No. 19 Alices lead the way in boys golf

Graduated are Rivet’s Parker Steinginer, a sectional medalist last season, and South Knox’s Cameron Chattin, and they were third and second among the area's regional qualifiers. Both the Spartans and Patriots hope to have the depth and experience to make up for those losses.

North Knox is a bit of a mystery with a new coach and a mostly new roster, but with 10 golfers, the team will have no problem scoring, which it was unable to do in last year’s sectional with only three.

The new coach for the Warriors is Travis David, and Rivet has a new coach as well in Jeremy Catt.

The Alices, Spartans and Patriots had their season opening triangular rained out twice last week, but should get going this week. South Knox is host Wednesday, as Washington joins the group for a quadrangular match at Cypress Hills at 4:30 p.m. North Knox welcomes Rivet, Loogootee and North Daviess to High Pointe at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

LINCOLN

With four returning from a solid showing at the regional, the Alices are in as good a position as any area team, in any sport, to make a postseason run this spring. The preseason ranking also demonstrates that at least several throughout the state recognize what Lincoln can do.

But coach Andy Pinkstaff said the ranking is a bit premature.

“I was very surprised. We haven’t won anything yet,” he said. “Gibson Southern is a three-year standing champion at the sectional, and I respect anyone that gets results over anyone that has a ranking. They return (state finalist) Peyton Blackard and two other starters. We recognize that they’re a team we should be going after, not the opposite.

“I appreciate the committee noticing the work our kids put in. We’re getting better, and we want to push for earning that spot. But we need to earn it, rather than be given it right out of the gate. Preseason rankings don’t mean much.”

That’s not to say Pinkstaff isn’t excited about his squad.

Three returning seniors anchor the lineup, Dusty Taylor, Joshua Clegg, and Luke Lindsey, and junior Landon Davis is a fourth returning starter. Taylor was the area's best in the regional last year, carding a 75, which was three strokes away from the state-qualifying score.

“We feel good about the competition level we have at the top,” Pinkstaff said. “We’ve got a core group back from last year, and some of them have been starters for four years now. We expect them to hold onto those spots, but we also have some young guys really competing and trying to step up, especially at the back end. It’s a solid competition between nine or 10 kids for five spots.

“Dusty’s our No. 1, and he’s going to be a leader for us, which is a new role for him, but we’re expecting a lot. Landon is playing exceptional golf this spring, and he’ll be No. 2 out of the gate. He came on strong last year. Clegg will start off at No. 3 and Lindsey at No. 4."

Pinkstaff has competition for the fifth spot. Junior Morgan Horst is likely there to start, but he’ll be pushed by classmates Carson Dreiman and Dayton Piper, sophomore twins Peyton and Preston Wendel, and freshman Carter Johnson.

Rounding out the roster are seniors Luke Newman and David Akers, junior Jacob Green, sophomores Eli Green, Colton York, Zach Akers, and Landen Wyant, and freshmen Leevi Koenig and Landon Telligman.

As Pinkstaff said, he believes Gibson Southern is likely the favorite at the sectional, and he doesn’t count out the reloading Spartans either. But he expects his team to be firmly in the mix.

“It’s our year to push. You have to respect the returning champ, but at the same time, we up our level of expectation this year,” he said. “We have a lot of kids that put a ton of time in, and this is their chance to go after it. We fully expect to compete and to win it. We also have a lot of respect for coach (Malcolm) Dubbs and what he’s done with (South Knox's) program. They’ll push for a regional spot as well.”

The regional is loaded, and assuming the Alices get there, they likely won’t be favored to earn a top-three spot required to qualify for state.

But there’s certainly a chance.

“We could. If it’s a special day where everyone puts it together, we could,” Pinkstaff said. “Every one of these kids is capable of posting a score where, if you put them together, you could advance. At the very least I’d love to see one or two get out. Dusty has flirted with it, and so has Luke. All the kids have that level of talent, and they could certainly push through their ability to do something like that. It could be a special year.”

SOUTH KNOX

Just two return from last year’s regional lineup for the Spartans, and South Knox will likely rely on at least three underclassmen in its lineup. But the Spartans have built up their program enough in recent years that coach Malcolm Dubbs doesn’t expect to take much of a step back from last season.

“My expectations are no different than the last 11 years,” Dubbs said. “I expect us to find a way to make it to regionals, which we’ve done eight of the last 10 years, minus COVID, and we’ve developed the program now to a point where we have the kids ready to step in after we graduate some people. We lost a low scorer from last year, but we look for (the team score) to be similar to last year. We’re just doing it in a different way, instead of just one guy giving a low. We don’t have any guys lagging behind this year. We’re going to have four guys that can break 80.”

Returning starters for the Spartans are sophomores Jordan Allen and Alex Harting, who carded an 89 and 93 in their debuts at the Washington Regional last June.

The seniors are Ezra Anson, Jack Bobe, and Johnny Cardinal. There are no juniors, but Tucker Mahan, Blake Sutton, and Jakob Graman fill out the sophomore class, and Carson Arnold is the lone freshman.

Arnold should vault into the lineup right away, and Anson is likely in the top four as well. Dubbs is still unsure on a fifth, and the order is still a bit up in the air. The coach said the original plan was to use last week’s triangular match with Lincoln and Rivet as qualifiers for his squad, but weather ruined that opportunity.

“Jordan’s been qualifying No. 1 for us so far. Carson and Ezra are pretty close at two and three, and Alex has been at four,” Dubbs said. “We have some dominant underclassmen leading us, and we’ve also got some new people, some freshmen that haven’t played a competitive golf match. That’s fine with me. The talent is there, and with how hard they work, it’s been fantastic.

“I like our senior leadership a lot. Carson managed the team last year (as an eighth grader) and has spent a lot of time playing with these guys. Carson did really well in middle school. Jordan and Alex came in last year breaking 80, and I don’t expect Carson to be any different.”

“Our young guys may take some lumps as they mature and grow, and they learn how to play competitively. But the foundation and core to be extremely special are there. It comes down to how much work you put into it.”

RIVET

Four starters are back for the Patriots, but replacing the low number that Steininger often produced will be a challenge. Having a new coach could also be an adjustment, though Catt noted his assistants, Kayley Brian, Dan Primus, and Mike Mayles, will be a big help.

Catt said the lineup would be determined by qualifiers in practice, but he has a good place to start with four returners. Seniors Fisher Lemon, Zach Bottoms, Drake Bellessa, and sophomore Nash Chattin all started in the sectional last season, and senior Gage Letts returns to the sport after previously focusing on baseball.

“We have a great group of players from top to bottom, and the pecking order is very tough to determine,” Catt said. “Zach, Fisher, and Drake are solid players, and I foresee these seniors contributing in matches. Gage is focusing on golf, and he has an amazing short game.

“We also have a solid sophomore class.”

There are no juniors. The sophomores along with Chattin are Holden Manion, Landon Like, Sawyer Primus, and Brady Bellessa, and the freshmen are Carter Stevenson and Zane Shephard.

“Nash is coming off winning the Southern Indiana Under Armour Fall series, and I played with Nash and Sawyer a couple weeks ago and both shot 79s in 30 mile per hour winds,” Catt said. “Holden is averaging in the low 40s for nine holes, and Brady has a ton of talent and is playing well. Landon is improving every time out, and I see a bright future in him.

“My two freshmen are new to the sport and have a ton of talent. I like their future with the program.”

Catt believes earning a top-three spot in the sectional to qualify for the regional is a realistic goal for his squad.

“The other coaches and I believe that we will be in contention to get out of sectionals as a team, or have some individuals that could get out,” he said. “I’ve set the expectation of a top-five finish, with the desire of course to be in the top three.

“I’m very fortunate to have these three assistant coaches. We’ve taken a statistical approach to the team, keeping track of score, fairways in regulation, greens in regulation, and putts. (With three assistants), we can define practice for the individual and their needs, be it short game, irons, long game, or mental approach.”

NORTH KNOX

A new season brings a new coach and a mostly new roster to the Warriors.

David takes over, and North Knox brings back only two that played in the sectional last season, junior Rylan “Yogi” Cardinal and sophomore Braxton Thompson. North Knox began the season with only six a year ago and had just three in the sectional, so it was unable to post a team score.

The Warriors have a roster of 10 now, putting David in a much better spot.

“I’m excited. Although freshmen make up half the roster, there’s still a lot of talent in his group,” he said. “What makes me most excited is that they all want to play and get out on the course. Even on days we don’t have practice scheduled, a lot of them take it upon themselves to go the range or the course.

“Yogi is our most experienced golfer and will most likely start out at No. 1. He has all the shots, but he’ll be the first to tell you that his mental game has held him back from reaching his full potential. We’re working on this, and feel like he has a much better mindset heading into this season.”

The lineup isn’t set, but David feels has three for sure that will slot in the top five in some order. Freshman Jayden Hatfield and junior Will Arnold are the likely next up, with sophomore Brock Collins and freshmen Luke Schroeder, Owen Lane, and Jude Mulkey the top candidates to fill the next two spots, thought senior Mark Lehmann, Thompson, and freshmen Koltyn Freeman could be in the mix as well.

David said in order to get his team more time, he may rotate the No. 5 spot, and in meets where it’s allowed, the Warriors will fill out two teams.

“I’m confident in saying Jayden will be in the running for the No. 1 spot, though he may start at No. 2 or 3 regardless, just so he doesn’t have that extra pressure right away. He’s probably the most consistent with the driver in his hand,” David said. “Will has put in a ton of time, and consistency will be key. When he puts it all together at the same time, he has the ability to be No. 1 as well.”

David also spoke highly of the work ethic shown by Schroeder and Mulkey in the early going.

Earning a top-three spot in the sectional is the goal, but David knows that will be a challenge in a loaded, experienced field.

“We’re in an ultra-competitive sectional, so advancing as a team is tough. As cliche as it sounds, our main focus is ourselves, and if we continue to improve throughout the season, everything will take care of itself,” David said. “I like this team, and I really think we’ll be competitive and win a lot. How much? I can’t say, but we’re going into each match trying to compete and win as a team, and if we end up falling short, then I do believe we can have some success on the individual side as well.”