FRANKLIN - The first round of the boys state golf finals didn't go too well for Warsaw as a team, but one Tiger did find a way out of the jungle, keeping his season alive.
Senior Tad Nieter's 73 on the Legends of Indiana par 72 course was enough to advance him into today's final round, but Warsaw's 329 team score left the squad out of the second day of competition.
"Bittersweet would be the perfect word," Nieter said of advancing while his team did not. "We would have liked to have advanced as a team, but I'm very pleased with how I played today."Nieter earned his second-round appearance by finishing in the top nine among individuals who are not on a team still in competition.
"He's really dedicated himself to getting better," Warsaw coach Ben Barkey said of Nieter. "He deserves this more than probably a lot of these kids out here, because he dedicates a lot of time on improving his game. He's made himself into a heckuva player."
Nieter could have qualified for the second day of competition by either posting a top nine individual score or by finishing the 18 holes on par. Going into his final two holes, Nieter found himself 1-over, but missed putts of 20 (on the eighth hole) and 12 feet (ninth hole) denied his chance to make par on the course. But by parring those two holes, he still made the finals based on his score, which was tied for eighth among all golfers.
"I just wanted to shoot a 72, just to make sure I got into the finals," Nieter said of his goal to shoot par. "When those putts (on the final two holes) didn't go in, it was heartbreaking, but I'm happy I finally made it."
In team play, Floyd Central entered today's round in first place after shooting a 297. Also among the leaders were Avon, Lafayette Harrison and Bloomington South, all of which shot 303 Tuesday. Indianpolis Cathedral and Noblesville turned in four-man scores of 304.
Nieter teed off at 8:27 this morning, with the hopes of shooting a great round, opening up the possibility of a championship. To accomplish that goal, he'd have to shoot lower than every other individual at the tournament.
"He's a couple shots out, but anything can happen in tournament," Barkey said. "If he comes out and puts up a great round, a lot of cool things could happen."
Going into the final round, Lafayette Harrison's No. 3 golfer, Christian Mathew, had the lowest individual score (68), but with a few good holes, Nieter could find himself in contention.
"I could have gone a lot lower," Nieter said of his 73 in the first round. "I missed a lot of shorter (shots) that cost me a couple strokes, but I'm hoping to make those up (in the second round).
"Those low numbers are pretty intimidating, but if I look back on (round one), I could have had one of those scores," he added. "I know I can come back (Wednesday) and do a lot better."
While Nieter was having a fun day on the course, the same couldn't be said for some of his teammates.
The Tiger's No. 5 man, Corey Hensley, had the second-best score on the team with an 81, while Ben Harris shot 87 and Ryan Marose finished with an 88. The most surprising Warsaw score of the day came from senior Grant Slater, who completed his 18 holes with a 92.
"His swing's not where he wants it to be," Barkey said of his No. 1 golfer, who made the state finals four years in a row. "That's the frustrating thing - when you're not hitting the ball like you can. I can't imagine his caliber of player struggling as much as he has, and how frustrated he must be. It's probably on a whole other level of frustration than I've experienced."
Throughout the entire day, Slater struggled to put his ball where he wanted it, and when he did, near misses on the green compounded the frustration.
"My heart goes out to him," Barkey said. "A lot of the players and parents come up to me and make comments about how they feel bad for Grant. It's not fun - we want everyone to do well. He's a great kid. He'll never tell you if he shot a 92 or a 72, which is something to his personality."
The round also marked the last time Barkey would coach the four-year varsity player, who will morph from a Tiger into a Jaguar when he competes for IUPUI next season.
"I've spent a lot of great time with Grant over the past four years," Barkey said. "It's hard for me to see him struggle as much as he has this year - knowing the caliber of player he is and how much he loves to do well for himself and the team."
While one senior moves on and another doesn't, Barkey is looking back on 2007 as a real positive for his team.
"Obviously, everybody wanted to do a little better, but getting down to state with this team is a pretty good accomplish," he said. "They should be proud of themselves."
Team scores - Floyd Central 297, Avon 303, Harrison (West Lafayette) 303, Bloomington South 303, Indianapolis Cathedral 304, Noblesville 304, Carmel 307, Mishawaka Marian 308, Peru 310, Castle 311, Hamilton Southeastern 312, Penn 319, Evansville North 320, North Central 321, Homestead 325, Batesville 326, Concord 327, Warsaw 329, Lafayette Jefferson 330, Michigan City 331, Evansville Central 335
Warsaw - Grant Slater 92, Tad Nieter 73, Ben Harris 87, Ryan Marose 88, Corey Hensley 81.
Advancing individuals - Corbin Mitchell (Greenwood) 72, Tad Nieter 73 (Warsaw), Tyler Duncan (Columbus North) 73, David Erdy (Castle) 73, Ben Bellville (Penn) 74, Michael Powell (Maconquah) 74, Adam Schenk (South Knox) 74, Jacob Yocum (Laf. Jeff.) 74, Sean Jones (North Central) 75, Trent Roach (Concord) 75, Eric Skillman (Jasper) 75.
