WALDO — The Heart of Ohio Junior Golf Association recently honored its 39th annual scholarship winners for the 2025 season at Kings Mill Golf Course.
During the banquet, Jim Kraschinsky, a recently retired senior executive for multiple corporations including Berkshire Hathaway, was the guest speaker who talked about goals, setting expectations and looking at key metrics that lead to success in all phases of life.
Earning the David J. Wensinger Player of the Year $2,500 Scholarship was Parker Steffanni of Delaware Hayes. He scored 114 points this season to earn the Player of the Year rotating trophy, plus he was given the low scoring trophy with an average of 71.6.
Olentangy’s Kaden Ottley was second in the boys 16-to-18 age group and earned the Ross Carley Memorial Player of the Year First Runner-up $1,700 Scholarship with his 78 points.
Pleasant’s Dawson Hall and Olentangy’s Henry Terry tied with 68 points, so second-runner-up was determined by stroke average per tournament. Hall won the James and Julia (Wensinger) Kraschinsky Family Player of the Year Second Runner-up $750 Scholarship, and Terry took the HOJGA Third Runner-up $750 Scholarship. Hall also won the Chad A. Wheeler Best of the Best Boys Tournament Plaque.
Ottley was second in the boys 16-to-18 group’s low average with a 73.8, followed by Hall at 76.0, Jaxon Jolliff of North Union at 76.2 and Terry at 78.8.
Olentangy’s Olivia Ross won the HOJGA 3-Year Accumulative Points $750 Scholarship and won the Chad A. Wheeler Best of the Best Girls Tournament Plaque. Emery Gorenflo received the Most Improved $500 Scholarship and was voted best sportswoman in the girls 13-to-18 age group to earn a $500 scholarship. Billy Bowlin of Northmor accepted the Knights of Columbus 16-18 Sportsmanship $500 Scholarship.
The Marion County Youth Foundation MERIT $1,000 Scholarship went to Terry, while Jolliff took the Charles W. Emans Patriot $500 Scholarship. Pleasant’s Jack Seckel was given the Roger Lee Hensel Legacy $500 Scholarship, and the American Legion Post 162 gave two Allegiance $500 scholarships to Seth Smith of Upper Sandusky and Maddie Murphy of Pleasant.
Colonel Crawford’s Madison Gray scored 121 points in the girls 13-to-18 age group to win the Amy Wensinger Roberts Girls Player of the Year $1,000 Scholarship and rotating trophy. Northmor’s Katelyn Miley had 120 points for the first runner-up spot and the $750 HOJGA Girls Scholarship. Miley also took the rotating low scoring plaque with her average of 78.6. Gray was next at 80.8, followed by Murphy at 85.4, Ross at 93.2 and Gorenflo at 98.0.
Wynford’s Clay Rogers won the boys 13-to-15 age group to earn the rotating trophy and the Steve Mills Memorial Player of the Year $1,000 Scholarship. He also had the low scoring average with a 76.2. Upper Sandusky’s Toby Holman was the first runner-up in the age group and won a HOJGA $750 scholarship, averaging a 79.2. Colonel Crawford’s Bryant Berry averaged an 81.0, Buckeye Valley’s Grayson Keller an 83.6 and Pleasant’s Kolton Crider an 84.8.
Rogers won his age group’s sportsmanship award, as did Cohen Sisler of Pleasant in the 12-and-under division.
Eagle Club plaque honorees in the 16-18 group were Ottley, Terry, Ethan Monroe of North Union and Jake Kulha of Buckeye Valley. In the 13-15 group were Blake Gibson of Olentangy, Rawley Risner of North Union and Berry with two.
Plaques for the most birdies of the season were given to Steffanni with 17, Miley with 11, Rogers with 13 and most pars in the 12-and-under group to Bryce Bolenbaugh with six.
Pleasant’s Anna Songer was tops in raffle ticket sales and won $100, while Cass Sisler of Marion won the raffle for a set of Callaway X Series OS steel irons.
