By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – There was not much separating the top three teams at the IHSAA boys golf state meet, which concluded Wednesday at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel.
Guerin Catholic, Carmel and Center Grove were trading the lead during the final day. The Golden Eagles held the advantage as the teams played the final holes, but the Trojans surged ahead at the end to win the state title by one stroke. Center Grove totaled a two-day score of 606, while Guerin Catholic finished with a 607. The Greyhounds were right there as well, placing third with a 612.
This was the second appearance for the Golden Eagles at the state meet. Guerin made it for the first time in 2019, placing fourth. Last year’s meet, of course, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Golden Eagles’ program is still very much on the upswing, but it was a tough finish for GC after being so close.
“We had a great season,” said Guerin Catholic coach Mark Matthews. “I’m very proud of them. Sometimes you just don’t play your best on the day. But, got to be very proud of them. They’re great kids and they work very hard. Second place is hard to take sometimes, and that’s where they are right now.”
Sophomore Jacob Modleski led the way for the Golden Eagles. He carded an even-par 72 in his second round, including four birdies. When combined with his first-round score of 74, Modleski finished the two-day event with a 146, giving him individual runner-up honors.
“Today was definitely a solid day,” said Modleski. “Got off to a little bit of a rocky start on the front nine, but I really turned it around on the back and I was really happy with even par.”
Andrew White scored a 77 for his second day, making two birdies. He also finished in the top 10 as part of a four-way tie for eighth place. White’s two-day score was 150; both he and Modleski were named to the All-State team at the conclusion of the meet.
All five of Guerin Catholic’s players made at least two birdies during their second round. Leo Wessel drained three birdies, while Christian Hein and Connor McNeely both made two.
Sam Booth was Carmel’s low man during the second day, finishing with a score of 76. He made one birdie and was also named to the All-State team.
The Greyhounds had all five of their players make at least one birdie. Joseph Armfield and Patrick Michael both had three, while Shoji Fujita and Owen Sander each made one. With its third-place finish, this is the fourth year in a row that Carmel has finished in the top three at state.
“I think ultimately, it just came down to a couple shots here and there that Center Grove hit a little better than we did,” said Greyhounds coach Josh Shelton. “We knew it was going to be tight. We just wanted to have a shot on the back nine on the second day and we did. Center Grove just played the best golf over two days.”
Hamilton Southeastern placed seventh as a team with a two-day score of 637. Cole Starnes led the way on Wednesday with a 74, making three birdies. Starnes earned a spot on the All-State team. Nate Benson had two birdies in his round, with Lane Zedrick and Thomas Riesing both making one.
Fishers rose to 11th after the second round of play, improving its second day score by 15 strokes to finish with a two-day total of 663. Connor McMillan was the Tigers’ low man on Wednesday with a 77, making one birdie. Matthew Wolf drained two birdies, while Will Schade and Ryan Witt both made one.
Westfield’s two individual both had solid days. Alec Cesare scored a 77 in his second round, making two birdies. Hunter Cook scored a 78 for his second round, with one birdie.
Peru’s Kash Bellar ran away with the individual state championship, shooting three-under par 69s on both days for a two-day total of 138, six under par.
Team scores: Center Grove 304-302=606, Guerin Catholic 301-306=607, Carmel 301-311=612, Bloomington South 311-309=620, Zionsville 306-320=626, Columbia City 312-321=633, Hamilton Southeastern 325-312=637, Penn 323-315=638, Cathedral 324-322=646, Bishop Dwenger 318-336=654, Fishers 339-324=663, Evansville North 331-334=665, Brebeuf Jesuit 328-339=667, Franklin Community 336-335=671, Avon 335-351=686.
Top 10 individuals: 1. Kash Bellar (Peru) 69-69=138, 2. Jacob Modleski (Guerin Catholic) 74-72=146, 3. Carter Smith (Silver Creek) 75-72=147, T4. Ray Filter (Crown Point) 75-74=149; Derek Tabor (New Castle) 75-74=149; Ryan Ford (Cathedral) 75-74=149; Sam Hord (Center Grove) 75-74=149, T8. Weston Ogden (Brownsburg) 72-78=150; Aidan Gutierrez (Valparaiso) 78-72=150; Landon Gilmore (Bloomington South) 76-74=150; Andrew White (Guerin Catholic) 73-77=150.
Other Guerin Catholic scores: Connor McNeely 74-81=155, Christian Hein 80-79=159, Leo Wessel 82-78=160.
Carmel scores: Sam Booth 76-76=152, Patrick Michael 73-80=153, Shoji Fujita 75-78=153, Joseph Armfield 77-78=155, Owen Sander 82-79=161.
Southeastern scores: Cole Starnes 78-74=152, Lane Zedrick 79-77=156, Tyler Marcinko 82-82=164, Nate Benson 86-79=165, Tyler Lacy 93 (first day), Thomas Riesing 82 (second day).
Fishers scores: Matthew Wolf 78-79=157, Connor McMillan 86-77=163, Will Schade 86-81=167, Ryan Witt 89-87=176, Matthew Albright 101-87=188.
Westfield scores: Alec Cesare 74-77=151, Hunter Cook 85-78=163.