By David Sharp
Highland scored a 774 for the October 20 and 21st, 2025 Class 1 Girls Golf Championship at Fulton. South Harrison was second at 785. South Shelby took fifth place at 851. Harrisburg was seventh at 901.
Area schools competing included Canton, Putnam County, Atlanta, Scotland County, Meadville, and Palmyra.
Ash Grove junior Rylee Allred was the individual state champion with a two-day total of 152. Highland’s top finisher was sophomore Ava Hudson with a 182. South Shelby senior Hannah Gaines shot a 195 and finished tied with Highland junior Josie Murphy and two other golfers for 21st place.
Highland senior Morgan Crist was tied for 17th individually with a 194. Canton junior Raelyn Merida tied for 36th at 207. Scotland County senior Keeley Brown took 46th at 214.
Highland freshman Georgia Klocke finished 50th with a 218. Lady Cougar junior Savannah Bowen tied for 61st at 223.
Highland’s girls golfers won the third team State Championship in school history. Highland has won , conference, district and now state titles in girls’ golf.
Senior Morgan Crist played her final round of girls’ golf for Highland.
“The girls are not afraid to put the work in to get better,” Highland golf coach Joe Hattey said. “And they do it all year long. They are out there in the spring and the summer. They get lessons from their parents and so on.”
“They are really serious about golf. It was brutal golf out there,” Coach Hattey said about windy conditions that plagued the field. They hadn’t faced wind like that all year. I’m a golfer. If somebody asked me to go out and play in wind like that, I would decline.”
“They figured out how to play the wind the second day. Most of them did better that second day and they got the job done,” Joe Hattey said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the work that they put in.”
