Patriots 18th at regional

ANDERSON — Playing on a difficult course is one thing.
Competing against some of the best teams in the state is another.
Jay County High School’s girls golf team placed last out of 18 teams Saturday in the regional tournament at Edgewood Golf Course in Anderson.
The Patriots totaled 428. Cathedral, which is ranked fifth, won the team title with a score of 311. Third-ranked Columbus North was runner-up with 319, and No 9. Fishers finished third with a 323, edging two-time defending regional champion and seventh-ranked Hamilton Southeastern by one stroke.
“It was a great experience and we played with some really great players today,” said JCHS coach Butch Gray, whose team was grouped with Mt. Vernon (363), Lawrence North (354) and Columbus East (354). “They found out what it’s about.
“This is without a doubt one of the toughest regionals in the state. The teams that come out of here are usually going to do real well when they move up.”
Betsy Werner of Cathedral was the individual champion. She totaled an even-par 70.
Natalia Campbell of Lapel and Hamilton Southeastern’s Ciara McAree tied with 73 to earn the first two individual state berths. Mt. Vernon’s Charley True (74), Shelly Shafer of Hagerstown (74) and Yorktown’s Reese Mailipit (75) all qualified for state.
The top three teams and the top five individuals not on advancing teams earn state berths.
And while the Patriots had their season end at regional, Gray said he was still pleased with the way his team competed.
“Anytime you advance out of sectional it is a little rewarding — an icing on the cake type (of) situation,” he said. “It just makes all the work they did early and in all the heat well worth it that they had success.”
But Saturday, Jay County had a hard time keeping up with the competition. The Patriots were one of two teams to have four of its five players shoot north of 100.
Brooke Sanders led the way for the Patriots with a 99.
Jay County began on the 10th hole, and Sanders made the turn with 54 strokes. She improved on the front nine, making par twice and beating her back-nine score by nine strokes.
She almost made birdie on the 285-yard, par-4 second hole, but her 8-foot putt stopped 3 inches short of the hole.
On the 185-yard, par-3 seventh, Sanders’ shot from the tee box went about 90 yards. Her second shot was to the right side of the green, and she made a 20-foot putt to save par.
The senior nearly had another on the 155-yard, par-3 eighth, but she settled for bogey after her par putt stopped 4 feet short of the cup.
“It’s a tougher course because it’s tighter, the tree-lined fairways (and) the greens were a little quicker” Gray said of Edgewood. The course was relatively short — it had four par 3s and two par 5s — and featured narrow fairways. “It’s tough to score because you have to hit the ball straight here all the time. If you don’t, you’re in trouble.”
The Patriots faced some trouble early on, with their best individual score a 52 after nine holes from No. 4 player Sydney Robbins. After the rough time on the back nine, Jay County had all but one of its players post better scores on the front.
Robbins was second on the team with a 108, and Abby Saxman was one stroke behind her. Saxman finished with par on three holes, including making a 6-foot putt on the 350-yard, par-4 fifth.
Rachel Antrim completed the Patriots’ team total with a 112. Carley Wickey was the fifth golfer and she carded a 114.
Sanders, Saxman, Antrim and Robbins — all seniors — have been the top four golfers for the Patriots all season. Gray said he’ll miss their leadership the most.
“They work hard,” he said. “They kind of set the tone. It is going to be hard to replace them.
“(It) puts a challenge on the ones that will be coming out for next year.”