Von Hagel wins Player of the Month award by a single vote

Shreve 2nd, Raynor 3rd, Warder 4th

* Ace Place GoFundMe campaign reaches 70 percent
* Allegany County Disc Golf Club on Facebook
* January Player of the Month: Tim Farris
* February Player of the Month: Shania Farris
* Previous award winners
* 2022 Player of the Year
* Spring Youth League to begin April 6

FROSTBURG — More than once over 31 days in March, it was said that determining the Allegany County Disc Golf Club’s Player of the Month award winner was a slam dunk.

It turns out, it wasn’t quite that easy.

Ethan von Hagel, 20 of Cumberland, won the March Player of the Month vote tally by a single point over Bill Shreve.

Ethan von Hagel edged Bill Shreve in arguably the closest vote tally over the 10 times the club has been bestowing the monthly honor.

Von Hagel, 20, of Cumberland, received four first-place votes and racked up 22 points for the win. Shreve, 46, of Cumberland, earned one first-place vote and four second-place votes to finish with 21 points. Keith Raynor, 46, of Vale Summit, was third with 14 points, including one second-place vote, and David Warder, 32, of Frostburg, finished close behind with 13 points.

Von Hagel becomes the fourth Men’s-Advanced Division player to win the award, following Scott Mallery (August), Shreve (October) and Colby Mallery (November). He is also the fifth player under the age of 21 to win the award, following in the footsteps of Colby Mallery, Lily Lick (September), Ethan Barney (July) and Luke Spradlin-Vogelsang (June). The club h s 68 members, 26 of whom are ages 20 and under (38 percent).

The voting panel, members of which rotate and are kept private, provided the biggest signal yet that it’s ready for a repeat winner. Shreve won the award in October 2022 and had one heck of a March to compete with von Hagel and be the first person to win it a second time. At stake? A prize valued up to $15. Players generally choose a between a gift certificate from their favorite disc golf-related retailer or the like, such as a uDisc subscription or renewal.

There were nine club events in March, the highlight of which was the first Allegany County Doubles Championship on March 4. The other eight rounds were casual play — organized, non-league competition — or the Fisher Cup, which is a non-competitive event.

Consider this: In March, Shreve played in seven of nine club events. Using a scoring system similar to the club’s Summer Flex League or doubles league systems, Shreve would have earned five points each for four first-place finishes, along with four points for a second-place finish and three points for third. He also finished sixth in a glow round on March 26, out of contention for performance-based points. Still, that’s a total of 27 points, or an average of 3.85 points per competitive effort.

Von Hagel, meanwhile, participated in six club events. One was a Fisher Cup round in Fairmont, which is not performance based and there are no points available for anyone. In the five performance-based events, von Hagel had two wins (five points apiece), two runner-ups (four points each) and three more points for a third-place finish. That’s a total of 21 points, and an average of 4.2 points per performance-based effort.

Without a doubt, the club’s inaugural tournament carried more weight in March than any other round. There, von Hagel and teammate Colby Mallery teamed up to post the best score of all 11 teams. Shreve and partner Scott Mallery took third.

It wasn’t the only time von Hagel beat Shreve when they were on the course together. In March, the two went head-to-head a total of four times. Von Hagel won three of the four matches. On March 7, von Hagel won a glow round by four strokes over Shreve and Raynor, who finished in a tie for second place. On March 26, von Hagel lost a close one at Mile Lane Disc Golf in Mount Savage. Tied after 24 holes in regulation, Warder edged von Hagel after two playoff holes; Shreve finished sixth.

Shreve didn’t earn his lone win over von Hagel until March 28. At The Glades at Meshach Run in Accident, Shreve won a glow round by five strokes; von Hagel was second.

Raynor, meanwhile, participated in five club events and placed fourth with teammate Ethan Shreve in the tournament. The pair placed fourth in the top-level, Division 1 play. However, the two placed the highest in the field of 11 teams of any Rec Division duo. Raynor tied for second in two casual club rounds and finished in solo second place in another round.

Warder, meanwhile, teamed up with Benji Steele to finish only three strokes behind von Hagel and Mallery in the tournament. He also beat von Hagel twice in head-to-head competition, including the casual round at Mile Lane as well as a wacky, windy round in Lonaconing. In the latter round, Warder led von Hagel by a single stroke after 14 holes. The wind came into play — and not in von Hagel’s favor — on No. 15, when the younger player went out of bounds twice. Warder increased his lead from one to five, and von Hagel finished in third place, one stroke behind Tim Farris.

For Player of the Month consideration, volunteer efforts also count. However, all four players notched similar levels of volunteer spirit in March. Each provided helpful feedback on the proposed layout of the Hoffman Park Ace Place Disc Golf Course, which should open in April as the first public disc golf course in Allegany County.