Here also is a look at Belpre and St. Marys and what they have in store for the upcoming season.
A total of seven letterwinners are on the 13-member roster when taking into account sophomore Jackie Cunningham, and seniors Bryce Pittenger and Dakota Hoffman. Cunningham will play from the same tees as her male counterparts until the postseason, while Pittenger and Hoffman haven't played since their freshman year.
Pittenger and Hoffman, along with classmate Trent Stanley, are two-sport athletes and will continue to play for Belpre's soccer team.
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KERRY PATRICK Special to The Times
Belpre’s Brennen Ferrell follows through on a drive at the Parkersburg Country Club Invitational Monday.
Now in his sixth season as the golf coach at Belpre, Scott Miller has four sectional titles to his credit. Last year marked his first outright Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division title after completing the league schedule unbeaten at 16-0.
"It's been five years since we've taken a team to state, which is the only time Belpre has done that," Miller said. "It would be fun to do it again. We certainly have the caliber of team to do that."
"I think we can be one of those teams in September ... I wouldn't be surprised if we slid into a two seed at regional," Meeks said. "Finishing first may be difficult because Madonna is playing at home, but I could see us making a splash at states."
With 13 members on the roster, the Blue Devils feature a starting lineup of senior Aaron Tice, juniors Robbie Harper and Josh Richard, sophomores Coleman Lamp and Jared Nichols, and freshman Drew Wells. Last year, the Blue Devils placed third at the Little Kanawha Conference Meet. They have advanced to the state tournament twice in school history - winning the Class AA/A title in 1989 and placing third in in Class A in 2008.
"This team is like the one I had in 2006 when they came from nowhere and won the LKC," Meeks said. "They have a lot of potential and if we gel right, we could make some teams worry if we have success.
"Either way, they will gain experience because we pretty much have our core group coming back."
