County teams dominate top three spots in golf state championship
By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – With two birdie putts, the Guerin Catholic boys golf team earned some redemption – and a state championship.
The Golden Eagles had been battling with Westfield for all 36 holes of a hot IHSAA state championship this week at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel. The tournament finished Wednesday afternoon in dramatic fashion, with the Shamrocks leading Guerin Catholic by one stroke with two groups left to play.
But thanks to those birdies from Connor McNeely and Jacob Modleski, the Golden Eagles overcame that deficit to finish first. Guerin totaled a two-day team score of 602, just ahead of Westfield’s 603. It’s the first-ever boys golf state championship for the Golden Eagles, and also brought Guerin Catholic full circle after last season’s state finals – where it finished second to Center Grove by one stroke.
“There’s a lot of pressure going down the last hole,” said GC coach Mark Mathews. “Last swing is a tough one to make and those were pretty good swings. I’m just almost speechless, which for me is impossible.”
McNeely went first, making his birdie to bring the Golden Eagles up to a tie with the Shamrocks. The senior held the lead after Tuesday’s first round, but struggled during the second round before getting it together on the last hole, which he called his “four best shots.”
“I ended on a high note,” said McNeely. “State championship as a team, that’s all that matters, so I’m happy as can be right now.”
DON’T TELL ME
Modleski came up next, and after a perfect wedge shot – “probably the best wedge shot of the two days,” he said – quickly put the ball in the hole for the birdie. While everyone around him was aware of how important his putt was, Modleski kept himself intentionally unaware of the score.
“I actually had no idea,” said Modleski. “I told Coach Mathews not to tell me, unless we needed some sort of heroics on 18.”
Coach Mathews can confirm this.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Mathews. “I went out with all intention to tell Jacob what he needed to do, and the first thing when I walk up is, he said ‘I don’t want to know anything, just help me with the shot. Don’t need to know anything, just help me with the shot.’ He’s a smart kid, so he knew that if I walked out there, that I was probably going to tell him what he needed to do.”
Modleski and McNeely both finished the tournament with two birdies, and Modleski would also earn an individual medal as well, tying for fifth place with a two-day score of 145. Modleski went under par for his second round, a one-under 71.
Leo Wessel tied for 10th individually, scoring a 148. Wessel drained four birdies, all on the front nine, during his second round, in which he totaled an even-par 72. Everyone on the Golden Eagles team made at least one birdie, with Zach Thieme collecting two and Scotty Smith one.
Modleski and Wessel were both named to the All-State team at the conclusion of the meet. In addition to being Guerin Catholic’s first-ever boys golf state title, it’s the fifth IHSAA state title in school history for the Golden Eagles, following two each in boys basketball and boys soccer.
While it was a tough way for the meet to finish, the Shamrocks still had an outstanding state tournament. This was the first time a Westfield team had made it to state since 2017, and it did so with a young cast.
Westfield finished as runner-up at the state meet. The young Shamrocks team delivered a podium finish for the school in its first appearance at state since 2017.
Junior Jake Cesare was part of the three-way tie for 10th place, scoring a 148 and making three birdies along the way. All five Westfield players drained at least one birdie, including three for freshman Alec Cesare and two for Will Harvey, another freshman. Nolan Hall collected two and Cam Kooi made one. Jake Cesare was also named to the All-State team.
“Our guys hung in there, they battled, they played great,” said Shamrocks coach Josh Bryant. The coach was also proud of his team for fighting until the end.
“It was awesome,” said Bryant, who called the event “a great golf tournament to coach in.”
“Sometimes it’s a bummer that there has to be a second place, but that’s the name of the game,” said Bryant. “I can tell you that I think our guys are going to look back and go ‘I’m proud of our effort.’ Hopefully we’ll be able to make a run again next year.”
ROYALS RISE
The top three was a Hamilton County sweep, as Hamilton Southeastern finished in third place with a two-day score of 615. The Royals played with remarkable consistency over the two days, rising to fourth place after the first round – and then they kept rising.
Hamilton Southeastern placed third at the state meet. It’s the highest finish for the Royals since they were the state runners-up in 2016.
While Southeastern’s consistency gave it the medals, there was also some excitement when junior Lane Zedrick made an eagle on Hole No. 7. That eagle had its origins when Zedrick’s coaches talked with him during the practice round.
“They wanted me to lay up on the par fives, just to a distance that I felt really comfortable with,” said Zedrick. On that hole, he laid up with the pitching wedge and got within 40 yards.
“That’s definitely a distance I’m not comfortable with,” said Zedrick. But he made the shot anyway.
“It was cool to hear the roars during the round,” said Zedrick. He wound up as Southeastern’s low man with a two-day score of 150, and also made a birdie during his second round.
Cole Starnes finished with a 153 and drained two second-round birdies, and also made the All-State team. Tyler Marcinko had two birdies and Jordan Huxford had one. It was a remarkable season for the Royals, who took third in the Noblesville sectional, third in the Muncie Central regional and third at state.
“We had our strategy in plan and we stuck with it for the most part,” said Southeastern coach David Young. “We knew that our biggest test would be recovery, nutrition, hydration, just because of the temperature swings and how grueling these two days are already. And then of course you add in the heat and the level of competition and everything that only ups the ante. We focused on all the things that were in our control, we released the things that were not in our control, and that’s how we were able to really have the run that we had.”
A HISTORIC LIST
Noblesville finished with a two-day score of 641, placing 10th. The Millers were led by senior Will Perkins, who blazed through his second round with a score of 68, four under par. In fact, Perkins is now part of a historic list of players who have scored 68 or better during 18 holes at a state meet.
Coming into the meet, only 43 players in the history of the meet had carded 68 or better over 18 holes. That list now totals 47 players.
Five Hamilton County golfers were named to the All-State team at the conclusion of the meet. From left: Cole Starnes (Hamilton Southeastern), Will Perkins (Noblesville), Leo Wessel (Guerin Catholic), Jacob Modleski (Guerin Catholic), Jake Cesare (Westfield).
Perkins and Cathedral’s Ryan Ford both scored 68s on Wednesday. Two more players totaled 67s: New Castle’s Derek Tabor, who tied for third, and Valparaiso’s Aidan Gutierrez, the individual champion. Gutierrez beat Ford in a three-hole playoff for first place.
Perkins made an eagle on hole No. 5, and followed that up with a birdie on the sixth hole. He totaled three birdies in all.
“I played great,” said Perkins. “After a rough round yesterday, or a rough hole, I knew I could come back, do something good today and just play my game, and I did. I just went out there and had some fun.”
Alex Peck also made three birdies, while Rory Bushong collected one.
Fishers’ Connor McMillan and Carmel’s Owen Sander both totaled 157 for their two rounds. McMillan made two birdies in his second round, while Sander had one.
Team scores: Guerin Catholic 299-303=602, Westfield 303-300=603, Hamilton Southeastern 311-304=615, Cathedral 323-304=627, Silver Creek 312-315=627, Bloomington South 308-323=631, Valparaiso 321-312=633, Warsaw 319-318=637, Leo 329=309=638, Noblesville 323-318=641, Evansville North 323-319=642, Penn 334-326=660, Jasper 329-336=665, Covenant Christian 332-347=679, Evansville Memorial 366-351=717.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Aidan Gutierrez (Valparaiso) 75-67=142, won in playoff, 2. Ryan Ford (Cathedral) 74-68=142, T3. Hunter Melton (Fort Wayne Carroll) 72-71=143; Derek Tabor (New Castle) 76-67=143, T5. Will Perkins (Noblesville) 77-68=145; Jacob Modleski (Guerin Catholic) 74-71=145, T7. Callen Hoskins (Warsaw) 77-69=146; Justin Hicks (Leo) 74-72=146, 9. Adam Melliere (Zionsville) 73-74=147, T10. Leo Wessel (Guerin Catholic) 76-72=148; Jake Cesare (Westfield) 74-74=148.
Other Guerin Catholic scores: Connor McNeely 71-80=151, Zach Thieme 78-80=158, Scotty Smith 84-80=164.
Other Westfield scores: Alec Cesare 79-71=150, Will Harvey 74-77=151, Cam Kooi 76-78=154, Nolan Hall 81-79=160.
Southeastern scores: Lane Zedrick 78-72=150, Cole Starnes 78-75=153, Tyler Marcinko 78-78=156, Jordan Huxford 77-79=156, Tyler Lacy 80-84=164.
Other Noblesville scores: Brady Mangin 81-82=163, Alex Peck 83-81=164, Rory Bushong 82-87=169, Drew Decker 94-88=182.
Fishers score: Connor McMillan 79-78=157.
Carmel score: Owen Sander 76-81=157.