Ask coaches Mike Eye and Dayne Davis of the Pendleton County golf squad what the secret is to continued success. The answer always boils down to one word — not just teamwork, but teammates.
There’s a difference between the two words. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison played for the same team, a highly successful one at that. Within that dynamic came heated clashes between Lennon and McCartney over their contrasting musical styles. Starr and Harrison, tremendous talents in their own right, got relegated to the background with little to no voice at all.
The Beatles gave a great example of teamwork, but not of teammates.
Not so of the Wildcats who hunt joyfully as a pack. At the start of the season, Eye and Davis established a fluid varsity roster. One could earn their way on it, but that would displace another on the margin between varsity and junior varsity. This encouraged the sharpness of competition and gave incentives to continue practicing and improving.
Every player has spent significant time this season at Fisher Mountain on their own time, honing their games and preparing for competition. That preparation time, granted to players for free, is only part of the strong and solid support Fisher Mountain has provided to the golf team since its inception.
Even more important, these teammates always back each other up. They collectively celebrate victories and also come together after setbacks both individual and collective. Each player encourages the other, regardless.
Practices paid off as Pendleton County bested its 2025 State Golf Tournament performance. Another factor lay in the constant battles in the region between Pendleton County, Tucker County, and Tygarts Valley. Davis explained that the other two schools enjoyed an edge in age and experience, which also includes more physical maturity. The Wildcats bested the pack at regionals out of sheer work ethic and discipline.
Golf serves as a sport where one competes against oneself as much as anyone or any other team on the course. One can measure improvement competing in the same place and under similar conditions. Last year, the Wildcats went to Wheeling and shot a collective 615, placing eighth. This year Pendleton County moved up the standings to sixth, but the more impressive improvement came in the team score. In golf the low score beats the higher. This year’s Pendleton County Wildcats shot a 560 on the same course.
The linksters at Wheeling last week faced the same summerlike upper 80s temperatures as the cross-country team at Hampshire, but with an extra taste of Ohio Valley humidity. Part of the athleticism of high school golf comes in carrying one’s own gear over long distances up and down rises. Davis shared at the time that the team faced a challenge from the heat and struggled on day one a bit. They shot 280, which put them teamwise eight strokes behind fourth place Tygarts Valley. Although the heat had even more impact on day two, the team battled to a historic sixth place finish, best in school history.
The top golfer from this region in Class A was Alijah Row-Sponaugle from Tygarts Valley who scored a 177 and placed ninth. Nathan Davis from Tucker County scored 179 and ended in a tie for 13th. Dylan Eye was the top Wildcat in the field, shooting 182, good for 16th place. The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission has been tardy in posting scorecard results on its website, however, an inquiry to Grok gave unofficial results. It shared that Landon Davis shot a 187, Hayden “Striker” Kimble scored a 197, and Jacob Thompson finished at 203.
Wildcat fortunes look promising going into next year. Regional rivals will lose their top performers to graduation while Pendleton County not only returns its full squad, but also will see talented middle schoolers rising into the growing ranks of the team. The program started with love, but from scratch, by Charlie Burgoyne not long ago will be seen as a strong competitor for a Class A state title next season
Wirt County took the state title after having missed the tournament last year. They were followed by St. Mary’s, Charleston Catholic, Gilmer County, Tygarts Valley, the Wildcats, Greater Beckley Christian, and Summit Christian Academy.
