Cardinal Mooney junior Rocco Turner won the OHSAA D-III state golf championship at the NorthStar Golf Course in Sunbury, Oh..  The first round was played on Friday, October 14 and began an hour late due to frost on the course. The weather was brutal with wind gusts close to 40 mph. Rocco stayed the course and tried to make as many pars as possible considering the conditions. He finished his first round with a 2-over-par 74.  Saturday’s final round was better conditions, the wind wasn’t as bad and Turner decided to play a little more aggressive and attack the course. His final round was a 1-under- par 71, including four birdies and an eagle.
      He finished the tournament with a 36-hole total of 145 strokes, winning the state crown and first team all-Ohio laurels by four strokes.
      Even though it was her first season coaching the Mooney boys team, Coach Mary Theresa Bellino knew what to expect at a state tournament having been to the state championship in 2018, 2019 and 2020 with the Mooney girls. She knew if she could keep Rocco focused on the job at hand, he would be able to take home the title.
      The fact that he won didn’t surprise her. “Rocco is a talented and focused player. He knows what he has to do to shoot his best and he does it. I couldn’t be more proud of him,” said the head coach.
      Making it even more special for Turner was the fact that the whole Mooney team made it to state tournament where they finished 9th out of 12-team field with a team score of 723.
      The Mooney team included Turner’s younger brother, freshman Dante, who shot 176 (90-86), freshman Alex Eckstein shot 183 (96-87), senior Tim Reardon shot 219 (111-108), and senior Joe Zeno shot 254 (129-125).