Seventh-Ranked Tigers Dominate Joe Harris Shootout
Seventh-Ranked Tigers Dominate Joe Harris Shootout
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Anthony Gadson-agadson@timesuniononline.com
Seventh-Ranked Tigers Dominate Joe Harris ShootoutAt the inaugural Joe Harris Shootout Tuesday, the seventh-ranked Warsaw Tigers didn't only beat the field, but also beat out the rain and the darkness. Attempting to get in an 18-hole tournament during a weeknight at Rozella Ford Golf Club, Warsaw boys golf coach Ben Barkey accomplished the feat, as his team received the trophy just as the rain began to come down. "I love these kinds of events — 18 hole-invites during the week, small field with nine teams," Barkey said. "This is what high school golf should be like." Shooting a 290, the Tigers coasted to the victory, as the NorthWood Panthers were second at 313, followed by No. 17 Triton's 316, rounding out the top three. Warsaw was led to the win by senior Tyler Ostrom's one-under 69, while junior Tim Ahlersmeyer shot a 73, followed by 74s from junior Jon Schram and senior Bennett Hollar. Freshman Jonny Hollar was the squad's fifth-man score, coming in with an 84. "Four of our studs did well today," Barkey said. "They're trained to play 18 holes. When you throw them in nine holes, it's just a different mentality and a different beast." Barkey was definitely pleased with the effort of his guys, but the same couldn't be said for Triton coach Jack Carpenter. Playing on their home course, the Trojans had a tough time, as junior Quentyn Carpenter led the way with a 76, followed by Ryan Rapp's 77, Chandler Slone's 81, Tanner Shepherd's 82 and Austin Kanarr's 84. "It's totally disappointing," the Triton coach said. "(Kanarr) shooting an 84, is good. The other four guys, did not meet expectations — even close. I'm not a very happy coach at this point in time. It's our home course and we've shot better at courses we're not as familiar at. In a nutshell, very, very disappointing." Ranked No. 17, Triton had a chance to measure itself up against the likes of a Warsaw, but came up short. "We're not even close to their level," Carpenter said. "They're (up high) and we're down in the basement somewhere, just fighting through the main floor. It's ridiculous right now — the gap. We're lucky if we can beat Warsaw's (junior varsity) team. They were three strokes behind us and they beat us at their own invitational (at Stonehenge Golf Club on April 14). We have a lot of work to do if we think we're going to make it out of the sectional this year." The Warsaw junior varsity squad did finish fourth in the nine-team field with a 319, as sophomores Jared Essig and Ryan Cultice, as well as junior Evan Cultice all shot a 78. "That's what we want," Barkey said. "We talk to our players about 'stone sharpens stone.' Our five guys are only going to be as good as the five behind them are going to be able to push them." Wawasee finished seventh at the tournament with a 348. Playing without No. 1 golfer Derek Zurcher, Wawasee was led by junior Dylan Cousins' 76, as freshman Tristan Atwood shot an 85, freshman Mason Germonprez had an 88, freshman Maclain Herr finished with a 90 and four freshman Zach Reiff came in with a 99. The invitational is the second of three the Tigers host this year, as the Bob Turner Classic will be May 21 at Tippecanoe Lake Country Club. The Joe Harris Shootout and Bob Turner Classic honor past golf coaches, with the latest honoring the school's coach between 1966 and 1989. During his time at Warsaw, Harris won 11 Northern Lakes Conference titles, nine sectionals, a regional and had seven teams make the state finals. Between 1966 and 1972, Warsaw reached the state finals six times, including five-straight, finishing as high as second in 1969. "Warsaw Community High School has had four coaches," Barkey said. "There was Bill Goshert, then there was Joe Harris from 1966-89 and Bob Turner, then, from 1989 to 2002 — both hall of fame guys. We definitely want to honor their legacy, because this is what it's all about. It's a celebration of their hard work, setting up the Warsaw golf program to where it is today." The current Warsaw squad will look to keep its hot start going Saturday at the Homestead Invitational at Orchard Ridge Country Club, along with Wawasee, while Triton is back in action Thursday at Sprig O'Mint Golf Course against Bremen.
JOE HARRIS SHOOTOUT
Team Scores — Warsaw 290, NorthWood 313, Triton 316, Warsaw 'B' 319, FW Canterbury 329, Plymouth 333, Wawasee 348, Rochester 357, Wabash 358 Top 5 — Tyler Ostrom (War) 69, Payton Grubbs (NW) 71, Tim Ahlersmeyer (War) 73, Jon Schram (War) 74, Bennett Hollar (War) 74 Warsaw — Ostrom 69, Schram 74, Ahlersmeyer 73, B. Hollar 74, Jonny Hollar 84 NorthWood — Dylan Gessinger 79, Grubbs 71, Logan Kauffman 77, Ryan Thompson 86, Brayden Glaser 89 Triton — Quentyn Carpenter 76, Chandler Slone 81, Ryan Rapp 77, Tanner Shepherd 82, Austin Kanarr 84 Warsaw 'B' – Jared Essig 78, Evan Cultice 78, Ryan Cultice 78, Viraj Gokhale 87, Brandon Eckert 85 Canterbury — Ethan Brinkman 82, Trevor Uhl 83, Sam Roberts 77, Chris Noe 88, Christian Kreiger 87 Plymouth — Nate Kolter 89, John Ruff 85, Ben Schenk 84, Zach Craft 87, Patrick Felke 77 Wawasee — Dylan Cousins 76, Tristen Atwood 85, Maclain Herr 90, Zach Reiff 99, Mason Germonprez 88 Rochester — Travis Smith 88, Luke Cannedy 87, Brady Bryant 91, Chad Scobie 91, Chris Hoffman 114 Wabash — Jordan Blair 86, Jack Leland 89, Parker Harner 91, Justin Middleton 92, Andrew Adamson 94
