Warsaw’s boys golf team poses with its sectional championship trophy after repeating at the team’s home sectional Friday at Rozella Ford. (Photos by James Costello)

WARSAW — Headed into the turn at at Friday’s Warsaw Boys Golf Sectional, the Tigers had some ground to make up against Culver Military.

Head coach Rich Haddad never really worried. His players had been performing pretty consistently throughout the lineup in recent weeks, and he knew they’d get five solid scores. Besides, the hosts were in good position to get out to next week’s regional round anyway, which is most of the battle.

Just as their coach predicted, the Tigers got five solid scores, four in the 70s, and wound up beating CMA by a stroke, 308-309, for a repeat sectional championship at Rozella Ford. Columbia City posted a 316 to grab the third and final berth at next Thursday’s regional at nearby Stonehenge.

“Man, it was tough. Making the turn when they posted the scores after nine and we’re three strokes down from Culver, I knew they were playing well and just knew we had to play well on the back. But one of the strengths of our team all year has been the depth we’ve had,” explained Haddad. “We’ve got five guys shooting good scores, and I just believed that we’d have the players on the back to really just play steady, play strong and just felt good that they would have a chance. Felt really confident that we could get out, which was the first goal, that we want to get to regionals.

“To win sectionals the second year in a row, it feels great. I just told the boys I am super proud of their attitude, their spirit and how hard they played all the way through. But I’m happy for them to be able to be sectional champs.”

Sam Yeager replaces his ball on the 18th green at Rozella.

Sam Yeager’s 75 was Warsaw’s low round Friday, good enough for third place overall on the individual leaderboard, and Luke Delp carded 76 out of the No. 1 grouping for the Tigers in a strong one-two. But Warsaw’s biggest round of the day may have come from No. 5 Jake LaLonde, whose 78 helped make up for a somewhat shaky 83 from Tommy Meier. Chase Byron’s 79 gave the team four scores under 80, top-to-bottom consistency no other team could match.

“Jacob has had some really front nines and then he’s struggled on the back a couple times recently. So it’s like ‘OK, you just put together that full 18, you’re going to have a solid score,’” Haddad said. “Today, he had had a couple bad holes middle of the back nine, but I’m so proud of him for just kind of sticking with it, hanging tough. He really came in solid, parred the last one to shoot his round. Happy for him.”

“To have four guys in the 70s, and really when you think about your fifth score being an 83, that’s five good players playing golf,” added Haddad. “Nobody is shooting lights-out but they’re all shooting really solid rounds of golf, and that’s been our strength this year. As the spring warmed up, all five of them started shooting really solid rounds of golf. That’s been our strength — the depth of our team.”

While Warsaw’s golfers knew they had ground to make up on the back side at Rozella, Triton actually led City by four strokes at the turn, 159-163, and was in position to punch the last of three team tickets out to regional. But the Eagles shaved a full 10 strokes off that front half tally, while the Trojans added nearly 10 to their front side score to fall nine strokes out of contention with a 327 for fourth place in the team standings.

“I don’t know if the kids felt a little bit of pressure because we had that four-shot cushion after the front nine,” said Triton assistant coach Blake Schori. “I honestly don’t know if we just felt the pressure and were pressing a little bit, but on the other hand give Columbia City credit. Ten strokes better on the back? Tip of the hat to them. They played phenomenal on the back so congratulations to them.”

Triton did advance one individual, Beau Hepler, whose 76 earned him the second of three regional appointments for individuals from non-advancing teams behind Manchester’s Harley Kruschwitz and his low-medal round of 73. Plymouth’s Chapman Yoder carded 77 to grab the last of the three individual regional qualifications.

“Really, he’s been pretty consistent all year, kind of been our low man so really not a big surprise to see that out of him today,” said Schori of Hepler. “Just kind of grinded it out on the back nine to shoot that 76, so very happy for him.”

Hepler’s scores were perfectly symmetrical as he shot 38 on either side of the turn at Rozella. But he didn’t mince words talking about the team result, either.

“I think I was just mentally tough today. The heat didn’t really bother me today as much as I thought it would in the beginning,” he explained.

“I really wanted us to make it out as a team and not just as an individual. It sucks that they won’t be there for regional.”

Isaac Wall watches a long putt Friday. The senior finishes a heartbreaking single stroke short of an individual regional berth for Triton.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the day for the Trojans came for senior Isaac Wall, who finished a single stroke back of Yoder to close out his career Friday after making the turn with a strong 36 on the front nine.

“One shot. That’s what we always tell the kids. Sometimes we think they take things a little for granted or they try to hit that hero shot instead of swallowing their pride, hitting it out, getting on the green. It just comes down to one shot,” said Schori. “He had his chances on the back. I hate it for him because he’s a senior, and he’s been a solid foundation for this team. I hate to see him go, but that’s how it goes.”

Meanwhile for Triton, Chase Butler shot 85, Keegan Westafer turned in an 88, and Brock Watkins posted a 95 for the team’s fifth score. Alongside Wall, the Trojans lose fellow seniors Brendan Wareham and Ross Johnson but expect everyone else back next year in addition to a strong incoming class. Friday’s result will sting for awhile, but Schori hopes his team can come back stronger for it.

“We have everybody coming back. We’ve got a strong junior high program coming up so we’re very excited,” he said. “Obviously this one hurts big time. It was there for the taking. We just didn’t do it, but this will marinate over the offseason, we’ll come back and get after it in the spring.”

Wawasee also closed out the year at Rozella, with a 360 for seventh place. Zach Leedy’s 80 was solid but still three strokes short of an individual regional berth in the Warriors’ best chance to advance Friday. Dillon Drake turned in an 89, while Victor Tayagua shot 92, and Evan Dippon shot 95. Jared Krugman’s 101 was his team’s toss-out.

Tippecanoe Valley closed with a 423 for 11th place, meanwhile. Like Wawasee, the Vikings’ best shot at advancement was aimed at an individual berth for their No. 1 Cade Brouyette, but the sophomore’s 87 fell well out of contention. Carter Kistler shot 106, and Mason Purvis shot 107. Bryce Madeford’s 123 completed Valley’s team score, and Billy Gillman’s 150 was the team’s scratch.

Manchester posted a 352 for sixth place. Kruschwitz’s 73 was the highlight of the day for the Squires. Nathan Self shot 83, and Konrad Borgmann shot 91, but Manchester’s scores dropped off after that. Dylan Brubaker turned in a 105, and Klayton Hendrix carded 106.

Whitko’s 388 earned the Wildcats ninth place. Cade Bechtold’s 92 represented the team’s low, and Kaleb Busz finished just two strokes back. Dale Reiff shot 100, and Kylar Bryant shot 102. Jonathan Strayer put up a 113.

The Warsaw Regional takes place next Thursday at Stonehenge beginning at 8 a.m. The top three teams from East Noble, Fort Wayne Canterbury, Northridge, Peru and South Bend Riley join the Tigers, CMA and City as squads vie for another top three finish, which guarantees a berth at the state finals at Prairie View in Carmel the following Tuesday and Wednesday, June 12-13.

“We’ve got probably, I mean I’m guessing at least eight teams that are at a level that we’ve got to play well to beat,” said Haddad. “Certainly Penn and Bishop Dwenger in my mind would be the favorites; they’re top six in the state. So you’ve got a lot of good teams fighting for that third spot. Not that those guys can’t get beaten. We play a good round, and they’re not at their best, we’re going to beat them as well. But they’re clearly a little better right now on average. But… it’s our home course. The guys are the most comfortable on those greens. They know where the trouble is. They know where their ball should go. We show up and play a good round of golf, we can go.”