Sara, Katie, Jenna, Jasmine, Carissa, Coach Embry Photo by Dawn Embry
Golf Regional
Henryville finishes 9th 9/26/2009 by Greg Mengelt (The Evening News)
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Henryville with a team-score of 396, finishing ninth out of 12 teams, but that didn’t put a damper on the Hornets.
“We had a great experience,” Henryville coach Robin Embry said. “For a course we hadn’t seen, I’m tickled to death with the kids. We played very well today. I’m very pleased with every one of the girls.”
Carissa Embry led Henryville with a 92. Sophomore Sara Henson was second with 100, followed by Jasmine Harrell’s 101. Katie Cleveland finished with a 103 and Jenna Harrell shot 110.
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EVANSVILLE NORTH REGIONAL
Evansville North 318, Evansville Memorial 325, Washington 335, Floyd Central 341, Jasper 352, Castle 361, Evansville Reitz 372, Corydon 392, Henryville 396, Gibson Southern 399, North Knox 404, Southridge 424
Henryville golfers make school history
Girls’ team earns 1st regional berth 9/25/2009 by Justin Sokeland (The Courier Journal)
Henryville golfers are boldly going where no previous Hornet golf team has gone before.
The Hornets finished third in the girls sectional at Valley View and earned the first regional berth in school history. They'll compete in the 12-team regional field Saturday at Eagle View in Evansville.
Golf is not synonymous with Henryville. The school didn't field a complete girls team until 2002, and only one player — Jenny Dunn in 1994 — has ever qualified for the state finals. But the Hornets, with no senior in the top quintet, ignored that history, even stunning their coach, with their sectional performance.
“The truth is, they surprised me,” coach Robin Embry said. “It's hard for a Class A team, a school our size, to advance. It just doesn't happen very often. So we're happy to be able to represent Henryville and our community.”
Henryville's lineup is topped by junior Carissa Embry, the daughter of the coach and the sister of Tosha Embry, the last Hornet to qualify for the regional as an individual in 2007. The rest of the lineup consists of sophomores (Katie Cleveland, Jenna Harrell and Sara Henson) and a freshman (Jasmine Harrell).
“It's a very young team,” said Robin Embry, in his eighth season as coach. “They probably don't understand what they've done. But as the years go on, they'll understand what it means to be the first team to go to a regional.”
The Hornets, who work with golf pro Scott Ivey and the staff at Champions Pointe on a regular basis, face long odds to advance to the state finals. Their sectional score of 386 was better than only three teams in the field, which includes three ranked teams and Floyd Central, the sectional champion at Valley View.
“Realistically, if we can get in the top 10, that would be good,” Embry said. “Who knows? Expectations aren't all bad when they're realistic. We talked about having a chance to get out of the sectional this year and not just think about next year. So next year the expectations should be to advance again and maybe even have a chance to win the sectional.”
The top three teams and top three individuals who are not members of advancing teams will qualify for the state finals at The Legends of Indiana on Oct.2-3. The regional favorites include No.9 Evansville North (which won its sectional with a score of 312), No.15 Evansville Memorial, No.20 Washington and Floyd Central.
Hornets revel in the moment
Henryville enjoys historic trip to regional 9/25/2009 by Greg Mengelt (The Evening News)
Photo by Kevin McGloshen
Before this season, Henryville junior Carissa Embry wasn’t even sure there would be a complete Hornet girls’ golf squad.
At the end of last season, Henryville had just three players returning — Embry, Katie Cleveland and sophomore Sara Hensen.
This summer, Carissa got a surprise in the form of two transfer students — Jasmine and Jenna Harrell from Christian Academy.
Suddenly, not only did Henryville have a team, but it had a pretty good one.
“We wouldn’t even have a team if they didn’t move in,” Embry said.
“They’ve both come in and played some good golf,” Henryville coach Robin Embry said. “We’re really glad to have them.”
Even with the Harrell sisters moving in, few could have seen what was coming last Saturday, when the Hornets finished third in the Floyd Central Sectional to advance to Saturday’s Evansville North Regional at Eagle Valley Golf Course.
In the sectional, Henryville came from four strokes behind at the end of nine holes to top fourth-place Silver Creek, 386-400. The reason for the comeback was that, while most golfers were faltering on a tough back nine holes, all five Hornets shot the same or better on the back half of the course.
Embry’s 42 was second to only Floyd Central’s medalist Kristin Reed’s 38 on the back nine. Jasmine Harrell, just a freshman, shot a 49, while her older sister improved from 53 to 48 in the second half. Cleveland shot 48 on each side of the course, and Hensen went from 56 to 52.
“Why we were better, I’m not sure,” Robin Embry admitted. “During the practice rounds, we did play better on the back nine. I think it’s a course where you can post good scores on, but it’s also one where you can get in trouble and wrack up good numbers. I do know that as the girls started hearing each other’s scores (from the front nine), they started to gain more confidence.”
Now, Carissa Embry says that all of the pressure is off of the Hornets.
“I don’t think we have the goal of advancing, or anything like that,” she admitted. “If we did, that would be great, but for us, we just want to play well and enjoy the experience.”
“We (have practiced) the same as usual. We have nothing to lose,” her father agreed. “We’re going to try to go down there and represent our sectional well.”
It's History for Hornets
Highlanders roll again 9/19/2009 by Greg Mengelt (The Evening News)
FLOYD KNOBS — Floyd Central’s girls golf team captured its third Floyd Central Sectional championship in four years on Saturday, and Highlander senior Kristen Reed has the clubhouse lead with a completed 18-hole round of 80.
Floyd shot a 337 for the tournament, well ahead of runner-up Corydon Central’s 381.
North Harrison’s Devin Smith has an 77 with one hole remaining. The Cougar senior would have to birdie the hole to tie Reed for medalist honors.
“I’m really excited,” said the Highlander senior, who finished second in the sectional last season. “I think I’m more happy about the team, because everybody played so well. (If I finish first), that always makes me happy.”
In order to have a chance take the tournament win, Reed had to overcome one of her own teammates. Junior Brittany Huber led the tournament after nine holes with a 37, five shots ahead of Reed. Currently, Huber is third, with Smith the only remaining player who could knock her out of the spot. Corydon’s Heidi Zimmerman shot a 42 on the back nine to finish second with an 82.
“(Huber) has had this kind of potential her whole career,” Highlander coach Mike Cason said. “She’s finished the season strong. Confidence is a big thing in golf and she’s playing with confidence.”
“I’m so proud of her,” Reed said of Huber, who beat Reed for the first time ever in a varsity match last week. “I’m just so happy about the way everyone on the team played.”
Floyd’s fifth golfer, Hannah Ter Vree, shot an 86. Janice Heffernan shot an 88 and Sammy Ford finished with a 92.
The biggest story of the night was that Henryville finished third and advanced to next Saturday’s Evansville North Regional at Eagle Valley Golf Course. It’s the first time in Henryville golf history — boys or girls — that a Hornet team has finished in the top three of a golf sectional.
Henryville trailed Silver Creek 196-200 after nine holes, but all five Hornets bettered or equaled their front-nine round on the back. The Hornets eventually finished with a 386 to Silver Creek’s 400.
“I’m just tickled to death,” Henryville coach Robin Embry said. “Not being a class sport, it’s extremely difficult for a Class A team to (advance). All the teams we beat here today, no team in our school has probably ever beaten all of them in a season, much less in one day.”
Carrisa Embry led the Hornets with a 90. Even trailing Silver Creek early, Robin Embry was confident that his team could come back in the final nine holes because his junior daughter had yet to play up to her ability.
Embry shot a 48 in the first nine holes, but finished the final nine with a 42 to help Henryville to its comeback.
“When I found out that we had a chance, I about went crazy,” Carissa Embry said. “Then, when we did it, it was huge. I was running around crying and hugging everyone. I’m so proud of my teammates.”
“She’s played very well the last few weeks,” Robin Embry said. “All of the girls have improved quite a bit in the last three or four weeks.”
Katie Cleveland (96) and Jasmine Harrell (99) each shot under 100 for Henryville. Henryville’s No. 5 Jenna Harrell scored a 101.
Silver Creek finished more than two hours ahead of Henryville. While waiting, Silver Creek senior Bailey Wilson, who was the first Dragon ever to advance individually to a regional last season, assessed the situation.
“There was something different about today,” Wilson said. “I felt like myself and my team could do very well. We looked at all of the teams (in the tournament) and we thought, for sure, that we had a chance.”
Wilson and Clarksville freshman Quincy Cooper have advanced individually to Saturday’s regional. Cooper shot an 85. North Harrison’s Smith must shoot no more than 17 on the final hole to advance. Silver Creek’s Kameron Salings is likely to finish fourth individually.
FLOYD CENTRAL SECTIONAL
Floyd Central 337, Corydon Central 381, Henryville 386, Silver Creek 400, New Albany 420, Providence 422, Clarksville 435, Eastern (Pekin) 451, Charlestwon 505, CAI 534, Borden NTS, Jeffersonville NTS, North Harrison NTS
Generals top Hornets, Pekin 9/9/2009 by Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
Freshman Quincy Cooper shot a medalist round of 38, helping Clarksville defeat both Henryville and Pekin Eastern. Alex Conklin shot a 49 and Taylor Carta added a 50 for the Generals.
Henryville’s Carissa Embry placed second overall in the match, shooting a 44. Jasmine Harrell shot a 48 and Katie Cleveland finished with a 50 for the Hornets.
Henryville wins dual match 9/2/2009 by Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
Carissa Embry shot a 40 to earn medalist honors, helping Henryville win a dual match against Charlestown, 186-219.
Katie Cleveland shot a 45, Jasmine Harrell finished with a 50 and Sara Henson recorded a 51 in the victory for the Hornets. Cecelia Jennings had the best round of the day for the Pirates, shooting a 53.
Hornet golfers beat Borden 8/28/2009 by Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
Carissa Embry shot a season-best score of 42, helping lift Henryville to a dual match win over Borden on Friday at Champions Pointe Golf Club.
The Hornets finished with a score of 206 as a team. Katie Cleveland shot a 53, Sara Henson added a 54 and Jenna Harrell finished with a 57 for the Hornets.
Hornets outscore Borden 8/26/2009 by Kevin Harris (The Evening News)
Carissa Embry earned medalist honors with a 50 to lead host Henryville past Borden at Champions Pointe Golf Club, 220-236.
Rounding out the scoring for the Hornets were Katie Cleveland with a 55, Jasmine Harrell with a 57 and Jenna Harrell with a 58.
“It was nice to get four in the 50s,” Henryville coach Robin Embry said. “We’re getting to where we want to be. We still need to improve our short game. We’ll work at it and hope to see improvement in the next few weeks.”
Brittany Newton led the Braves with a 51, while teammate Brittany Koch shot a 59.
Lady Hornets defeat Warriorettes & Lady Red Devils 8/17/2009
Photos by Kelsey Petty
Henryville nipped Scottsburg by 5 strokes, 221-226, to finish first in a tri-match held at Champions Pointe golf club in Henryville, IN. Jeffersonville finished third.
Jeffersonville's Erika Shepard earned medalist honors with a 45. Scotsburg's Lily Robinson edged Henryville's Carissa Embry by 1 stroke, to finsish second with a 49.
WOLF CHALLENGE: It's Daly's Show 8/17/2009 by Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
Photos by Robin Embry
SELLERSBURG — John Daly doesn’t find his name on top of the scoreboard as often as he once did.
The PGA Tour veteran and two-time major tournament champion, has not finished first in any tour event since winning the 2004 Buick Open.
Perhaps that’s why he was caught a little off guard on Monday when he was told he was the winner at the 2009 Magnolia Health Systems Wolf Challenge at Covered Bridge Golf Club.
“Hey John, you won this thing,” said tournament host Fuzzy Zoeller as he stood on the 18th green alongside Daly, Rocco Mediate and Boo Weekley — the foursome that competed in this year’s Wolf event.
“What, how did that happen?” asked Daly — who won $36,500 for charity on Monday.
The win capped a bizarre weekend of sorts for Daly, who withdrew on Friday from competing in the PGA Championship in Minnesota after shooting a first-round 78 on Thursday.
He arrived in town to compete in his sixth Wolf Challenge and was far off the lead after 14 holes of play — and at one point jokingly hurled his club into a wooded area and asking some fans for assistance in tracking it down.
But Daly won more than $30,000 over the final four holes and topped second-place Mediate in the Skins-style competition.
“I’ll take whatever win I can get,” said Daly. “It’s a thrill to be here like always, Fuzzy’s a great friend of mine and I’m more than happy to come play. I’ll do it any year he asks.”
Mediate finished at $33,500 and Weekley earned $29,000 while providing the gallery of onlookers with its share of wisdom
“How far away from the hole am I?” asked Weekley. “Two-eleven (yards), heck there’s a good bar down in Myrtle Beach called 211 — you guys ever go to Myrtle Beach, you make sure you hit that 211 bar now.”
Weekley, who made himself a household name in golf with his performance, quotes and Southern drawl during the 2008 United States Ryder Cup victory at Valhalla Golf Club, also told a group a tale about being punched by an orangutan as a teenager.
Zoeller, who has now hosted the event for 13 years, won $18,000 total and thanked the crowd for continuing to support the event that raises money for children’s charities. Zoeller noted that Sunday night’s auction at the Galt House in Louisville raised more than $170,000 and all the money earned by players on Monday goes directly to charity as well.
“We couldn’t do this without any of you,” Zoeller said to the crowd. “We can only hope to see all of you again next year.”
Weekley was quick to take Zoeller up on the offer.
“Heck, I’ll be here whether you invite me or not Fuzzy,” said Weekley.
Henryville second in tri-match 8/14/2009 by Staff (The Evening News)
Henryville finished second in a tri-match against Southwestern (Hanover) and host Trinity Lutheran on Friday at the Seymour Country Club.
Henryville's Carissa Embry finished one shot off medalist honors, shooting a score of 49. Teammate Jasmine Harrell scored a 50 while Katie Cleveland (60) and Sara Henson (64) rounded out the scoring for Henryville.
Southwestern (Hanover) won the match with a team score of 213. Henryville finished at 223 and Trinity Lutheran shot 242.
Silver Creek edges Henryville in tri-match 8/11/2009
Silver Creek edged Henryville by two strokes, 213-215, as Corydon carded a 237 in a tri-match held at Champions Pointe golf club in Henryville, IN. Carissa Embry earned medalist honors with a 49.
In a weather-shortened five hole match, Henryville defeated Eastern (Pekin) at Hoosier Hills golf course in Borden, IN. Carissa Embry and Jasmine Harrell shared medalist honors at +10.
Girls golf season preview 8/8/2009 by Matt Cress (The Evening News)
While it may have taken you by surprise, the fall sports season is already underway, with girls’ golf teams hitting the links this week.
Now that most lineups are set and local coaches armed with what they’ll have as we close in on the sectional, here’s a look at how local schools stack up this season:
HENRYVILLE
Photos by C. E. Branham
The Hornet program has been a model of consistency for a school of its size, producing not only a full team, but a competitive one in most years.
This season, a strong nucleus has been joined by a trio of newcomers to produce one of the larger teams that coach Robin Embry has had as of late.
“This might be the most we’ve had, so I’m very happy with the numbers,” Embry said.
Henryville lost Katie Spellman from last year’s squad, and will field a lineup without a single senior. But the youth is deceptive — junior Carissa Embry and sophomores Katie Cleveland and Sara Henson are all back from last year’s squad.
“To have as young a team as we do, we do have some decent experience,” said Embry.
Carissa Embry, who nearly made it out of last year’s sectional as an individual, will likely be Henryville’s top gun, while Cleveland seemed to get off to a rough start in Monday’s opener at Seymour, but dropped 10 strokes to finish two behind Embry in a meet at Champions Pointe on Thursday. Henson has also consistently stayed with the Hornets’ top two thus far.
Sisters Jenna and Jasmine Harrell are in the fold after transferring from Christian Academy of Indiana, while junior Bethany Payne is also new to the club.
“All these girls will be much better in four or five weeks,” Embry said. “It’s a wait-and-see as far as the setional, and there are a few ways it could go. But if we keep this team together, we could potentially be very good next season.”
JEFFERSONVILLE
Red Devil coach Kelly Thompson is finding out that he isn’t immune to the numbers crunch, even at a Class 5A school like Jeff.
Thompson has just four players to work with this season.
“If we’re not careful, we could lose this program,” he said. “Once school starts, we’re going to recruit. We’ll maybe hit the middle schools to see if there is any talent there.”
But the news isn’t all bad. In the meantime, Jeff will rely on sophomore Erika Shepherd, a player Thompson says has the talent to compete beyond the high-school level.
There is also talent in the rest of Jeff’s roster, made up of three juniors in Amber Collins, Tierney Mull and Mallory Styles. Though all three are part-time golfers, Thompson says the possibility is there for consistency to reign amongst the rest of the team. That will have to be the case if Jeff is to compete in any serious way — every player’s score will count in every tournament.
“It’s been a bit of a struggle,” Thompson said. “We’re going to do the best we can and try and play consistent golf.”
CLARKSVILLE
The Generals have a veteran team returning — three seniors, a junior and a sophomore — but have yet to name a new coach for the program.
While that will likely be remedied soon, it’s sure that softball-playing sisters Taylor and Shelby Carta will be back in the fold, where they’ll be joined by four-year players in Alex Conklin and Michelle Hamsley.
Junior Kelsey Hall will be joining the golf team for the first time to round out a lineup that will likely please the new General boss — whoever it turns out to be.
SILVER CREEK
The big name back for the Dragons is Bailey Wilson, who last year became the first Dragon girl to qualify for the regional as an individual.
But Wilson’s return will have to stabilize a Silver Creek group that lost four seniors from coach Joe Ledbetter’s program.
“In that way, I guess we’re kind of rebuilding,” Ledbetter said. “But we’ve seen enough to be very encouraged.”
Junior Janelle Thomas and sophomores Kameron Salings and Kimmi Fluhr have provided some of that early confidence, as have early-season performances that saw the Dragons top teams like Providence, New Albany and Madison in a tourney at Seymour.
Junior Charlestown transfers, sisters Ashley and Megan Bowyer, could also be big part of the puzzle, as they await an IHSAA decision on their eligibility.
“They are absolutely dead serious about golf,” Ledbetter said. “The best case scenario is that we’ll have them right away, but they may be eligible for the sectional even if that’s not possible.”
Ledbetter’s immediate goal is to take the Mid-Southern Conference title, but he feels that Salem and Brownstown could stand in the Dragons’ way. The graduation of North Harrison star Allison Dooley leaves that team an unknown commodity and could leave the Dragons an opening.
NEW ALBANY
Like their Hoosier Hills Conference rivals at Jeff, this year’s edition of the Bulldogs is stuggling with the numbers game.
The loss of four seniors has left New Albany coach Rick Belcher with just four golfers, two of whom saw little time in the big varsity matches last season.
Senior Ashley Curry and sophomore Holly Roth will be the main returnees, while senior Casey Pack and Abby Graves attempt to adjust to more prominent roles on the roster.
“We just hope to see the young players improve,” Belcher said. “All we can really do is be the best we can and hope to demonstrate real improvement as the season goes on.”
FLOYD CENTRAL
It’s no surprise that most area coaches have once again pegged the Highlanders as the area’s top program. The Highlanders will also, of course, fied perhaps the area’s top individual.
Two-time All-Hoosier HIlls Conference selection Kristin Reed is back for the Highlanders, who are poised to make a comeback after watching their streak HHC titles come to an end and failing to get back to the state finals after making it in 2007.
Reed and No. 2 Janice Heffernan should be more than enough to give longtime coach Mike Cason enough to start thinking about a return trip to Indiana’s top match.
“We’ve got a good team this year,” Cason said. “We haven’t played real well so far, but we hope to work that out as the season goes on. Our top two is very strong, but we’ll need the whole team to do it.”
That burden will fall on senior Samantha Ford and junior Bethany Huber, each of whom garnered valuable experience during last year’s campaign. Senior Hannah Ver Tree, more wel known on the softball diamond, will likely round out the top five.
Henryville swipes Trinity Lutheran's golf opener 8/6/2009 by Zach Spicer (The Seymour Tribune)
HENRYVILLE — When you’re not playing golf in familiar surroundings, it can be intimidating.
After walking what seems like miles from a green to the next tee box, you set up and see sand traps in the fairway and water on one side. Then you get out in the fairway and realize just how wide open it is, and you look near the smooth, vast greens and see rolling mounds all around.
That was the scenario for the Trinity Lutheran girls golf team Thursday, when they opened their season playing the back nine at Fuzzy Zoeller’s Champions Pointe Golf Club in Henryville.
After making the trek through the countryside golf course, the Lady Cougars shot a 244, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the host, Henryville, which had a 228.
“Basically, I saw everybody hit a lot of good shots there, just not consistent,” Lady Cougars coach Becky Ward said. “Plus, playing the back nine on this golf course versus the front is going to add a few strokes to your game. Some of them have played the front. They’ve never seen the back.”
Dakota Richart and Hannah Currao each shot a 58. Breanna Davis rounded out with a 62, while Christina Molinari had 66 and Emily Doyle had 69.
Henryville’s Carissa Embry was match medalist with a 54, and her three scoring teammates shot between 56 and 61.
“It’s intimidating when you look out there and see rough and water and you don’t see any greens and fairways,” Ward said of the course. “Plus, it’s the first time they have played, for most of them, since last year. They’ve played a few holes here and there, but playing nine or 18 holes and then coming and playing this golf course is two different things.”
Ward was able to jot down some notes on what she saw from each player.
“I have some individual things with some of the girls,” Ward said. “Dakota’s going to come out and see me Saturday morning, so we’re going to work on some of her tee shots. My first two players (Richart and Currao), I don’t worry too much about them. Yes, they are rusty, but they will be all right. The other girls, they can hit shots as good as my one and two players, but they are just not as consistent.”
Ward didn’t have a certain team score in mind going into Thursday’s match, but just getting to see the girls in match play was a benefit.
“I may have had some lower goals on the other nine because some of the girls have seen it,” she said. “I expected the scores to be a little higher just because of the difference in the nines, namely with the water, a little bit of length.
“Actually, I didn’t see too much of a problem with swing tempo, which normally is the case starting the first couple of matches because you get nervous and you swing way too fast, and then the faster you swing, the harder it is to keep the parts working together and then you have trouble.”
The team will have a few practices in before the next match, Ward said, which will be Aug. 14 when they play host to Henryville and Southwestern (Hanover) at Seymour Country Club. That will begin a string of three home matches through Aug. 20.
“I saw some setup problems, which with kids this level is normal,” Ward said. “I saw a lot of short-game miscues, mechanic-wise, not just touch, so that has to get fixed.”
Madison's girls golf team opened the 2009 season on a positive note Monday winning a tri-meet match at Champions Pointe Golf Course.
The Cubs shot a 240, seven strokes better than Henryville. Charlestown was third with 277.
Allyssa Fulton, Whitney Griffin and Elizabeth Ehlert each shot 59 to lead Madison with Sydney Dailey adding a 63 to round out the scoring. Alex Barnes had a 67 in a non-scoring round.
Carissa Embry of Henryville was the medalist with a 54.
"We played well for our first match. But we have a lot of work to do, especially on our putting and chipping," Madison coach Doug Rusk said. " It's always good to get a win."
Two current players and one alumnus completed their summer golf seasons recently. Sophomore Evan Embry competed in two Indiana Junior Golf Mt. Dew events and also played in the Clay County Optimist Junior Tournament in Brazil, Indiana. Evan won his division at the Brazil event firing a 76. He averaged 80.7 in his three events this summer. Junior Carissa Embry joined Evan at the CCOJT, finishing 7th in her division with a 98. Ex-Lady Hornet, and current IPFW golfer, Tosha Embry played in four events this summer. She won the women's amateur division at the Brazil Open, held at Forest Park golf club in Brazil, IN, where she carded a two day total of 169 (84/85). She averaged 93.3 this summer.
Highlanders make it seven straight sectionals 6/8/2009 by Kevin Harris (The Evening News)
FLOYDS KNOBS — The Providence boys’ golf team had the best individual at Monday’s Floyd Central Sectional at Valley View Golf Club.
But the host Highlanders grabbed the honor for having the No. 1 team again.
Floyd shot a team score of 297 on its home course to win its seventh consecutive sectional championship. The Pioneers finished second with a 302, followed by North Harrison in third with a 316. The top three teams advanced to Friday’s Seymour Regional at Shadowood Golf Course, starting at 8 a.m.
For Floyd coach Mike Cason, it was his eighth sectional title in his nine seasons at the Highlanders’ helm.
“It’s quite an accomplishment to win that many in a row,” Cason said. “You’ve got to be proud of the kids for the work they put in to accomplish this.”
Providence senior Trey Pfund achieved a first in his prep career on Monday — winning sectional medalist honors. Pfund fired an even-par 71, making two birdies and two bogeys.
“For me to win sectional, that was my goal as an individual,” Pfund said. “I really didn’t hit the ball extremely bad, but I wasn’t hitting the ball great. Mentally, I was able to get up and down a lot from wherever the ball was. My putting and chipping were really good today.”
All five Floyd players shot in the 70s. The Highlanders’ David Frank finished in a tie for second in the individual standings with Silver Creek’s Brandon White with a 72. Floyd’s Jared Sturgeon carded a 73, while teammate Jay Holderman fired a 74. Also for the Highlanders, Chase Cadle posted a 78 and Brad Baumann shot a 79.
“The kids played good,” Cason said. “You always want all of them in the 70s, just in case you have to have a fifth-man tiebreaker. The kids have been playing really good lately. We won a tournament in Bedford on Tuesday of last week, so that was good. And we won the (Hoosier Hills) conference a couple of weeks ago, so they’ve been really steeping up and playing a lot better.”
While 19th-ranked Floyd went home happy, No. 15 Providence left Valley View very disappointed. The Pioneers fell short of winning their first sectional crown since 1998.
Joining Pfund in the Providence scoring were Ben Rose with a 74, Robert Spiller with a 75 and Hunter Anderson with an 82.
“(Winning medalist) means a lot. But to me, our team is the most important,” Pfund said. “As they say, there is no ‘I’ in team.”
Pioneers coach Dave Lobeck said it is always a challenge to win the sectional on Floyd’s home course.
“They go around in this place so many times that it’s their private merry-go-round. That’s a 10-shot advantage for those guys. But they played well and we came close,” Lobeck said. “It was our goal to win. We really wanted to come in and win one here. But it’s on to regional now and it’s more of a neutral-playing field for everybody. We’ll see what happens.”
White and Jeffersonville senior Matt Thompson both earned return trips to regional as individuals, as they qualified for Seymour by placing in the top three on non-advancing teams.
White shot a 2-under-par 34 on the backside to post his 72. The senior made four birdies, including three on the back nine.
Thompson fired a 3-over 74 to place fifth in the individual standings. He had three birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey along with paring the last three holes.
New Albany placed fourth with a 324, followed by Jeff in sixth with a 342. Silver Creek was seventh with a 354 and Henryville finished 10th with a 361. Borden wound up 11th with a 400, followed by New Washington in 13th with a 419 and Clarksville in 14th with a 434. Charlestown and Christian Academy of Indiana both fielded incomplete teams.
Stephen Kraft led the Bulldogs with a 79, while teammates Brian Keeler and Corey Embry each shot an 81. Tony Holloway posted the Red Devils’ No. 2 lowest score with an 85.
Silver Creek’s Mike Seaton shot an 83, while Henryville’s Evan Embry carded an 84.
Team scores — Floyd Central (297), Providence (302), North Harrison (316), New Albany (324), Scottsburg (332), Jeffersonville (342), Silver Creek (354), Corydon (357), Lanesville (360), Henryville (361), Borden (400), Austin (416), New Washington (419), Clarksville (434), South Central (542), Charlestown (NTS), CAI (NTS)
Henryville, playing at Champions Pointe golf club, lost its final regular season match to Salem, 179-185.
Salem (179) - Lilly (43), Brown (44), Badger (46), Nice (46), Motsinger (48)
Henryville (185) - Embry (41), Weeks (44), Clark (46), Robertson (54), Miller (61)
Henryville golf wins SAC title 5/26/2009 by Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
Henryville claimed both the Southern Athletic Conference and Class A Invitational titles on Tuesday at Champion’s Pointe Golf Club in Memphis.
The Class A Invite is a nine-team event, with the six schools from the SAC using their scores from the match to score their conference champion.
The Hornets shot a team total of 359 to win both events — beating second-place Lanesville by 11 shots to win the competition.
Freshman Evan Embry was two shots better than any of his competitors as he rolled to the match medalist honors. Embry shot a five-over par 77, just ahead of Christian Academy of Indiana’s Morgan Wilder — who shot a 79 to place second. Embry’s teammate Taylor Weeks’s was third with a score of 86.
Kaleb Robertson and Mason Miller completed the scoring on the day for Henryville. Robertson finished with a score of 96 while Miller shot a 100.
Borden finished fourth in the overall standings — third in the SAC race with a score of 417. The Braves were led by Anthony Newton, who shot a 95. Dalton Wagoner also broke 100 for the Braves, scoring a 99.
New Wash was fifth overall, fourth in conference at 425. Dustin Bowman was the Mustangs’ top finisher with a 96.
Rock Creek shot a 452 to place seventh. Eric Waiz shot a 98 for the Lions. Christian Academy of Indiana fielded an incomplete team. The Warriors’ top scorer Wilder at 79.
Team scores — Henryville 359, Lanesville 370, Trinity Lutheran 388, Borden 417, New washington 425, South Central 445, Rock Creek 452, Crothersville 459, Christian Academy NTS
Henryville - Embry (77), Weeks (86), Robertson (96), Miller (100), Clark (102)
Dragons, Hornets finish 1-2 in tri-meet 5/21/2009 by Kevin Harris (The Evening News)
Silver Creek finished first with a score of 162, while Henryville was second with a 191 in a triangular meet at Westwood Golf Course in Scottsburg. Austin placed third with a 198.
Dragon senior Brandon White won medalist honors with a 2-under-par 33. Teammates Mike Seaton and Josh Crase shot a 42 and 43, respectively, while Silver Creek's Scott Dierking carded a 44.
Taylor Weeks led the Hornets with a 45. Rounding out the scoring for Henryville were Evan Embry with a 47, Kaleb Robertson with a 49 and Mason Miller with a 50.
"Last week, we felt we took a couple of steps forward. But this week, we've taken a step back," Hornets coach Robin Embry said. "This team usually bounces back from a bad meet, so hopefully we can do that on Saturday."
Henryville will play in the combined Southern Athletic Conference meet and Class A Invitational on Saturday at Champions Pointe Golf Club.
Silver Creek (162): White (33), Seaton (42), Crase (43), Dierking (44), Smith (48), Kinser (55)
Henryville (191): Weeks (45), Embry (47), Robertson (49), Miller (50), Dunlevy (52)
Austin (198): A. Johnson (41), Marble (46), Jones (51), McCormick (60), Z. Johnson (60), Everhart (61)
Red Devils down Henryville at Champions Pointe 5/19/2009 by Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
Senior Matt Thompson earned medalist honors to lead Jeffersonville past host Henryville at Champions Pointe Golf Club, 175-184.
Thompson fired a 1-over-par 37, while teammate Nathan Morrow shot a 43. Rounding out the Red Devil scoring were Tony Holloway with a 47 and Cody Cunningham with a 48.
Evan Embry paced the Hornets with a 41. Also for Henryville, Taylor Weeks carded a 43, Kaleb Robertson shot a 49 and Mason Miller fired a 51.
“Until we can consistently get our three and four players around 45, it’s going to be tough to get a team score,” Hornets coach Robin Embry said. “Matt Thompson shot a nice round. He played some pretty good golf.”
Led by Evan Embry's round of 37, the Hornets defeated Rock Creek and Christian Academy at Hidden Creek (Links) Golf Club.
Henryville's Taylor Weeks (40) and Kaleb Robertson (42) each shot sub-45 rounds.
Henryville (171): Embry (37), Weeks (40), Robertson (42), Miller (52), Dunlevy (53)
Rock Creek (195): Kelly (46), Waiz (47), Wilkinson (50), White (52), Cundiff (61)
Christian Academy (NTS): Wilder (37), Clark (39)
Hornets roll in three-way 5/13/2009 by Mike Hutsell & Kevin Harris (The Evening News)
Taylor Weeks led Henryville with a 2-over-par 38, as the Hornets easily defeated Pekin Eastern and Clarksville in a three-way meet at Champions Pointe Golf Club.
Three other Hornets eclipsed a score of 45, as they finished with a team score of 167. The Musketeers scored a 204 to finish second and Clarksville was third at 224.
Evan Embry (42), Kaleb Robertson (43) and Doug Dunlevy (44) completed the scoring for Henryville.
Henryville (167): Weeks (38), Embry (42), Robertson (43), Dunlevy (44), Miller (53), Kopp (72)
Eastern (Pekin) (204): Haskins (48), Oberhausen (51), S. Gilstrap (51), Stewart (54), C. Gilstrap (63), Whitaker (65)
Clarksville (224): Johnson (52), Stepp (54), Stephens (54), Snyder (64), Murrell (68), McKnight (70)
Providence rolls at Southern Indiana Open 5/9/2009 by Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
SELLERSBURG — While the official name of Saturday’s high school boys’ golf event at Hidden Creek may have been the Southern Indiana Open is would have been just as easy to call it the Pioneer Invitational.
Ben Rose earned medalist honors and Providence placed each of its top five players on the all-tournament team as the Pioneers pushed past the competition and rolled to the team title.
The top 15 individuals all made the all-tourney team
The Pioneers scored 307 points as a team, 17 strokes in front of second-place New Albany for the top spot in the overall standings.
Rose carded an 18-hole score of 71 to defeat New Albany’s Brian Keeler by three strokes for the top individual honor.
“I think Ben is starting to understand that if he goes out and enjoys himself versus being so tough on himself, he puts himself in a position to play fantastic golf. If he continues this approach rest of the season I see great things for Ben,” said Providence coach Dave Lobeck. “We are still in search of three additional players to consistently match their efforts so we can start breaking that 300 mark consistently.”
Four of Rose’s teammates also cracked the top nine in the standings. Trey Pfund was third, shooting a 76, Ryan Frey shot a 79 to place sixth, Robert Spiller was seventh with an 81 and Andrew Lobeck placed ninth at 82.
For New Albany, Keeler was one of three on the all-tourney squad. Steven Kraft placed 10th and Corey Embry was tied for 13th overall.
Jeff finished third with Matthew Thompson tying for 13th overall.
Silver Creek’s fifth-place effort included a third-place showing by Brandon White, who tied Pfund with a round of 76. Michael Seaton placed 11th for the Dragons, shooting an 83.
Henryville finished in a three-way tie for sixth overall with a team score of 369. Taylor Weeks made the all-tourney squad for the Hornets.
Charlestown finished a 413 as a team with Jake Atkins scoring the Pirates top round with a 94.
Team scores — Providence 307, New Albany 324, Jeffersonville 353, Scottsburg 363, Silver Creek 366, West Washington 369, Henryville 369, Lanesville 369, Charlestown 413, Austin 421
Led by Evan Embry's medalist round of 41, the Henryville Hornets posted a 180 to win a tri-match with Rock Creek and South Central at Chariot Run golf course. Taylor Weeks and Kaleb Robertson each fired 43. Mason Miller rounded out the team score with a 53, and Doug Dunlevy carded a 54 in a non-scoring round. Rock Creek's team score of 218 placed them second, as South Central finished third with a 233.
Henryville (180): Embry (41), Weeks (43), Robertson (43), Miller (53), Dunlevy (54)
Rock Creek (218): Waiz (51), White (51), Wilkinson (56), Hawn (60), Cundiff (70)
South Central (233): Laclair (53), Parrish (56), Soots (61), Purdue (63), Linkmeyer (66)
Dragons win West Clark tri-meet 4/30/2009 by Kevin Harris & Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
Using the Modified Stableford scoring system, Silver Creek scored a 16 to beat West Clark rivals Henryville and Borden at Champions Pointe Golf Club.
The Dragons’ Brandon White fired a 13, followed by teammates Michael Seaton and Jordan Smith each posting a three.
The Hornets finished second at minus-6. Evan Embry led Henryville with a five, while Taylor Weeks had a one.
“The conditions were extremely windy, and I thought it was a very good round from Brandon White,” Hornet coach Robin Embry said. “We need to practice on our short game. It was kind of fun using the scoring system.”
Anthony Newton was the only Borden player to shoot a positive score, as he carded a five.
Silver Creek (+16): White (+13), Seaton (+3), Smith (+3), Dierking (-3), Kinzer (-6), Crase (-9)
Henryville (-6): Embry (+5/43), Weeks (+1/46), Dunlevy (-6/51), Robertson (-6/53), Miller (-12/57), Uhl (-15/60), Kopp (-19/64)
Borden (-24): Newton (+5), Wagoner (-5), Babiak (-12), Ashebraner (-12), Potts (-15), Smith (-20)
Hornets second, Pirates third in four-way meet 4/28/2009 by Kevin Harris & Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
Henryville finished second in a four-way meet at the Links 9 course at Hidden Creek Golf Club, shooting a 180. Lanesville won the meet with a 172, Charlestown finished third (183) and Rock Creek Christian was fourth (208).
The Hornets’ Evan Embry shared medalist honors with the Eagles’ Clayton Engel with a 42. Henryville’s Taylor Weeks and Doug Dunlevy each shot a 45, and teammate Kaleb Robertson had a 48.
“We played well the first week (of the season), but today I was a little disappointed with our scores,” Henryville coach Robin Embry said.
Sean Balch led Charlestown with a 44, while teammate Jon Gorbandt had a 45. Eric Waiz paced the Lions with a 43.
Lanesville (172): Engel (42), Glomb (43), Wernert (43), Wright (44), Murray (45)
Henryville (180): Embry (42), Weeks (45), Dunlevy (45), Robertson (48), Miller (54)
Charlestown (183): Balch (44), Gorbandt (45), May (46), Atkins (48), Huber (52), Davis (58)
Rock Creek (208): Waiz (43), Wilkerson (50), Kelly (57), Cundiff (58), Hawn (62)
Jeff defeats Henryville 4/23/2009 by Kevin Harris & Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
Jeff defeats Henryville: Jeffersonville had four golfers shoot rounds of 50 or lower as it defeated Henryville 181-209 at the Jeffersonville Elks.
Matthew Thompson earned medalist honors in the match for the Red Devils, shooting a score of 40. Tony Holloway (45), Nathan Morrow (46) and Cody Cunningham (50) finished out the scoring for Jeff in the triumph.
Evan Embry led Henryville, shooting a score of 49.
Clayton Warren was low medalist for the Trinity Lutheran Cougars golf team for the second straight match. Warren shot a 42 Monday, when the Cougars defeated Henryville 178-202 at Shadowood Golf Course in Seymour.
Hornets win tri-meet 4/9/2009 by Kevin Harris & Mike Hutsell (The Evening News)
Freshman Evan Embry recorded a medalist round with a 42 and Henryville scored a 187 as it won a match against Christian Academy and Crothersville at Champions Pointe Golf Club.
Taylor Weeks shot a 43, Kaleb Robertson finished with a 49 and Doug Dunleavy notched a round of 53 for the Hornets. Crothersville finished with a team score of 217 while CAI fielded an incomplete team. Morgan Wilder and Jonathan Clark both shot a 46 for the Warriors on the day.
Henryville (187): Embry (42), Weeks (43), Robertson (49), Dunlevy (53), Miller (54)
Crothersville (217): Royalty (45), Richey (54), Ackeret (58), Hensley (60)
Christian Academy (NTS): Wilder (46), Clark (46), Earl (56)
With two seniors graduated and the status of another returnee up in the air, Henryville coach Robin Embry is taking a wait-and-see approach to the upcoming campaign.
The lineup from last year’s SAC and Class A Invitational Champions was expected to include three returnees in Taylor Weeks, Kaleb Robertson and Jonathan Clark. But Clark is recovering from knee surgery and his status is still in limbo as the season begins.
“With Jonathan, I feel like we can be a team that can match what we were able to do last year,” said Embry. “Until he is able to play, we’ll need some younger players to step in and improve their games.”
Embry feels Weeks’ scoring average can reach the low 40s while Robertson could also post consistent rounds in the mid-40 range. A freshman, Evan Embry, also has the potential to post rounds in the 40s.
“We’re still approaching the season with the same goals we always have,” Embry said. “We look to contend in conference and our Class A Invite and post one of our strongest scores of the year at the sectional.”
