Ella Reinhold finished in a tie for 16th overall to finish off Wheelersburg's SOC-winning effort.
"I'm proud of the way that the girls performed throughout the entire year," Stamper said. "I don't think (Tuesday's performance) was their best, by any means, but I do think they have some room for improvement as they head into sectionals. I believe they know that as well, and they even told us that themselves. I think they plan on doing some big things come Monday."
The title is especially impressive considering that the 2026 season is only the second year in which Wheelersburg has fielded a complete team in program history.
"Having three seniors come into the program and take the younger girls under their wing is a huge help for us as coaches," Stamper said. "They're new to the game, so they're really leading in the right direction, making sure that they're doing everything that they need to be doing in practice and making sure that they're hitting shots that they need to. If we're not around for a question, the senior girls are always there to make sure that the younger girls are doing what they need to be doing."
The hope for Stamper is that Wheelersburg, with a strong performance at Franklin Valley Golf Course in Jackson on Monday, can make a repeat appearance at the district tournament stage, as the Lady Pirates did in 2025.
"I believe we have a really good shot of getting our girls to districts," Stamper said. "I'd like to get everybody there, if possible. If not, I think there are a few girls we have that can lead the way and get the team to where we need to be. In 2025, we were able to make it to districts as a team for the first time, and I believe that the girls are really confident, particularly with the return of our three seniors. Those three are really confident in their individual games to be able to do so."