Triton’s Ryan Rapp, shown in a recent postseason match, shot a two-under 70 at the State Finals in Franklin Tuesday. Rapp is just two shots behind the leaders going into the final round Wednesday (File photo by Mike Deak)

FRANKLIN – Ryan Rapp’s first shot at the State Finals Tuesday did not go as planned.

The Triton High School senior standout sure made a great recovery the rest of his round though.

Rapp, whose first tee shot went out of bounds leading to a double bogey, came storming back to shoot a two-under round of 70 at The Legends Golf Club on day one of the IHSAA State Finals.

Rapp sits tied for fifth place among all golfers in the 100-player field, just two shots behind a trio of leaders at 68.

Devin Jenkins of Floyd Central, Kyle Meihofer of Valparaiso and Adam Wood of Zionsville share the lead at 68. Michael Makris of Mishawaka Marian shot 69 and sits in second place. Five players, including Rapp, shot 70, while eight sit tied at 71 and a trio are at 72.

No. 1 Columbus North leads the 15-team field at 290. Westfield is at 291 and Floyd Central 292 atop the team leader board. Avon is in fourth place with 294 and Jasper is fifth at 295.

No. 10 Warsaw, led by Jon Schram’s 72 and making its fifth straight State Finals appearance, shot 306 Tuesday and is tied for 10th place in the team standings. Triton checked in at 313.

The final round of the tournament will be contested Wednesday.

“Ryan played excellent and had a wonderful round for him,” said Triton coach Jack Carpenter in a phone interview Monday night. “He’s in the hunt.”

Rapp shot 35 on each nine in his fine round Tuesday. He had four birdies and one double-bogey.

Quentyn Carpenter, Triton’s No. 1 golfer, finished with a two-over 74. The Ball State bound star was done in by a nine on the par five No. 2 and a seven on the par five No. 6. He fired an outstanding 33 on his first nine holes Tuesday and then shot 41 over his last nine.

Triton, as a team, finished at 313. The Trojans, who are in 15th place in the team standings, made the turn after their first nine Tuesday at 153.

“Our first nine was very good,” said coach Carpenter. “To shoot 153 is excellent for us.  The back nine was a different story.

“Those two holes tell the story of Quentyn’s round. He plays those at six over and the rest at four under.  He hit two balls out of bounds for the nine and then went out of bounds into the water on No. 6.”

Rapp, who will play at Marian University, and Carpenter both played at State as freshman in 2010. That trip three years ago was Triton’s only other appearance as a program at the State Finals.

The younger Carpenter was still on the range at 6:05 Tuesday night as his coach/father waited for him to finish his post round work.

“He’s been out there probably for the last hour and a half,” said coach Carpenter. “He’s a perfectionist. He knows he should be in the lead or at least tied for the lead right now. He’s not afraid to put the work in. He wants to make sure what happened today does not happen on Wednesday.”

Junior Lucas Shafer shot an 84 and classmate Tanner Shepherd an 85 for the Trojans. Freshman Greg Music had a 95.

The Trojans shot 350 earlier this season when they played in the Spring Preview tournament at The Legends.

“I just want Ryan and Quentyn to go out and play loose Wednesday,” said coach Carpenter. “Both of them are more than capable. I don’t need to say much to either of them. I just plan to be positive with them.

“Our goal was the top 12 and we were tied for seventh at the turn today. I just want us to try and pass as many individuals and teams as we can on Wednesday. We have nothing to lose. I know my kids will all give me 110 percent.”

It was a typical day for the Tigers Tuesday.

Schram, who tied for eighth place a year ago with a two-round total of 147, led the way as the Tigers tied their best team round of the season on a par-72 course.

“This ties the score we shot at Battle Ground as our low on the season and you have to pleased with the guys when that happens,” said Warsaw coach Ben Barkey in a phone interview Tuesday night. “We had three guys go below their season average today.

“All in all, it was a typical day for us. We’re just excited for the opportunity to go back out there on Wednesday and do our thing again.

“Our approach for the final round will be the same it’s been all season. We’ll tackle it the same way in taking one shot at a time and staying positive. I’d be tickled pink if we shot a sub 300 Wednesday.”

Warsaw tied for sixth place in the team standings in 2012 with its two-day total of 625.

Schram is currently tied for 18th place among individuals, but is just four shots behind the leaders. The Ball State bound standout, who plans to room with Quentyn Carpenter next year, had four birdies and four bogeys on Tuesday.

“Jon had a typical round for him today,” Barkey said. “Anytime you can be just four shots back at the State Finals that’s a sweet thing.”

Senior Tim Ahlersmeyer, playing in his fourth State Finals just like Schram, shot a 76 for the Tigers Tuesday.

Senior Evan Cultice fired a round of 78 for Warsaw. Sophomore Jonny Hollar shot an 80 and junior Will Petro an 83.

Triton will begin its final round Wednesday at 8:27 a.m. as its No. 5 man Music tees off. Warsaw’s first player, No. 5 man Cultice, will tee off at 9:21 a.m. Wednesday.