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May 15, 2012
Taylor Coalson of North Surry won on the second hole of a sudden death playoff take his second straight individual state crown on Tuesday in the 27th annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 2-A men’s golf championships at the Longleaf Golf and Country Club.
Coalson and Salisbury's Alex Nianouris led the way on Monday with scores of one-under 70 on the par-71, 6,600-yard layout, and then both shot 70 in the final round as well, forcing the playoff.
The Salisbury golfer finished in a tie for fourth in last year's state tournament.
Eric Edwards of Salisbury, with a 69 in the final round, was third at 142 and Clinton's Festus Turlington placed fourth, four shots back.
Nianouris and Edwards helped lead Salisbury to the top of the team standings. The Hornets, seeking their second consecutive state team championship, built up a solid 13-shot lead on Monday and then rolled to a convincing victory with an outstanding 283 on Tuesday, winning by 31 shots over runner-up North Lincoln, which won the team title in 2009 and 2010.
Newton-Conover shot a 620 team total, good for third place. The best four of six individual scores count toward the team total.
Salisbury's golf program completed a unique double this academic year-- no NCHSAA school had won the women's golf team title in the fall and then captured the men's championship in the spring. Salisbury's women's team took the 1A/2A title in the fall.
Prior to 1986, all NCHSAA schools competed for a single title in an open tournament. Play went to three classifications in 1986 and then to four classes beginning with the 1998 tournaments.
A total of 84 golfers began play in the two-day tournament.
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