Thursday's weather conditions weren't perfect. For the second straight season, however, Warsaw's boys golf team is. After shooting a four-man score of 150 in the wind, rain and cold at Stonehenge, the second-ranked Tigers won their nine-hole match with the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings by 31 strokes and upped their season record to 14-0. "I'm pretty pleased," said ninth-year Warsaw coach Ben Barkey, whose team was 15-0 in the regular season last year. "We had a couple kids shoot higher scores than they normally do, but the weather wasn't the greatest today, and we still had everyone shoot in the 30s." Tim Ahlersmeyer led the way with a 1-over 36 on the course's front side, while Jon Schram shot 37, Eric Tandy carded a 38 and Tyler Ostrom and Bennett Hollar each finished with 39. Warsaw will compete in an invitational Saturday in Lafayette and then host the sectional June 3. "That's pretty cool, it's special for the kids," Barkey said of his team finishing undefeated in dual and triangular matches for the second straight year. "These guys are so focused, and they work so hard, it's become an expectation. You look at the talent we have, we don't take things for granted, but the kids expect to win." Warsaw's junior varsity team, which would have beat Valley's varsity team by 12 strokes, won its match 169-205 and improved to 12-0 on the season. Valley's varsity team, which fell to 10-6 on the year, was led by Bray Swihart's 44. Taylor Breeden finished with a 45, while Teddy Shepherd, Kevin Summe and Tanner Shepherd all shot 46. "We just didn't play very well, and Warsaw is a very good team," said long-time Valley coach Roger Moriarty. "We've got some work to do to get ready for the sectional. I think we peaked about two weeks ago. We're struggling with our putting. Our strokes are there, but we're losing a lot on the green." The Vikings will play in the Lancer Invitational Saturday at Tri-Way Golf Course in Plymouth, and then play in the sectional Stonehenge against the likes of undefeated teams Triton and Warsaw, as well as a solid Culver Military Academy team. "If we're gonna be successful at the sectional, we're gonna have to play one of our better rounds and be in first place when the first nine teams are done," said Moriarty. "Those other three teams (Warsaw, Triton, CMA) are pretty good and are gonna be tough to beat." Not only did the Tigers complete another undefeated regular season Thursday, they honored Tandy, the team's only senior. Barkey had nothing but good things to say about Tandy. "Since I've been here, Eric Tandy is the only player that has played varsity for me for four years and played in every match," said Barkey. "That's a testament to his work ethic and his talent. We knew when he came in that he was a special player, and he's lived up to it. We really appreciate every thing he's done for the program. He's a great player, and a great kid. He's meant a lot to this program."
WARSAW 150, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 181 Warsaw – Tim Ahlersmeyer 36, Jon Schram 37, Eric Tandy 38, Tyler Ostrom 39, Bennett Hollar 39 Valley – Bray Swihart 44, Taylor Breeden 45, Teddy Shepherd 46, Kevin Summe 46, Tanner Shepherd 46 Records: Warsaw14-0, Valley 10-6
JV – Warsaw 169, Valley 205 Warsaw – Evan Cultice 40, Lance Lybarger 40, Viraj Gokhale 43, Simon Stone 46, Justin Self 47 Valley – Tanner Neeley 49, Dayton Cohagen 50, Robby Groom 52, Josh Tucker 54, Ben Shriver 56 Records: Warsaw 12-0, Valley 8-4
