Mathias moves on

BLUFFTON — In the first group off the tees, Evan Mathias and the Patriots posted scores that put them in contention.
And then they waited. And waited. And waited.
They were in the clubhouse for nearly two hours, their fate coming all the way down to the final score.
Mathias squeaked through to earn a spot in the regional. His team came up a few strokes short.
Mathias’ 82 at Saturday’s sectional tournament at Timber Ridge Golf Club earned him the final individual regional berth, while Jay County shot 350 to finish fifth.
The top three teams and top three individuals not on an advancing team earn a trip to the regional tournament.
“It’s the worst thing ever just to sit there and wait to see if you’re going to advance or not,” said Mathias while dealing with the mixed emotions of being happy he earned a regional berth but disappointed his team will not be joining him. “I had some good holes, some bad holes. I guess I did what I had to do.”
Cal Clouser of South Adams shot 80 with four birdies and five pars to also earn an individual berth along with Chase Ellsworth (77) of Bellmont.
JCHS had the best team score of the first group at 350, edging sixth-place South Adams by one.
Champion Oak Hill, led by medalist Cody White’s 1-over-par 73, quickly claimed the top spot at 324 and Eastbrook (339) climbed to second, leaving the Patriots to sweat it out. The results came down to the scorecards of Zach Seeler of Marion and Zeke Lockwood of Mississinewa, who vaulted their teams into a tie for third place at 348.
Marion won the fifth-score tiebreaker on a 99 from Andrew Spitzer, giving Mathias his trip to the regional. Had Mississinewa won the tiebreaker, Seeler would have taken the third individual berth.
“Oh man. It’s an agonizing wait,” said JCHS coach Butch Gray. “I can’t sit in there and stare at that scoreboard. I just have to walk away.”
Jay County was trying for its second straight regional berth, and just the third in school history, after placing third last season in the sectional hosted by Monroe Central at Hickory Hills Golf Club. Although they finished two strokes out of third place, their score was a team-best for 18 holes this year.
“Probably every one of them can look back and figure out where they could get one, two, three strokes, but I’m very, very happy,” said Gray, whose team had averaged 374 for 18 holes during the regular season. “We were very competitive.
“I’m real happy with how the kids played.”
Mathias earned his trip to regional as he bounced back from a double bogey on No. 8 at TRGC.
He drilled his first shot on the 366-yard, par-4 ninth hole down the center of the fairway, and left his approach just short of the green. He chipped to within two feet, and then rolled in his putt for his eighth par of the day.
His lone birdie came as he putted in off the front fringe on the 272-yard, par-4 18th.
“He kept the ball in play,” said Gray of Mathias, who edged Norwell’s Tanner Mathews by one stroke. “He talked about having some trouble putting, but he’s just got the all-around game.”
Zach Fullenkamp rebounded from a triple bogey on his opening hole to par the 180-yard, par-3 11th and went on to record seven pars as he followed Mathias for JCHS with an 88. Seniors Mitchel Rigby and Adam Alfont each finished at 90, with Rigby sinking a 25-foot putt for birdie on the 346-yard, par-4 16th hole.
Chase Mosser followed Clouser for South Adams with an 85. Derek Fox shot 87, and McGerran Clouser finished with a 99.[[In-content Ad]]