Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE -ÊThis is how deep Wawasee's boys golf team is. Wawasee's junior varsity team shot 160 in a Wednesday match at South Shore, a score equal to or better than two varsity team scores in a three-way meet.
This is how deep Wawasee's boys golf team is. Wawasee's varsity team improved to 8-0 by shooting a season-best score of 147. The opponents, Tippecanoe Valley and Southwood, shot 160 and 183, respectively. The worst score in Wawasee's varsity lineup was 40, four strokes better than any Southwood golfer.
This is how deep Wawasee's boys golf team is. The medalist score, 35, was turned in by Wawasee's Stephen Conrad, a freshman who golfs in the No. 3 spot in the lineup but who is considered the most talented golfer on the team. The score tied his season-best and was 1-under par on the par-36 course.
Make no mistake about it, the Warriors are deep - and talented.
"We have seen CMA play, and we've seen Warsaw play twice," Valley coach Roger Moriarty said of two golf teams he considers talented. "You have to consider Wawasee the sectional favorite.
"It used to be if you shot 160, you would win 85 percent of your matches. Shooting 160 on another course is not a bad score. Now there are a lot of quality teams around."
Wawasee's previous best team score this season was 151.
Said Wawasee coach Don Deck: "When you shoot that kind of score, it's an outstanding team effort. It's not like you have one kid bursting on the scene like a sky rocket."
Wawasee's scores, from the first spot through the last spot in the lineup, were as follows: Ryan Skaggs, 38; Kyle Lundy, 40; Conrad, 35; Lucas White, 37; and Josh Abrams, another freshman, 37. The worst score is thrown out, so the Warriors were fortunate enough to toss a 40.
Even Skaggs is in awe of Conrad's talent. "In all honesty," Skaggs said, "(Conrad) should be playing number one."
Said Moriarty of Wednesday's medalist: "I guess Don chooses to put him at a place in the lineup where he will feel more confident. I knew Wawasee had two good eighth-graders coming up. Obviously they did their homework around the green, because that's the strength of their game."
Wawasee's 147 was not the school record. A few years ago the Warriors shot 144 at South Shore.
For Valley, No. 1 golfer Andy Martin shot 38, No. 2 golfer Drew Shafer 37, No. 3 golfer Brian Love 43, No. 4 golfer Anthony Domenico 42 and No. 5 golfer Brandon Eaton 44.
"We got good play out of our one and two, but we didn't pick it up at three, four and five again," Moriarty said. "To be successful, we need to get better production out of the bottom of our lineup."
Deck gets production throughout his lineup. He knows what he has. Getting him to talk about what he has is a different story. Given the chance, he refuses to boast about his team.
"Golf is a fickle game," he said. "You don't ever count your chickens, but we do have talent and depth.
"We can compete with any team in the state on a given night, but we can also lose to any team in the state on a given night."
WAWASEE 147, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 160, SOUTHWOOD 183
Wawasee (8-0) -ÊRyan Skaggs 38, Kyle LUndy 40, Stephen Conrad 35, Lucas White 37, Josh Abrams 37
Tippecanoe Valley (4-3) - Andy Martin 38, Drew Shafer 37, Brian Love 43, Anthony Domenico 42, Brandon Eaton 44
Southwood (1-4) -ÊTom Wright 44, Lee Sweet 46, Cory Moran 46, Tyler Kroft 48, Clint Marshall 47
JV: WAWASEE 160, SOUTHWOOD 184, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 189
Wawasee -ÊEric Andrews 38, Joel Bickel 44, Bobby Likens 41, Justin Rider 37, Evan Gerard 44
Southwood -ÊBrandon VanMeter 47, Aaron Makin 46, Troy Herendeen 46, Cory Rogers 54, Ryan McColley 45
Tippecanoe Valley -ÊAaron Zolman 46, Brandon Harmon 56, Todd Hepler 49, Brad Roberts 46, Devin Reed 48
