Warrior Golfers Hope To Earn Return Trip To State
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE - Last year, the Wawasee golf team advanced to the state competition. With four of the five Warrior golfers returning this season, what did Coach Don Deck tell them when this season started?
"I told them, 'Let's do it again,'" said Deck. "They thought that was a pretty good idea."
The Warriors moved one step closer to that goal after last week's Warsaw Sectional when they placed second to advance to the Homestead Regional held at Chestnut Hills Friday.
However, the Wawasee squad will not have an easy time as they face some of the toughest teams in the area at the regional. One of those teams is Warsaw, a thorn in Wawasee's side all season.
"Let's get this out of the way early, Warsaw is a wonderful team," said Deck. "We have played against them three times this year and they have placed above us all three times. They have a couple of real good freshmen, and they are tough this year.
"But we are not too shabby ourselves. We are 15-3. We placed second in the NLC behind Warsaw. We won our own invitational for the second year in a row. The only teams who beat us were Tippecanoe Valley, who we have gotten revenge on since, and NorthWood, who we have also gotten revenge on.
"The only team we have not gotten back this season is Warsaw. But we're not through with them yet; we'll see them Friday and try it again."
But the road to the regionals has not been simple. Wawasee has worked hard to earn the spot where they are.
"We have a lot of fun, but we work hard, too," said Deck. "We have practiced or played every day since March 8, except for one day when it rained."
The Warriors' hard work is paying off, but Deck believes there are some Wawasee supporters who deserve a little credit for this season's success.
"We're very lucky to have a golf course that hosts us. The owners of South Shore Golf Course and the pro, Darrell Krugman, have been very kind to us and have helped us greatly."
Tuesday, the Wawasee squad was on its host course, hitting balls at the driving range and perfecting their putts on the practice greens. Since school is out, the team's schedule has changed a bit. Now the Warriors can practice during the day and work on their golf game without the stresses of balancing school work and their sport, and, according to Deck, the Wawasee squad will be preparing for the regional all week.
"We played yesterday in Fort Wayne for our practice round," said Deck, "and the guys will be playing the rest of the week until Friday, which is the big day."
At the Homestead Regional, Wawasee and Warsaw will face off against 10 other teams, including NLC rivals NorthWood, Goshen and Northridge. To advance to the state finals, Wawasee must place in the top three.
"When you get to regionals, all the teams are good," said Deck. "To get out, we're gonna have to beat nine of them.
"No matter what happens, we've had a nice year," said Deck. "This is a good bunch of kids. We're out here to enjoy ourselves. If we weren't, we should be doing something else."
Wawasee will begin their quest for another trip to the state competition Friday at 9:12 a.m., when the first Warrior tees off at Chestnut Hills in the Homestead Regional.
GOLF REGIONAL TEE TIMES
Local Individuals
8 a.m. - Drew Shafer and Andy Martin, Tippecanoe Valley
8:08 - Ryan Burton, Manchester
Local Teams
NorthWood
8:32 a.m. C.J. Cunningham
8:40 Zach Stavedahl
8:48 Nick Abel
8:56 Josh Corwin
9:04 Chet Walters
Wawasee (15-3)
9:12 a.m. Kyle Lundy
9:20 Lucas White
9:28 Ryan Skaggs
9:36 Scott White
9:44 Chad Wortinger
Warsaw (18-2)
10:32 a.m. Adam Johnson
10:40 Aaron Turner
10:48 Ryan Slone
10:56 JasonHenthorn
11:04 Justin Howell [[In-content Ad]]
SYRACUSE - Last year, the Wawasee golf team advanced to the state competition. With four of the five Warrior golfers returning this season, what did Coach Don Deck tell them when this season started?
"I told them, 'Let's do it again,'" said Deck. "They thought that was a pretty good idea."
The Warriors moved one step closer to that goal after last week's Warsaw Sectional when they placed second to advance to the Homestead Regional held at Chestnut Hills Friday.
However, the Wawasee squad will not have an easy time as they face some of the toughest teams in the area at the regional. One of those teams is Warsaw, a thorn in Wawasee's side all season.
"Let's get this out of the way early, Warsaw is a wonderful team," said Deck. "We have played against them three times this year and they have placed above us all three times. They have a couple of real good freshmen, and they are tough this year.
"But we are not too shabby ourselves. We are 15-3. We placed second in the NLC behind Warsaw. We won our own invitational for the second year in a row. The only teams who beat us were Tippecanoe Valley, who we have gotten revenge on since, and NorthWood, who we have also gotten revenge on.
"The only team we have not gotten back this season is Warsaw. But we're not through with them yet; we'll see them Friday and try it again."
But the road to the regionals has not been simple. Wawasee has worked hard to earn the spot where they are.
"We have a lot of fun, but we work hard, too," said Deck. "We have practiced or played every day since March 8, except for one day when it rained."
The Warriors' hard work is paying off, but Deck believes there are some Wawasee supporters who deserve a little credit for this season's success.
"We're very lucky to have a golf course that hosts us. The owners of South Shore Golf Course and the pro, Darrell Krugman, have been very kind to us and have helped us greatly."
Tuesday, the Wawasee squad was on its host course, hitting balls at the driving range and perfecting their putts on the practice greens. Since school is out, the team's schedule has changed a bit. Now the Warriors can practice during the day and work on their golf game without the stresses of balancing school work and their sport, and, according to Deck, the Wawasee squad will be preparing for the regional all week.
"We played yesterday in Fort Wayne for our practice round," said Deck, "and the guys will be playing the rest of the week until Friday, which is the big day."
At the Homestead Regional, Wawasee and Warsaw will face off against 10 other teams, including NLC rivals NorthWood, Goshen and Northridge. To advance to the state finals, Wawasee must place in the top three.
"When you get to regionals, all the teams are good," said Deck. "To get out, we're gonna have to beat nine of them.
"No matter what happens, we've had a nice year," said Deck. "This is a good bunch of kids. We're out here to enjoy ourselves. If we weren't, we should be doing something else."
Wawasee will begin their quest for another trip to the state competition Friday at 9:12 a.m., when the first Warrior tees off at Chestnut Hills in the Homestead Regional.
GOLF REGIONAL TEE TIMES
Local Individuals
8 a.m. - Drew Shafer and Andy Martin, Tippecanoe Valley
8:08 - Ryan Burton, Manchester
Local Teams
NorthWood
8:32 a.m. C.J. Cunningham
8:40 Zach Stavedahl
8:48 Nick Abel
8:56 Josh Corwin
9:04 Chet Walters
Wawasee (15-3)
9:12 a.m. Kyle Lundy
9:20 Lucas White
9:28 Ryan Skaggs
9:36 Scott White
9:44 Chad Wortinger
Warsaw (18-2)
10:32 a.m. Adam Johnson
10:40 Aaron Turner
10:48 Ryan Slone
10:56 JasonHenthorn
11:04 Justin Howell [[In-content Ad]]