Jay sixth in tourney

FARMLAND — The Patriots were looking to compete for a team regional berth, and had hopes that a pair of their golfers might be able to advance as individuals.
But they struggled a bit early and were never able to put together a run to put them in contention.
Jay County settled for a sixth-place finish Monday in the field of 14 teams at boys golf sectional tournament hosted by Monroe Central at Hickory Hills Golf Club.
The Patriots posted a 354 to finish three strokes behind fifth-place Wapahani and six ahead of seventh-place Marion.
“I’m disappointed. They’re disappointed,” said JCHS coach Butch Gray. “If we would have played on the front side like we played on the back side, we’d have been right there in the mix. …
“I hate to see seasons end. I wish it was a situation where we were sitting here talking about what we’re going to do on Friday, but we’re not.”
Yorktown took the title with a 306 while Delta (316) and Winchester (325) followed in second and third. Monroe Central was fourth at 334.
The top three teams and top three individuals not on advancing teams move on to Friday’s regional tournament hosted by Muncie Central at The Players Club. Individual qualifiers were Wapahani’s L.T. Beaty (71) as well as Cameron Cox (77) and Rhett Braun (77), both of the host Golden Bears.
The slow start for Jay County, which had its best 18-hole score with a 344 at the Winchester Invitational, began with two double bogeys and a triple bogey on the 493-yard, par-5 opening hole. It had another triple bogey on the 204-yard, par-3 second hole and sat at 11-over-par.
“They were all uptight, and they just wanted to play the best they could play,” said Gray. “They were swinging too hard, too fast. They were not keeping a good tempo. … And when one thing went wrong, then another thing went wrong, and it just kind of snowballed for them. …
“When they relaxed and played, and they did that on the back side, they were fine. … I’m sure it was nerves. They were trying so hard, and it just didn’t happen for them.”
Every Patriot player improved their score on the back nine at Hickory Hills, but it was not enough to get back in the mix for a regional berth.
Drew Houck closed out his career with five of his seven pars, including four in the final five holes, on the back nine. He ended with a par on the 570-yard, par-4 18th, playing up the right side and chipping his fourth shot close before tapping in to finish the round.
After posting a 44 on the front nine, he shot 41 on the back for his round of 85.
Fellow senior Austin Mann had three pars in his round as he totaled a 92.
“I’m going to miss my seniors,” said Gray. “He’s been a great leader for us. And in reality, he’s been a leader for us for two years because we didn’t have any seniors last year. Drew is the one who the kids look to.
“Austin Mann has worked very hard to get where he has gotten.”
Freshman Evan Mathias was just one stroke behind Houck and had the most pars for Jay County with nine. Five of those came as he shot 42 on the back side after posting a 44 on the front.
“Not many freshmen play at the one or two spot for most of the season, which he did,” said Gray. “He has set a good first rung of the ladder I know he wants to climb. It is going to be fun to watch him the next three years.”
Justen Keller had two pars in the first three holes, but went without one the rest of the way. He posted a 91.
Richie Carducci finished with a 93 and had the Patriots’ only two birdies of the day. He played at 1-under-par on the 126-yard, par-3 10th hole and the 290-yard, par-4 13th.
Jay County posted a 10-3 record in dual meets this season, with the lone losses coming to Delta, Winchester and Connersville.
“It’s been a great, great year,” said Gray. “This has been a great group of kids to work with. They’re fun. … They work hard. And I think they’ve represented Jay County very, very well.”[[In-content Ad]]