Senior Tim Ahlersmeyer will be a key man for No. 13 Warsaw in its postseason run. The Tigers host sectional play Friday at Stonehenge. (File photo by Jim Harris)

WARSAW – Warsaw boys golf coach Ben Barkey really wants to spend a couple of more weeks with his team.

The traditon-rich Tigers, in order for that to happen, will have to take care of business first in the sectional come Friday.

Defending champion Warsaw looks to begin postseason play on a high note on its home course at Stonehenge.

Barkey, whose team tied for sixth place at the State Finals a year ago after winning both the sectional and the regional, is eager for the state tournament to begin.

“We’re hoping to play four more rounds this season,” said Barkey in a phone interview Tuesday night. “That’s what we’re striving for.

“I’m anxious and I’m excited about the opportunity for our guys. I have a great group of guys to coach. I love them and I love what all of them bring to the team. I wouldn’t pick anyone else to play for us.”

The No. 13 Tigers, who have won the sectional title three of the last four years, have had different players step up throughout the season. Warsaw ended up sharing the NLC title with No. 11 NorthWood after losing to the Panthers head-to-head and then responding to win the NLC Tournament on May 18.

Warsaw shot 306 this past Saturday to place second in the 21-team Lafayette Jefferson Classic.

“We’ve been playing pretty consistent all year,”  said Barkey, himself a former standout player at WCHS. “The great thing is that we’ve had different people step up at different times to get us there.

“We hope everyone clicks at the same time when it counts the most. You want that to be one of your final rounds of the season.”

“We had four players shoot in the 70s for the first time on Saturday and that was a good sign. Evan (Cultice) shot a personal best 77 for us.”

The Tigers lineup features the senior trio of Jon Schram, Tim Ahlersmeyer and Evan Cultice. Junior Will Petro, the hero of the NLC Tournament, and stellar sophomore Jonny Hollar have been big keys all season long. Schram, who will play at Ball State, along with Ahlersmeyer and Hollar all played in the State Finals in 2012.

Warsaw shot 323 a year ago at Stonehenge to tie Triton with the Tigers winning on the fifth man tiebreaker score. Culver Academy was third with a 338, followed by Plymouth (347) and Wawasee (347). Schram shot a 77 for the Tigers, who were led by medalist Tyler Ostrom’s round of 76. Ostrom recently completed his freshman season at Ball State.

“I’d like to see us around 304 Friday, depending on the conditions,” said Barkey. “That would be 20 over par as a team and would be a great score to post.”

“I want us to maximize the expectations of the shot and minimize the expectations of the day at the sectional.”

The field at Warsaw includes Triton, Whitko, Tippecanoe Valley, Lakeland Christian Academy, Plymouth, Northfield, Manchester, Huntington North, Culver, Culver Academy and Columbia City.

Play is scheduled to begin Friday at 8 a.m. at Stonehenge.

The top three teams and top three individuals from non-advancing teams earn a spot in the Warsaw Regional back at Stonehenge on June 6. The regional will include the top teams from sectional play at Warsaw, Fairfield, East Noble, Peru, South Bend Riley and Fort Wayne Canterbury.

Triton, which knows the Stonehenge course well, will be led by senior standouts Quentyn Carpenter and Ryan Rapp. Carpenter, who will play at Ball State, shot 77 in the sectional a year ago. Rapp has had a strong senior season, capturing medalist honors in both the Uebele Invitational with a 72 and the NSC Meet with a 71. The Trojans also return Tanner Shepherd and Lucas Shafer, who both played in the sectional in 2012.

The Trojans, who lost 311-313 to Warsaw in a match played in late April at Rozella Ford, shot 314 on Saturday in the Lafayette Jeff event. Rapp led the way with a round of 75 for coach Jack Carpenter’s talented team.

Carpenter and Rapp, who will play at Marian University, both have lots of postseason experience. The duo, as freshmen, helped Triton earn a berth in the State Finals in 2010. Carpenter also qualified for the State Finals as an individual in 2011.

Wawasee will head north this year to compete on Saturday in the Fairfield Sectional at the Black Squirrel course in Goshen.

The Warriors, who went 11-7 during the regular season, are one of 12 teams in the tourney. No. 11 NorthWood, led by Dylan Gessinger, is the favorite. The Panthers, led by an 82 from Gessinger, shot 343 to place sixth in the Fairfield Sectional in 2012. Elkhart Memorial won the sectional title a year ago with a 326 with Northridge second at 327 and Lakeland third at 330. Memorial, along with Elkhart Central, have been moved to the South Bend Riley Sectional this year.

Wawasee boasts a blend of youth and experience in its lineup with seniors Dylan Cousins and Luke Jackson, sophomores Tristen Atwood and Mason Germonprez and freshman Jeffrey Moore.   The quartet of Cousins, Jackson, Atwood and Geremonprez all played for the Warriors in the sectional last year at Stonehenge. Jackson shot 83 to tie teammate Derek Zurcher for low honors in the 2012 sectional.

The field in the Fairfield Sectional includes Wawasee, NorthWood, Westview, Prairie Heights, Northridge, Lakeland, Jimtown, Goshen, Fairfield, Concord, Bremen and Bethany Christian.

Play at Black Squirrel is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Saturday. The top three teams and top three individuals from a non-advancing team earn a spot in the Warsaw Regional at Stonehenge June 6.

Mason Germonprez and his Wawasee team will compete Saturday in the Fairfield Sectional at Black Squirrel in Goshen (File photo by Jim Harris)