Note – top three teams, as well as top three individuals not on an advancing team, will play in the regional Thursday at Orchard Ridge Country Club in Fort Wayne.
Advancing Individuals – Josh Unger (Northfield) 80, Taylor Fanning (Bremen) 81, Jake Shaw (Southwood) 81
Playing on their home course, the second-ranked Tigers were favored to win the program’s fifth-straight and 25th overall sectional championship.
When all was said and done, however, the Trojans overcame a nine-stroke deficit to Warsaw on the back nine and won their first sectional championship via a fifth-man tiebreaker after both teams shot 304.
“If I wasn’t Warsaw’s coach, I’d be happyTriton won,” said Barkey, who in nine seasons with the Tigers has guided them to six sectional championships, two regional crowns and the 2005 state title. “If we were going to lose to a team, I’d rather it be Triton. They’re a great team, they’re great kids. Jack (Carpenter) is a great coach. We have a ton of respect for them.”
Both the Trojans, who were listed as honorable mention in the latest poll, and the Tigers finished each of the past two regular seasons with unblemished records.
Triton advanced to the state finals a year ago, but there was an indescribable excitement at Stonehenge Friday as the Trojans held up the sectional championship trophy.
“Not only are they No. 2 in the state, but they’re a great program,” Triton coach Jack Carpenter said of Warsaw. “They’re a great team year in and year out. They’ve got great players, who are great kids. We have so much respect for them. For our guys to come out here and shoot the way we did today, and to win the sectional for the first time, I’m very proud of them.”
Triton sophomore Quentyn Carpenter was the individual medalist with his 1-under score of 70, while Ryan Rapp carded a 77, Griffyn Carpenter shot 78 and Chandler slone rounded out the Trojans’ four-man scoring lineup with a 79.
For Warsaw, Tyler Ostrom finished second individually with a 2-over 73, while Jon Schram shot 75 and Eric Tandy and Tim Ahlersmeyer carded 78s.
With both teams deadlocked at 304, Triton won the team championship with Taran Kennedy’s 80, which beat Bennett Hollar of Warsaw’s score of 82.
“A 304 is a great score here, and we beat a very good team,” said Jack Carpenter. “This is probably the toughest course we’ll play in the state tournament, and the kids came ready to play. In terms of golf programs around the state, Warsaw is a rock. They’re just solid.”
Only three schools in the state have won more boys golf sectional titles than Warsaw.
Richmond entered the 75th annual state tournament with 31 sectional crowns, followed by Columbus North with 28, Lafayette Jeff with 26 and Warsaw with 24.
Only five schools in the state have won more regional championships in boys golf than Warsaw.
The top three teams, as well as the top three individuals not on an advancing team, will compete in Thursday’s regional at Orchard Ridge Country Club in Fort Wayne.
Joining Triton and Warsaw at the regional will be the Culver Academy Eagles, who shot 320.
Plymouth finished fourth in the 12-team field with a 350, followed by Wawasee (358), Northfield (361), Tippecanoe Valley (363), Culver Community (365), Bremen (367), Southwood (369), Wabash (370) and Manchester (430).
Advancing individuals included Northfield’s Josh Unger (80), Bremen’s Taylor Fanning (81) and Southwood’s Jake Shaw (81).
While he would have liked to see his team hoist the trophy, Barkey realizes the boys golf tournament is about surviving and advancing.
“We still get to play in the regional,” said Barkey. “We shot a really good score. We got beat by a really good team. We played well.”
The Tigers played exceptionally well on the front nine, as they led the Trojans 143-152 at the turn.
Triton remained consistent, as it followed its front nine score with an identical 152 on the back.
Warsaw, on the other hand, shot 161 on the back.
“You have to put a complete game together,” said Barkey. “It’s like that in any sport. You can’t just have a good quarter, or a good half, or a good front nine. By average, we played well today, and we shot a 304 here, which is really good, but we could have played a little better on the back. I’m still proud of my guys, we’re going to play in the regional next week. And our goal every year is to get to state, and we still have a chance to do that.”
Luke Jackson led Wawasee with an 85, while Tanner Shepherd paced Tippecanoe Valley with an 87 and Tyler Watson led Manchester with a 92.
