Belmont Hills Country Club sends Red Devils Boys golf team off for state tournament

ST. CLAIRSVILLE - Belmont Hills Country Club sent the St. Clairsville Red Devils Boys Varsity Golf team off to the state championship tournament Thursday evening.

All five team members, Mason Conway, Ryan Mooney, Maverick Malin, Beau Mooney and Jack Conway, will be competing at the 12-team Division II state championship tournament Sunday at Firestone Country Club’s North Course in Akron.

The team is set to depart the Ohio Valley on Saturday morning before their practice round at 1:20 p.m. at Firestone.

This marks the fifth time in the school's history where its golf team has made it to states.

"I’m super stoked for them, they really deserve it. They’ve put in years, and I mean, I’ve been watching some of these kids for almost 10 years. So it’s a culmination of lots of time, lots of travel and early mornings," Head coach Heidi Mooney said.

Mooney is not only the head coach, but also the mother of players and brothers Ryan and Beau Mooney.

"I'm just a mama bear doing her thing and taking care of her cubs," Mooney said.

On Thursday, the country club hosted a dinner to send the team off to the tournament.

During the dinner, club president Bryan Woodford surprised the team by giving each student new golf balls, FootJoy golf shoes and a Peter Millar pullover.

"I think you’re going to need raincoats instead, by the sounds of it for Sunday, but at least you’ll look good throughout," Woodford said. "I want to thank the parents. These kids during certain times of the year probably spend more time at the club than they do at home."

Mooney said the celebratory dinner came about after Woodford contacted her.

"A lot of the members are really behind the boys, rallying behind the boys, happy for them and wanted to celebrate their successes. So they’re hosting this dinner for the players and their families," Mooney said. "It’s really really nice of the members of the country club to do this for us, it’s nice that they're celebrating them and golf because golf is a sport that doesn’t get a lot of glory."

She added that the club is where the team practices as well as it being its home course.

Mooney said that she believes golf doesn't always draw attention because it's a difficult spectator sport.

"It’s hard to go and watch. The matches are so far away, and a lot of people don’t know a lot about golf. So it’s nice that they’re getting some attention," Mooney said.

St. Clairsville-Richland City School District superintendent Christina Laudermilt added she is incredibly proud of everything the team has achieved.

"Having the golf team make it to states is phenomenal. They have had a great season and it just absolutely shows their determination, perseverance, and their dedication to not only the sport but also to each other for the entire team to make it," Laudermilt said. "Usually you see individuals, but the whole entire team is making it, and they have just performed so well this season. They’ve just made us so proud, and they have just shown their ST. C. pride."

Team captain Maverick Malin then thanked the club for the dinner.

"It was very nice of the board members from the country club and all of the members wanting to be able to come together for a dinner right before we head to states as a way to congratulate us," Malin said. "We’ve been playing well all season. We started off hot, and we continued to stay hot throughout the season. So hopefully, we can continue that at states."

He added that he believes the team is capable of winning if they all work hard and play at their best.