GALION — The Madison Rams came into the 2025 season with expectations never seen before in program history.
And the start to the year has them continuing to climb.
It has been a busy start to the week so far. On Monday, the Rams competed in the Ralph Hohenstein at Green Hills Golf Course in Clyde and took third place with a 331. On Tuesday, they played in the Allen East Invite at Colonel Golf Course in Harrod and took second with a season-low 317. On Wednesday, they completed the countdown with a first-place finish at the Galion Golf Invitational with a nice 321 team score, going 3-2-1 in their first three tournaments of the year.
Senior Liam Stone led the Rams with a 39-39-78 while brothers Josh, Nick and Brandon Maglott shot matching 81s. Josh went 38-43-81 while Nick went 40-40-81 and Brandon added a 42-39-81 to round out the individual scorers for the Rams. AJ Studer added a 46-39-85 and Lincoln Shepherd had a 47-39-86 for two very solid drop scores. In all, the Rams had six nine-hole scores below 40 at Valley View Golf Course.
“We are hovering right around that mark for a team score right now, but the potential of where these kids can go is scary,” Madison coach Steve Farley said. “I think we can shoot in the high 290s or right around 300 and once we get everyone putting it together on the same day, we will see those low team scores.”
The Rams lost just one senior from last year’s Ohio Cardinal Conference runner-up squad where they placed four golfers on second team all-league with Stone, Josh and Nick Maglott and Landon Goad, the graduating senior, earning honors. Losing Goad and adding freshman Brandon Maglott kept the expectations high for 2025.
“Last year, we had high expectations as well, and we just fell a little short at the end,” Farley said. “We still had a great season and finished second in the OCC and were just one stroke from a district qualifying spot. We lost just one senior, and we gained a very talented freshman who is averaging low 80s. We are looking at this season as our year and a great opportunity to make a name for Madison golf and grow the program. We are pushing.”
They are pushing while also keeping their heads about them. Stone is focused on playing a smarter brand of golf no matter how badly he wants to take chances.
“We don’t really think much about the expectations,” Stone said. “We just go out and play our game. We focus on playing smart. It is tough sometimes because I could be the only person in the group taking iron or hybrid off the tee, and everyone else is ripping driver. It is intimidating, but when you come in with a good score, it is tough to complain.”
Nick Maglott agrees.
“Playing smart is key,” Maglott said. “We don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. We do our own thing. The end result shows it all.”
Madison tied with Ashland for runner-up team honors in the OCC last season behind Lexington’s special team. Having never won an OCC title in program history, the Rams feel like they have something special brewing.
“We took a lot of momentum because nearly everyone involved in last year’s success is back,” Maglott said. “And we added a couple of others who can shoot really good scores and give us a variety. They give us a lot of confidence to play our best because we can rely on our teammates to support us with a good score.”
And many of those teammates are right in the other room at the Maglott home. Josh played as the No. 1 on Wednesday and played very well, while Nick was the No. 3, and youngest brother Brandon was the No. 6, despite posting a score that counted against the team’s total. There are no egos with the Maglotts, especially if it means the Rams winning championships.
“It is really cool to have them with me because they go out there and beat me all the time,” Nick Maglott said. “Today, they both tied me, which is great for our team score, but yesterday, Josh beat me by like nine. It is just awesome to see them doing so well.”
The Rams finish up a busy week with the first of three rounds of OCC play at Riceland Golf Course on Thursday before finishing up at the Hillsdale Invite, a tournament they won last season, on Friday at Brookside in Ashland. Already with a championship to their credit, Farley is focused on making sure the Rams do not peak too early so they can make a run at some postseason success later in the season.
“Last year, we won multiple tournaments at the beginning of the season and then missed out on a district berth by one stroke,” Farley said. “I learned as a coach, a lot of these guys are veteran players, so all we have to do is control our mindsets. It is a mental game and a long road until the postseason, so we want to make sure our snacks in the cooler are healthier and we take care of our bodies at the same time as the work we are putting in to improve.”
That will be a task he hands off to Stone and Nick Maglott as the two senior team leaders.
“I hold those two to a team-lead standard,” Farley said. “If I need something done within the team, I can message those two on Remind and make sure they get everyone on the same page. And they take care of it. The best teams are led by the players, and in practice, everyone wants to play with those two because they are more than willing to help anyone through issues. That is invaluable.”
As part of Stone’s vocal leadership, he isn’t afriad to make sure the Rams shoot for some very high goals.
“We talk about it at the end of every single practice,” Stone said. “Our goal this year is to win the OCC, and we all want to be on the same page about that. We are going to hear a lot on the van ride home about how we are good enough to win a very tough league.”
Other team scores at the Galion Golf Invitational
The Lexington Minutemen had a 332. Jackson Durchik led the way witha 39-39-78 while Griffin Hughes had a 38-41-79, Dawson Dreibelbis had a 40-44-84, Carson Pigg shot a 45-46-91, Myles Smith added a 54-50-104 and Caleb Murfield rounded out the scores witha 55-50-105.
The Clear Fork Colts shot a 338. Kaiden Detimer carded a 40-41-81 while Xander Cyphers added a 41-41-82, Clinton Stallard had a 42-45-87, Landon Ball (46-42) and Bryar Ousley (45-43) shot matching 88s and Cade Beachy rounded out the scores with a 47-44-91.
The Ontario Warriors carded a 351. Colton Blevins led the team witha 43-39-82 while Kolbe Ramion added a 43-42-85, Jsxon Tinkham (48-44) and Miles Doehla (45-47) shot matching 9s, Michael Brown had a 46-51-97 and Ryder Doehla rounded out the scoring with a 50-52-102.
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