Jeff Moeller, sports correspondent

After a slow start on the opening day, Richmond Hill rebounded with a better effort on the final day of the GHSA Class 6A championships at Bentwater Country Club in Achworth. The Wildcats finished the tournament in ninth place overall with a 20-over 308 in the 12-team field. They finished Monday’s round with a 34-over 322.

Seniors Ledger Conley shot a one-over 73; Patrick Mahaffey, five-over 77, Matthew Reynolds, six-over 78, and sophomore Noah Bope, eight-over 80.

Head coach Ron Smith was appreciative of his team’s improvement.

“We played better today,” said Smith. “We moved up a couple of spots. I was happy with our 14-stroke improvement.”

Conley was happy with his play on the second day.

“I felt like I definitely hit the ball a little more solid and made a few more putts today,” said Conley. “I hit more greens today as well, which really helped my scores.”

Overall, Conley believed his season slipped a bit from the previous one. He envisions a future with the game, as he plans to continue her golf career at Jacksonville University.

“My season wasn’t as good as last year,” he said. “But I was pretty solid with finishes and placements. My plans for next year is college golf and try to do the best I can at that level of competition.

Last season at the state tournament, the Wildcats finished a school-best fourth-place. A few weeks ago, they captured their inaugural 6A area championship.

Overall, Smith believed it was a solid year for his team.

“It was a good season,” emphasized Smith. “Although we didn’t play the way we wanted to play at the state tournament we still have a lot to be proud of.”

Smith cited winning the Gregg Wolfe Invitational in Metter and a second-place finish in the Neil Graham Classic hosted by Coffee County as major accomplishments.

“We had our two best scores of the year as a team in those two tournaments until we won the area tournament for the first time in school history with a team record score of 286.

“Also, early in the year we were able to get some young guys some tournament experience as some of our seniors had other tournament commitments. Every player on the team played at least one varsity tournament. All in all, it was a good season for the boys team.”