Halifax County High School golfer Willoughby Gasperini earned medalist honors and the Comets finished as the runner-up in Wednesdays season-opening Piedmont District match at Tuscarora Country Club in Danville.

Gasperini carded a one-under-par round of 71 to earn medalist honors and lead the Comets effort. Kassidy Irby was next in line for the Comets with a round of 76.

Franklin County High School, posting four scores in the 70s, won the match with a 298 team total, with the Comets following in second place with a 334 total. Patrick County High School (342), host Tunstall High School (343), Magna Vista High School (353) and Bassett High School (417) followed in order.

GW-Danville had only two players participating and did not count a team score. Martinsville High School did not enter a team.

In addition to the two scores in the 70s posted by Gasperini and Irby, the Comets counted a round of 93 from senior Lance Chappell and senior Khalil Richardson posted around of 94.

Sophomore Will Abdi (95) and junior Jacob Day (96) also competed for the Comets, but their scores did not count toward the team total as the four best scores among six players are counted.

Richardson, Abdi and Day were competing in their first career varsity district match.

For the Comets, Wednesdays Piedmont District opener featured an almost entirely new lineup of players as four of the teams top players from the past two to three seasons, Chandler Bridgers, Matt Ratliff, Jamey Binner and Kaleb Cole, have graduated.

We have two solid players with Willoughby and Kassidy, noted Comets Head Coach David Graham.

Both of them are solid, experienced players and we are expecting them to lead us this season. For Khalil, Will and Jacob, this was their first varsity district match and youre looking at nerves and playing a course they have never played before.

Lance has some experience, Graham added, and he is a little rusty. He knows what to do and what to expect in these matches. I think with some more playing time he will come around. With Khalil, Will and Jacob, theyve got to learn how to grind out a better round. That will come with more playing time and experience.

Graham said Wednesdays district opener was in no way a disappointment.

It was a learning experience, Graham pointed out.

Some of our players were very nervous, and its intimidating playing your first varsity district match against better players. I saw things we need to work on.

Weve got talent, Graham added,

I hope our scores will start coming down a little bit each match, and if that happens we could have a solid team by the time the (post-season) playoffs come around.

Graham has 19 players on this seasons Comets golf team, with 11 varsity players and eight junior varsity players. The junior varsity players, he said, are a pleasant surprise.

Weve got eight kids on the JV team, Graham noted, and three or four of them are new kids that didnt play golf on the middle school team last year, but are playing golf. Thats a good thing. You never know what hidden talent you might have there that could end up shining for you.

The Comets coach added that among the 11 players on the varsity team there are couple of players that could play either varsity or JV.

The Comets golf team is getting a quick baptism under fire. Halifax County High School had a match scheduled with Bluestone High School and Park View High School yesterday at Kinderton Country Club at Clarksville.

On Monday, the Comets will compete in the annual Heritage Invitational Tournament hosted by Heritage High School of Lynchburg, which tees off at 9 a.m. That tournament always draws the top high school golf teams across the state. After that, the Comets will have a match on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., facing Randolph-Henry High School at The Briery Country Club.

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Gasperini tops field; golfers runner-up in district opender - YourGV.com