Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - Home sweet home.
Being at home was certainly sweet for Wawasee High School's varsity boys golf team Tuesday afternoon.
Hosting Northern Lakes Conference rival Warsaw, the defending state champion, the Warriors turned their familiarity of South Shore Golf Course into a seven-stroke win over the Tigers.
In a battle of undefeated teams that are currently ranked in the state's top 20, 18th-ranked Wawasee beat the 10th-ranked Tigers 143-150 in a nine-hole match.
"Having home-course advantage is nice, but you stil have to go out and play," said Wawasee coach Steve Coverstone, whose Warriors improved to 10-0 overall and 1-0 in NLC action. "We were fortunate to win. Any time you stay in the ballgame with Warsaw, you're doing well. Our job now is to keep getting better."
The Warriors won the Homestead Invitational Saturday, shooting an 18-hole score of 310. Warsaw was second with a 313.
A year ago, a regular season nine-hole match that was also played at South Shore, Wawasee edged Warsaw by one stroke. In the 2005 Warsaw Sectional, the Warriors won the championship by four strokes over the Tigers.
"It's huge for our confidence," Coverstone said when asked about opening conference play with a win against the defending state champion. "We beat a good team. Warsaw has a good program. The kids have worked hard. It's nice to see their hard work paying off. We've come a long way since we shot 340 in the first invitational this year at Mill Creek."
Freshman Curtis Coverstone, the coach's son, grabbed medalist honors Tuesday after shooting a 3-under par 33. Jordan Dawes shot 34, while Mike Jenkins carded a 39, Andy Custer shot 39 and Andy Wolf turned in a 40, which was dropped from the four-man score.
With the seven-stroke loss, Warsaw fell to 7-1 overall and 0-1 in NLC play.
"Whenever you lose you're disappointed," said Warsaw coach Ben Barkey. "We don't like to lose. Nobody likes to lose. But that's where it ends, it's disappointment, that's all. It's always great when you play Wawasee. You know it's going to be a good match."
Jared Nifong and Grant Slater led Warsaw with even rounds of 36, while Skyler Scott shot 38, Ryan Marose turned in a 40 and Tad Nieter carded a 42.
Wawasee also won the junior varsity match, beating the Tigers 166-171. The Warriors' Kyle Coverstone shot 38 to garner JV medalist honors.
The Warriors are in action again Thursday against host Concord and NorthWood.
Warsaw will also play two NLC schools Thursday, as the Tigers will host Goshen and Elkhart Memorial at Stonehenge.
WAWASEE 143, WARSAW 150
Wawasee scores - Curtis Coverstone 33, Jordan Dawes 34, Mike Jenkins 37, Andy Custer 39, Andy Wolf 40
Warsaw scores - Grant Slater 36, Jared Nifong 36, Skyler Scott 38, Ryan Marose 40, Tad Nieter 42
JV - Wawasee 166, Warsaw 171
Wawasee scores - Kyle Coverstone 38, Jeff Conrad 40, Rees Woodcock 42, Dorian Speicher 46, Connor Beer 47
Warsaw scores - Scotty Boyle 41, Mark Krizmanich 41, Ben Harris 44, Daniel Limina 45, Corey Hensley 46
