Prep Sports

MUSCLE SHOALS — With it being the first trip to the state golf tournament, one couldn't blame Alexandria's girls if they were a little nervous.

But they weren't. And their scores showed as much.

Playing the Schoolmaster Course — the harder of the two 18s at The Shoals, a Robert Trent Jones stop — the Lady Cubs fired a first-round 267 to take over first place on Monday.

But about those nerves. Well, they'll admit they're alive and well heading into today's final round.

"We had no clue what to expect," Alexandria senior Casey Findley said. "… now, we don't want to blow a nine-shot lead."

That's the space between the Lady Cubs and second-place Gardendale in the 1A-5A girls tournament. Alexandria leads third-place Scottsboro, who the Valley Cubs faced in the sectional tournament, by 31 strokes.

Alexandria's girls aren't the only locals doing well after the first day. White Plains' Jaren Humphrey is atop the leaderboard in 1A-2A tournament. He fired a 2-under-par 70 and leads a pair of Shoals Christian golfers by a single stroke.

Being in first place isn't uncommon for the Alexandria girls. They won the sectional tournament at Scottsboro, then backed that with a six-shot victory in the sub-state round in Athens.

But before that, on a smaller stage, the Valley Cubs ran away with the Calhoun County Golf Tournament, winning by 42 strokes. It was the victory in that tournament that Findley says she feels helped give the team momentum for Monday's accomplishment.

"It helped our confidence," said Findley, who is tied for third with an 84. "Nobody really knew what to expect coming into this year."

Findley's 84 is four shots behind leader Molly Winnett of Gardendale. Findley said she hopes that with a little cooperation from her putter, she can go even lower today. She was 2-over through the first eight holes before a triple- and double-bogey to close out the front nine. Findley took two birdies on the back nine to help come into the clubhouse with a 41.

The biggest aid to the Valley Cubs was their tight grouping. In addition to Findley's 84, eighth-grader Madison Williams was three strokes behind in fifth place with an 87.

"The thing today was we just all played good," said Williams, who had six pars.

Sarah Wiedeman added a 96, and Mallory Vingers carded a 110.

For White Plains, Humphrey was clearly the star of the show. As a team, the Wildcats stand in fourth place (327, 32 shots back). Humphrey's round was not only lowest in the 1A-2A division, but one of the lowest at the tournament regardless of classification. Only Mountain Brook's Tom Lovelady, in Class 6A, came in lower, firing a 3-under 69.

Humphrey suffered through three bogeys in five holes on the front nine, but got things really going just before making the turn.

On the 562-yard, Par 5 No. 9, Humphrey carded an eagle. He then went on a bogey-free tear on the back nine that included back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12 (both par 5s) and a birdie on 18 to go 3-under on the back.