Doubles play featured in Fall Youth League Week 4

Two teams separated by only 3 strokes

Previous results: Week 1 .Week 2 . Week 3 . Week 4 . Week 5

MOUNT SAVAGE — Down, but never out.

Tarik Vogtman and Luke Spradlin-Vogelsang completed a second-half comeback to win Week 4 of the Allegany County Disc Golf Club’s Fall Youth League on Friday evening at Mile Lane Disc Golf Course in Mount Savage.

Mariam and Tarik look at a bug that is escaping into a hole in the tree.

Vogtman and Spradlin-Vogelsang, 10-year-olds from Frostburg, edged out fellow Frostburg residents Marshall Vogtman, 13, and Mariam Bladen, 12, in a doubles format. The first 12 baskets were a pure alternate shot format. Player 1 from each team drove from the tee, and each team’s players alternated until the disc made its way into the basket. The person who made the putt then watched as their teammate made the tee shot on the next basket. For baskets 13-18, the format changed slightly. For this section, the format remained alternate shot but players had to rotate turns on the tee pad from basket to basket.

The change helped Team Vogtman/Spradlin-Vogelsang by more than a little.

The two were down by three strokes at the midway point, 28-31. Marshall and Mariam snagged three birdies on the front nine and saved par five other times, getting into trouble only on No. 2 (double bogey) and No. 5 (bogey). Tarik and Luke, meanwhile, threw for two bogeys and a double bogey while carding par on six baskets.

For the final six baskets, though, Tarik and Luke found their groove. The pair gained seven strokes on their opponents over the final one-third of the 18-hole round from the short tees. The trials and tribulations are to be expected, as three out of the four players each have less than four scored rounds in their disc golf lives. Only Luke has more experience, as he began playing in September 2021.

Tarik and Luke were down by four strokes starting on No. 13 and quickly fell behind by a fifth as Marshall and Mariam saved par while Tarik and Luke threw for bogey. Then Tarik and Luke found their groove, while Marshall and Mariam found a few trees and bushes.

Tarik and Luke gained four of those five strokes back on Nos. 14 and 15 (two apiece). Basket No. 16 turned out to be a three-stroke swing; while Tarik and Luke saved park, Marshall and Mariam threw their first of two straight triple bogeys. There was no coming back from that with so little time left in the round.

Luke and Tarik finished with a 63 — including a 22 over the final six baskets — while Marshall and Mariam carded a 66.

Kevin Spradlin, 44, of Frostburg, played as an individual as the odd player out and threw a personal best 48. His previous best was a 50 set on Feb. 22 during a glow round. On Friday, Spradlin threw splits of 26 on the front nine and 22 on the back nine, the latter of which included six birdies.

The fifth and final week of Fall Youth League tees off at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29 at Hoffman Park Disc Golf Course in Frostburg. Competition is free and open to players of all ages and abilities.