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Young Greencastle squad takes on new regional course, field
For a team that claimed titles at the Putnam County and WIC Golf Matches this season, Greencastle was not a lock to advance from Monday’s IHSAA Boys’ Golf Martinsville Sectional.
Having to utilize a different lineup across all three wins, the Tiger Cubs still managed to advance to the Lafayette Jeff Regional Friday after shooting 330 at Foxcliff CC, a third-place finish that was five shots better than the host Artesians could put together.
Despite only having one senior, the rest freshmen and sophomores, and giving one of the younger players his 18-hole debut, Greencastle head coach Rob Worman said it was a sign of things to come.
“We had to change things up a little bit, putting a couple of guys in that we haven’t seen as much this year, but this is where we’re going to be next year,” Worman said. “It’s a foreshadow of what’s to come.”
Bryson Worman led the charge with a round of 76 with Dylan Barcus shooing 81, Ben Zellers carding an 85, Zane Huber coming in on 88 and Cooper Grable shooting 104.
Along with Greencastle, Cloverdale’s Eli Kelley will make a return trip to the Lafayette Jeff Regional, having shot 81 to be the lowest individual score among those who did not qualify as a team.
“Martinsville was not what I expected,” Worman said about the round. “Dylan really stepped up to shoot an 81, by far his best score of the season and that’s really what got us through.
“Bryson shooting 76 was something I was anticipating he could do but you never know in those circumstances. Cooper hadn’t played an 18-hole match this season, so for him to go out and shoot 105 was all right.
“It’s funny. You add the world ‘sectional’ into things and the pressure seems to double,” Worman added. “We’ve played a lot of invitationals but when the anxiety goes up in the postseason and you saw that off the first teebox.”
The players themselves were mixed on how Monday’s round went but added the team camaraderie carried them through.
“It feels good,” Huber said about returning to the regional round. “It was our main goal this year, to get out of the sectional.
“It wasn’t an easy job but we kept our heads down and kept doing what we needed to do.”
“I definitely played well,” Barcus said about Monday’s sectional. “It was my best round of the season.
“It also came when it mattered. It felt great to have my team’s back when we weren’t having the best of days. It was great to walk up the 18th green and see them clapping and cheering.”
“It was pretty rough,” Grable added. “I could have played better but I was in my own head and nervous off the first tee.
“As a whole, it wasn’t my best match but I enjoyed my time with the team and am glad we made it out of sectionals.”
“We’re a really close-knit group of guys,” Zellers said. “We want to win for each other.
“For me, going out and shooting 85 and those guys to rally around me and get us out of sectional was a testament to how hard we’ve worked all year.”
The regional, held at Coyote Crossing GC, will be new for Greencastle, who in the past have traveled to Washington to play at Country Oaks CC in prior appearances.
The Tiger Cubs face off with a new set of competitors as defending state champions Guerin Catholic, along with top-four teams Westfield and Zionsville, among the teams in the field.
Greencastle played with sectional champions Plainfield and Brownsburg, the other team that qualified for the regional, on Monday and the players agreed that playing with two larger schools helped raise their level of play and expected more of the same Friday.
“It definitely helps,” Barcus said about playing with Plainfield and Brownsburg. “I’ve noticed when we play bigger teams, we tend to play up to the level of competition.
“That will help us for sure, to see the standard we need to meet and to help get us there.”
“I like playing with people who are better than me,” Bryson Worman added. “It pushes me to play better.
“Some might say it puts pressure on you to play well but I feel it makes the round move a lot smoother when you play with people who are pretty good.”
Not everyone had played on the course before, with Huber pointing out it was both challenging and rewarding at the same time.
“It’s pretty open for tee shots,” Huber said about Coyote Crossing. “To the eye, it looks like you don’t have as much room but you still have space.
“The greens are big and attackable. It’s a fun course.”
While challenging for a top spot might be out of their range right now, coach Worman said getting the experience in was important for the future.
“Talking to the guys after we got out of sectional, the expectations they have is to go up there and post the best score they can,” Worman said. “Obviously we don’t have expectations of getting out but a couple of the guys have the potential to go to state, so that’s always on the board.
“Hopefully they go up there and have fun. Being a young team, they’re going to have opportunities in the next couple of years.
It was also a chance for the players to get one more round in and finish the season on a high note.
“If we can even flirt with a chance to get out, that would be nice,” Bryson Worman said. “I’m not expecting it but I want everyone to play their best.”
“I want to play better and put myself in a better position to succeed,” Zellers said. “I felt like I wasn’t quite mentally prepared for the sectional.
“Now, I’m ready for redemption and ready to play well.”