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�����Ƶ�The (Jones Course at Oglebay) was playing so hard today,�����Ƶ� Michael said. �����Ƶ�I grinded it out real well yesterday. I think for the most part I did the same today, except for a few hiccups on the last few. Other than that, it was a total grind out there because of the conditions.�����Ƶ�

While weather was clear with some overhead clouds, there was no precipitation for either day of the tournament in Wheeling, but wind affected players and fast greens made putting a challenge.

Michael said his goal was to make par, and he did that on Wednesday, making par on holes one through five until he bogeyed holes six and seven. A birdie on nine left him 1-over-par through the first half of the course.

On the more challenging back nine, a double-bogey on 16 pushed Michael to 4-over-par for the day and 6-over for the tournament.

But Michael had the tournament lead through the first round, and nothing he did on Wednesday changed the leaderboard as other players behind him jockeyed for position.

The final score for Michael, a �����ƵU commit, was six strokes better than 2023 champion Tommy Evans of Washington, who finished 12-over for runner-up status.

�����Ƶ�I didn�����Ƶ�t really know what the lead was, so I wasn�����Ƶ�t assuming I was way up or way down, so I just tried to go out and make pars, really,�����Ƶ� Michael said. �����Ƶ�I figured I�����Ƶ�d be OK with a few little mishaps there, but I was still just trying to limit the mistakes.�����Ƶ�

For the Knights�����Ƶ� team win, Michael didn�����Ƶ�t have to carry Cabell Midland alone. Carson Sargent and Alex White each shot 15-over for the tournament to tie each other for fifth place, lift the Knights to their first state title since 2016 and give them three players on the All-State team.

�����Ƶ�This team was special from Day 1,�����Ƶ� Knights coach Matt Stead said. �����Ƶ�They weren�����Ƶ�t perfect, but all year long you knew that they had the stuff, that they had what it took, and to come up here and get it done feels real good.�����Ƶ�

Cabell Midland nearly had a fourth player make All-State after freshman Wyatt Maynard shot 18-over par for the tournament to narrowly miss a top eight spot that would have landed him the honor also. Maynard tied for ninth.

�����Ƶ�We knew coming out of middle school he was a good player,�����Ƶ� Stead said. �����Ƶ�I think he had every round in the 70s all year except for the final round of this tournament. You don�����Ƶ�t expect that out of a freshman.�����Ƶ�

Hurricane shot 51-over as a team to finish Class AAA runner-up for the second consecutive year, while University placed third, defending state champion Washington fourth and George Washington fifth.

GW let a shot at runner-up placement slip away in the final few holes, Patriots coach B.J. Calabrese said.

Charleston Catholic finished runner-up in Class A after a surge in the second round on Wednesday had the Irish within striking distance of state champion St. Marys.

Catholic�����Ƶ�s Will Gruse was among the contenders to win the individual championship throughout the first round and for much of the second. Gruse shot 22-over for the tournament to take fifth, while Irish teammate Ben Carew shot 27-over to finish seventh, placing both players on the Class A All-State team.

East Hardy�����Ƶ�s Jordan Tests shot a 156 for the tournament for 14-over-par to win the individual championship.

In Class AA, Shady Spring won the team title by 12 strokes over Wheeling Central. Region 4 champion Ripley and runner-up Chapmanville tied for third.

Luke Tiu of Wheeling Central won the Class AA individual championship.