Hampton siblings top CTP youth division leaderboards

B. Padovini, S. Spradlin lead adult players
Putting, CTP contests small on numbers, big on competition

* Fall Youth League begins Monday, Sept. 4 (free to play for kids and adults)

FROSTBURG — The final minutes of the CTP contest featured multiple lead changes, but Jeremiah Hampton eked out a close win over Evan Padovini on Sunday during a disc golf exhibition event at the Western Maryland Craft Beverage Festival at Hoffman Park in Frostburg.

Numbers were down at the Allegany County Disc Golf Club booth this year compared to 2022 — more than two dozen last September compared to only 14 players today — but the competition was eager. In the end, that’s all that matters.

At age 5, Grayson Morral was the youngest player on Sunday to qualify in the putting contest.

Hampton, 12, of Cresaptown, won the closest-to-the-pin contest within the Boys’ Division. His Discraft Roach stopped a mere 11 inches from the red stake in the ground located approximately 100 feet from a modified tee pad in right-center field of the softball field. Padovini, 12, of Frostburg, was not too far away. His closest throw finished 19.25 inches from the stake. Luke Spradlin-Vogelsang, 10, of Frostburg, was third (28.25 inches). Hampton’s effort was the best of any player in any division.

Steady heat and wind gusts of up to 22 miles per hour hounded players throughout the afternoon.

Hampton grabbed the early division lead shortly after 1 p.m. of the six-hour event. He was the first competitor to toe the modified tee pad and, with his first throw, landed only 21.5 inches from the pin. Under a hot sun and a clear-blue sky, Hampton simply watched as other competitors came and way, sometimes happy with their efforts despite not getting near Hampton’s spot and sometimes feeling somewhat dispirited.

Hampton, meanwhile, didn’t have anything to worry about — until, that is, Padovini showed up. Both are Allegany County Disc Golf Club members. While Hampton has played only one full round of 18 holes with the club — and that occurred last month — Padovini has been playing regularly since early June. He has shown steady improvement and won the club’s Player of the Month award in June for his performance.

Raegan Hampton, 9, of Cresaptown, won the Girls’ Division. It was her first time throwing plastic discs. Her best effort landed 60 feet, 6 inches from the stake.

Brian Padovini, 42, of Frostburg, outlasted the field in the Men’s Division and earned a win with an even 24 inches from the pin. Nursing a shoulder injury on his right (throwing) shoulder, some of Padovini’s best throws came via the lefthand backhand approach.

Stephanie Spradlin, 43, of Frostburg, won the Women’s Division, stopping only 7 feet, 6.5 inches from the stake.

In the putting contest, players had to make two of three putts from established distances in order to qualify for an hourly drawing. Thirteen of 14 players ranging in age from 5 to 61 qualified for the drawings. From that pool, a random name generator selected the winners at the top of each hour: Jeremiah Hampton; Wesley Morral, 8, of Rawlings; Liam Hutter, 12, of Frostburg; Grayson Morral, 5, of Frostburg; and Colton Morral, 10, of Rawlings.

Discs also were awarded to the four CTP division winners: the Hampton siblings (Jeremiah and Raegan), along with Brian Padovini and Stephanie Spradlin.