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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

CALERA – As many of the best golf teams from around Shelby County descended on Timberline Golf Club on Monday, April 14, the Briarwood Christian Lions and Oak Mountain Eagles reigned supreme as county champions.

Briarwood’s boys golf team and Oak Mountain’s girls golf team won the team competition of the Shelby County Championships while Oak Mountain’s Sam Martin and Reese Powell won the boys and girls individual medals, respectively.

Briarwood’s boys team secured the win with a score of plus-10, beating Oak Mountain by three strokes for the team title.

The Lions were led by Will Burns, who shot an even-par 71 on the day. He secured birdies on the first, 11th and 18th holes to counteract three bogeys and finish even-par.

Each Briarwood golfer finished at plus-4 or better as Anderson Dennis and Foster Butts earned scores of 74, or plus-3, and Sam Burns came in the clubhouse at a plus-4 score of 74.

Will Burns came in second in the individual standings while Dennis finished fifth and Butts was seventh.

Those scores helped Briarwood fend off the Eagles for the title even as Oak Mountain had two of the top three individual golfers. Sam Martin earned the individual low round with a minus-1 score of 71 off four birdies while Saxon Rockett took third place with a plus-2 score of 73.

Helena rounded out the top three for the boys with a third-place score of plus-25, led by John Ross Collins, who was the fourth-best individual golfer on the day with a plus-3 score of 74.

Chelsea finished fourth in the team standings with a score of plus-27 while Thompson came in fifth with a score of plus-30.

As for the girls, Oak Mountain swept the team and individual titles with a score of plus-16 as Powell led the Eagles with a score of 3-under-par 68, the best of any male or female golfer at the event.

Powell secured birdies on the fifth, eighth, 15th and 16th holes as well as an albatross by shooting a three on the par-5 11th hole.

In addition to Powell’s low round, Caroline Gardner shot a plus-9 score of 80, including birdies on the fifth and 11th holes. Kate Nickles was the other scoring golfer for Oak Mountain with a score of plus-10 at 81, good enough for seventh place.

Briarwood finished 12 strokes back of the Eagles with a score of plus-28, led by Presley Justice’s 5-over-par score of 76. Thompson rounded out the top three with a score of plus-78.

As for the rest of the top-five individual golfers, Spain Park’s Claire Johnson came in third with a 5-over-par score of 79 while competing as an individual and Briarwood’s Camille Beatty, Oak Mountain’s Gardner and Thompson’s Nikki Pierce tied for fourth with a 9-over-par score of 80.

The competition saw Briarwood, Oak Mountain, Helena, Chelsea, Thompson, Pelham, Indian Springs and Calera compete on the boys side while Oak Mountain, Briarwood, Thompson, Chelsea, Helena and Calera were the girls teams battling for the title.

Spain Park and Pelham’s girls and Westminster OM’s boys also sent individual competitors to the championships. Of note, the defending Class 7A boys golf state champions Spain Park did not compete.