Up against Atholton at Hobbit's Glen, Howard's girls golf team had the chance Tuesday afternoon to showcase its depth.
The Lions, playing without junior Alex Abrams (out of town participating in an event with the First Tee program), still posted the highest team score of any county team on the day en route to a 59-14 victory over the Raiders.
Jackie Cherry led the way with 26 points (1-over par), Harper Lurie chipped in with 20 and then Logan Lurie (8 points) and Sam Sagi (5) rounded things out
"To have the amount of depth that we have this year is a great luxury, especially after playing with just three regulars the last couple seasons. We are very fortunate to have five players now that can put up points," Howard coach Josh McGoun said. "The best part is that they seem to be having a lot of fun. They work really well together, they push one another and compliment each other."
Howard (2-0), coming off a 66-44 opening-day win over Centennial last week, is aiming for a third straight county title this fall. Having a leader like Cherry certainly helps.
The Lions' junior made eight pars and one bogey on Tuesday, with the only setback coming courtesy of a three-putt on the sixth hole. She made great up-and-downs for par on the fourth and ninth holes.
Harper Lurie also played a big role against Atholton, coming on strong to play her final three holes in one-under par. She made a 10-foot putt for birdie on the par 5 seventh hole and then closed with back-to-back pars.
"My putting definitely got stronger as the round went on and I was starting to get a feel for the greens," she said. "I think really when the putts started sinking that's when I was scoring points."
Lurie, a freshman, and Sagi are both in their first year on the team and each are showing they are ready to make immediate contributions. Sagi produced one of the highlights of the day when she chipped in from off the front of the green on the fourth hole to score a point.
In the loss, Atholton got six points apiece from Lucy Beldon and Shelby Lechner.
Howard is back in action on Thursday against Marriotts Ridge at Waverly Woods, while Atholton will play Glenelg at Cattail Creek.
Howard 59, Atholton 16
Ho (2-0): Cherry 26, Harper Lurie 20, Logan Lurie 8, Sagi 5.
A (1-1): Beldon 6, Lechner 6, Elena 2.
Other girls scores:
Wilde Lake 32, Long Reach 0
Lee Lee Sands set the pace with 23 points for the Wildecats in the team's second straight win. Among the other highlights was Ashmi Patel, who is new to golf, scoring her first career point on the fourth hole.
WL (2-0): Sands 23, Battle 8, Patel 1.
LR (0-2): N/A.
Marriotts Ridge 25, Oakland Mills 0
MR (2-0): McIlvain 12, Quinn 8, Dorsch 5.
OM (0-2): N/A.
River Hill 17, Hammond 1
RH (1-1): Green 12, Lesho 5.
Ha (0-2): Tuckley 1.
Centennial 46, Glenelg 6
C (1-1): Trojillo 19, Park 13, Fukuzawa 11, Taylor 6.
G (1-1): Stone 5, George 1.
Mt. Hebron 29, Reservoir 3
MH (2-0): Rathbun 22, Doan 5, Bodziak 2.
Re (0-2): Smith 2, Jackson 1.
Boys scores:
Howard 69, Atholton 58
Ho (1-1): Gupta 22, Kassiri 19, Wheeler 15, Pool 13.
A (1-1): Nguyen 20, Noah Chong 18, Grimsely 13, Nolan Chong 7.
Wilde Lake 49, Long Reach 29
WL (2-0): Schneider 18, Swanson 12, Wilson 11, Tiffey 8.
LR (0-2): Hussain 16, Lewis 8, Harmon 3, Ramberg 2.
Marriotts Ridge 61, Oakland Mills 26
MR (2-0): Polefrone 20, Park 17, Lee 15, Stevens 9.
OM (0-2): Fairbanks 11, Clyde 7, Carroll 6, Atkins 2.
River Hill 83, Hammond 30
RH (1-1): Burman 23, Gold 22, Hickey 19, Mann 19.
Ha (0-2): McDonald 10, Gaffere 8, Sarich 7, Witt 5.
Glenelg 82, Centennial 52
G (2-0): McAuliffe 24, Mikk 23, Forrester 18, Abruscato 17.
C (1-1): Chaplain 18, Sterenberg 15, Sams 14, Fukuzawa 5.
Mt. Hebron 82, Reservoir 71
MH (2-0): Lloyd 22, Hall 22, Jung 19, Scarbath 19.
Re (0-2): Gigioli 21, Teodori 21, Goron 20, Raymond 9.