Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
FRANKLIN - Ryan Rapp didn't get off to the best start during Tuesday's first round of the 77th annual boys
golf state finals at The Legends in Franklin.
Keeping his composure, however, the Triton High School senior put himself in postion for a great finish
after 18 more holes Wednesday.
Rapp, who drove his first tee shot out of bounds and opened the day with a double-bogey on the par-72
course, carded a 70 and leads all locals that are in the 100-person tournament, which includes 15 teams
and 25 individuals.
"I was a little nervous on the first tee," admitted the Marian University-signee, who is just two strokes
behind indvidual leaders Devin Jenkins (Floyd Central), Kyle Meihofer (Valpo) and Adam Wood (Zionsville).
"My score could've been even lower," added Rapp. "To double-bogey the first hole, but then finish 2-under
and only be two strokes out of the lead at state, that gives me a lot of confidence."
Triton and 10th-ranked Warsaw are both competing as teams.
Warsaw, which edged Triton for sectional and regional titles at Stonehenge, is tied for 10th after
shooting a 306, while Triton is in 15th place at 313.
"We wanted everybody to shoot a little better than their average, and for the most part that's what we
did," said Warsaw coach Ben Barkey. "A 306 is the best score we've shot on a par-72 course this season, so
we're happy about that. We've got 18 more holes to play. I think we can go even lower."
The steller 15-team field includes squads that are ranked No. 1 through 11th, as well as 15th and 16th.
Triton and Terre Haute North, which is in 14th place and just two strokes ahead of Triton, are the only
unranked teams in the state finals.
Top-ranked Columbus North shot 290 and holds a 1-stroke lead after the first round, while No. 4 Westfield,
No. 3 Floyd Central (292), No. 7 Avon (294) and No. 11 Jasper (295) round out the top five teams.
Second-ranked Valpo and No. 5 Evansville Memorial both shot 300, while No. 9 Dwenger (302), No. 8 Hamilton
Southeastern (304), No. 6 Carmel (306) and Warsaw completed the top 10 teams.
"For us to be in this field is a great accomplishment," said Triton coach Jack Carpenter. "You look at all
these big schools, and then there's us. I'll just put it like this....we playd in the Spring Preview down
here and we shot 350. We improved 37 strokes today, I'm happy with that."
What he wasn't happy about was his son's score.
Yes, Triton senior Quentyn Carpenter shot 2-over 74. What the elder Carpenter wasn't happy about was that
his son shot 74 and was 6-over on two holes alone.
Playing the back nine first, the Ball State-signee had a 33 at the turn. He was 3-under after 10 holes.
And then he quadruple-bogeyed the par-5 No. 2. And then double-bogeyed the par-5 No. 6.
"It's pretty frustrating," said Triton's veteran coach. "He shoots 74 and he's 6-over on two holes. I've
got one kid two strokes out of the lead, and another who should be in the lead. Quentyn shoots 33 on the
first nine holes, and then comes back with a 41. It's pretty frustrating."
Other scores for the Trojans included junior Lucas Shafer's 84, junior Tanner Shepherd's 85 and freshmen
Greg Music's 95.
For Warsaw, senior Jon Schram, who will room with Carpenter and also play for Ball State next season, shot
72.
Schram's round, which left him tied for 18th place, included four birdies and four bogeys.
Schram was 2-under after 14 holes, but bogeyed the par-5 No. 15 and the par-4 No. 17.
Barkey believes his ace could turn in a special performance in the final round of the state finals.
"If you can shoot 69 at Stonehenge like he did at the sectional, you can shoot a low score here," said
Barkey.
Other scores for the Tigers included senior Tim Ahlersmeyer's 76, senior Evan Cultice's 78, sophomore
Jonny Hollar's 80 and junior Will Petro's 83.
"I think we can flirt with a 300 in the second round," said Barkey. "That would be a nice way to finish
the season. But I wouldn't be surprised if we were around 306 again. We're pretty consistent."
Triton will begin the second round by teeing off on the 10th hole starting at 8:27 a.m. Wednesday, while
Warsaw will begin teeing off on the 10th hole at 9:21 a.m.
STATE FINALS
(First Round)
The Legends, Franklin (par-72)
Team scores - Columbus North 290, Westfield 291, Floyd Central 292, Avon 294, Jasper 295, Valparaiso 300,
Evansville Memorial 300, F.W. Dwenger 302, Hamilton Southeastern 304, Warsaw 306, Carmel 306, Pendleton
Heights 308, Noblesville 309, Terre Haute North 311, Triton 313
Individual leaders - Devin Jenkins (Floyd Central) 68, Kyle Meihofer (Valparaiso) 68, Michael Makris
(Marian) 68
Warsaw - Jon Schram 72, Tim Ahlersmeyer 76, Evan Cultice 78, Jonny Hollar 80, Will Petro 83
Triton - Ryan Rapp 70, Quentyn Carpenter 74, Lucas Shafer 84, Tanner Shepherd 85, Greg Music 95
