By Alex Miller
The MS 14 Open wrapped up this week, and we finally have a long awaited 2016 winner to put on the Gray Jacket.
Mr. Hale and Ms. Schaaf’s Gray House Mentor Group, MS 14, has been competing in the MS 14 Open over the last month. The MS 14 Open is a nine-hole tournament. At the end of the tournament, the top three players go into a two-hole playoff. The final hole was in the 7th grade hallway, and ended with a very tense and strange ending.
The MS 14 Open has been happening for three years now, and I have been a participant all 3 years, but have not come out victorious. In the first year of the tournament, 8th grader Matt Dubuque was the champion. While in the 2nd year we had a 7th grader named Andrew An who is now an 8th grader. This year we had 8 very special designed holes designed by Mr. Hale and some kids in his mentor group.
During the tournament, Peyton Kendall built a very solid lead from almost the very beginning, leaving everybody in the dust. Quinn Keller and Ben Farrell spent most of the tournament in second and third place, and Ike Abounader was close behind in fourth place. By the 9th hole, however, Ike made a push and tied Ben for third place, earning him a spot in the two-hole playoff. So after nine holes, four players made the playoffs: Peyton Kendall, Quinn Keller, Ben Farrell and Ike Abounader.
On the first hole of the playoffs, Mr. Hale created a very complex hole design where you had to go around the hole first and then go through the middle to get to the hole. Quinn Keller go first and he got a 10, which may have lost him the tournament. Peyton Kendal then went and he got a 7 which also may have lost him the tournament. Ben Farrell then got a 6 which put him in the lead, but Ike Abounatour also got a 6 which tied him for 1st with Ben Farrell.
On the last hole of the playoff there was a straight line down the 7th grade hallway. Since Quinn Keller got a 10 on the first playoff hole he went first; it took him 6 strokes to knock down the marker, giving him 16 for the playoff. Peyton went next and got a surprising 4, giving him 11 strokes for the playoff, and keeping him in the running. Ike Abounader went next, and knocked down the marker in 4 strokes, booting Peyton from the playoffs and forcing Ben to get a 3 to win, or a 4 to tie. Ben Farrell killed his 1st shot and got him down there in 1. He missed his 2nd and 3rd shot which put him against the wall in a very weird angle. At this moment, Ben dramatically told Ike, “I hope you enjoy this” and he purposely smashed the shot and made Ike win the MS 14 Open.
Ike was awarded the Gray Jacket, and wore it proudly all day long. His name will be added to the list of winners, until he defends his title next year.
