No. 10 Warsaw, Triton in loaded field at state finals in Franklin
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
FRANKLIN – Two local high school boys golf teams will play in the 77th annual state finals this week. For the 10th-ranked Warsaw Tigers, playing at The Legends in Franklin in June has almost become a rite of passage, as they’re making their eighth state finals appearance in 11 years. For the unranked Triton Trojans, well, they’re on the state’s biggest stage for just the second time in program history. “It’s quite an accomplishment for this group of kids,” said long-time Triton coach Jack Carpenter, whose team finished runner-up to Warsaw at both the sectional and regional at Stonehenge. “We went to state for the first time in 2010, and it was an amazing experience. At the beginning of this season, I wouldn’t have expected this would be the group that got us back to state, but the kids have worked. Warsaw gets down there just about every year, and (coach) Ben (Barkey) has done a great job at Warsaw. But for us, this is really a huge accomplishment.” Action gets underway at The Legends at 8 a.m. Tuesday when golfers who qualified for the state finals as indiviuals tee off. Warsaw and Triton, among 15 teams vying for a state championship, will both begin their first round Tuesday at 9:21 a.m. The Tigers will play in groups that also include golfers from No. 1 Columbus North, No. 7 Avon and No. 8 Hamilton Southeastern. “We won’t be the ones being chased,” said Warsaw coach Ben Barkey. “For most of the season, and because the sectional and the regional were at our home course, people were chasing us. We had the target on our back. This week we’re in a different role. I like that. We’ve been fortunate enough to take teams to state, and these kids have played at The Legends this year. I don’t think we’ll be wowed by the moment.” The Tigers’ path to Franklin includes a sectional championship at Stonehenge, beating Triton by one stroke, and a regional championship at Stonehenge, beating the Trojans on a fifth-man tiebreaker. “We’re confident right now,” said Barkey, whose team has finished runner-up to top-ranked Columbus North in two tournaments this season, losing by a combined three strokes. “Going down to The Legends after winning the sectional and regional, we’re confindent right now. If we had just advanced, not won the sectional regional, we might be second-guessing our game, but we’re playing really well right now.” The Trojans will play in groups that also include No. 4 Westfield, No. 11 Jasper and unranked Terre Haute North. The 15-team field includes teams that are ranked 1-11, 15th and 16th, as well as Triton and Terre Haute North. “The best of the best advanced,” said Carpenter. “The top 11 teams in the state, and two others that are in the top 20....we’re going to see the best teams in the state. Terre Haute North and us are the only unranked teams at state. It’s quite an accomplishment to still be playing.” While Warsaw and Triton stand a chance to represent the area well with solid team finishes, between the two schools there are three legitimate medalist contenders – Warsaw senior Jon Schram and Triton seniors Quentyn Carpenter and Ryan Rapp. “I think it says a lot about golf in our area that we have three legitimate chances at an individual state champion,” said Carpenter. “I would be shocked if at least two of them didn’t finish in the top 10. All three of those kids are very good, and work very hard.” Rapp won medalist honors at the sectional with a 2-under 69, while Schram’s 20-foot eagle putt on No. 18 allowed him to win the regional with a 69. In 2011, as a junior, Warsaw’s Tyler Ostrom won the indivual state championship. Ostrom, whose 36-hole score of 2-over included a state-finals record-tying score of 63 on the first day, is now playing for the Ball State Cardinals. Schram and Carpenter will join him in Muncie in the fall, while Rapp will play for the Marian University Knights. “We’ve got very good golfers in our part of the state,” said Barkey. “I’ve got a lot of friends who are coaches in the Indianapolis area, and I’ll be honest, I think our area is a little underrated. We’ve got some very talented golfers in this area.”
