Can Rutland defend its GHSA girls golf state championship? (with qualifiers)

          Carol Pyon may have moved on to Mercer, but the Rutland’s girls golf team is still riding a wave of Pyons.

          Eujin Pyon was the individual GHSA Area 1-AAA individual champ, and Jenny Pyon is a starter on the Hurricanes’ area champ.

          And they’ll help Rutland try to defend its GHSA Class AAA girls golf state title when the tournament gets underway Monday at courses throughout the state.

          Rutland, the lone Class AAA team from the area competing, will be at Arrowhead Point to the northwest, near Hart County. Hannah Pelt and Madelyn Phillips helped the Hurricanes to that area title.

Eujin took second last year in the state tournament and fourth a year before when Carol finished first.

          Houston County, Dodge County, FPD, and ACE are the only Central Georgia schools with both boys’ and girls’ teams competing.

          Southern Hills in Hawkinsville is hosting the Class A-Public boys and girls, with the Red Devils’ girls advancing and Dylan O’Quinn an individual qualifier from Hawkinsville.

          FPD’s boys finished second last year in A-Private, a year after winning it.

          Very important note: warm and likely dry throughout the state.

Here are team and individual qualifiers

Class 6A

G-Houston County

B-Houston County

Class 5A

G-Veterans

B-Jones County, Warner Robins’ Hayden Ridings

Class 4A

G-Howard, West Laurens

B-Upson-Lee, Perry’s Payne Sells, West Laurens’ Garrett Ammerman

Class AAA

G-Rutland

Class AA

G-Bleckley County, Dodge County

B-Dodge County, Washington County, Bleckley County’s Ty Cranford

Class A-Private

G-Stratford, FPD

B-FPD, Stratford’s Will Chambless

Class A-Public

G-Hawkinsville, ACE, GMC

B-Taylor County, ACE, Hawkinsville’s Dylan O’Quinn