IHSAA state boys golf: North aims for podium finish while Memorial hopes to keep peaking

EVANSVILLE — Only two rounds remain on the high school golf schedule.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association boys golf state championship begins today at Prairie View Golf Club. Eighteen teams and a dozen other individuals will compete over two days on one of the tougher tracks in Indiana.

North, Memorial and Jasper junior Luke Shappard represent the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference. The Huskies are one of the top teams in the state and are aiming high this week. The Tigers surprised some at the regional but are playing their best golf at the moment.

How high could North go? Who could be the top Southwestern Indiana individual? Here's what to watch for over the next two days. All times are in CDT.

North is aiming for a podium finish

The Huskies have proven to be the best team in the area over the course of the season.

Following its state-record seventh straight regional title, No. 5 North has a window to compete at the state championship this year and next. That's easier said than done. You can't win it on Day 1 but can lose it.

Their goal is to make a statement at Prairie View.

"Get on the medal stand," said North coach Keith Bagby. "(That's) top four. This is also the hardest course we play all year. We played up there for a reason on three straight Saturdays. It makes us battle tested and these kids know what to expect. Prairie View is the ultimate test."

The lineup the Huskies employ is impressive between juniors Peyton Butler, Luke Price and Griffin Sohn, plus sophomores Luke Johnston and Brody Sorrell. The latter duo has been sharp in recent weeks. Johnston was the sectional champion at Helfrich Hills and lost in a playoff at the SIAC meet. Sorrell had a tie for second at Champions Pointe and shot a 72 (tied for fourth) in the regional.

North finished tied for fourth at the State Preview on May 6. It placed 11th in the state finals last year.

Who are the top threats to the Huskies?

Only 13 of the top 20 teams qualified for the state championship, but the field includes eight of the top nine in the final coaches poll. Generally, only a handful have a strong chance of hoisting the state championship trophy. So, who figure to be the top contenders to North?

The top three teams over the past month have been No. 1 Westfield, No. 2 Guerin Catholic and No. 3 Hamilton Southeastern. Westfield beat Guerin by seven in the Lafayette Harrison Regional with a 297. HSE shot the lowest regional score in the state with a 289 at The Players Club.

The other ranked teams, in addition to North, include No. 4 Bloomington South, No. 6 Zionsville, No. 8 Center Grove, No. 9 Penn, No. 14 Noblesville, No. 15 Floyd Central, No. 16 Columbus North, No. 17 Penn and No. 20 Homestead.

Will Memorial continue to play its best golf?

It's an old (and tired) cliché: Every team wants to play at its peak in the postseason.

That's been Memorial the past two weeks. After posting back-to-back season lows, the Tigers earned a somewhat surprising spot in the state championship. It's surprising that they weren't among the top three favorites, but they're still good enough to be here.

Seniors Thomas Broshears, Brady Wynn and Jack Brackett all competed last year in a 15th-place showing at Prairie View. Memorial added talented freshmen Grayson Coughlin and Reed Johnson to the lineup. The result was a 302 on Thursday to secure the final spot by four shots.

What should we expect from the Tigers this week? They'll likely need two more good rounds from each spot to contend for the top 10. But this team is currently on a hot streak. Best to let it ride.

"I knew we were a little better than last year," Memorial coach Collin Brinker said. "I still thought, with the regional getting tougher, it would be really tough. All of the kids stepped up. They were playing good golf to prove some people wrong."

Who are the top players from SW Indiana competing?

There are not one but two state championships to win with the individual title also at stake.

Luke Johnston has been North's rock at the top of the lineup. The sophomore posted a 74 at Country Oaks on Thursday but it included a bogey-double bogey finish. His ceiling might be the highest in the Huskies' lineup to be near the top of the leaderboard.

The same goes for Memorial's Thomas Broshears. The senior has displayed more consistency in his final season and has the potential to go low. He was the top finisher from the SIAC last spring with a tie for 17th (76-75).

"We've come into the postseason playing our best golf," said Broshears. "Each score has gotten consistently lower. Need to focus down on putting. (Prairie View) can get away from you with the greens. Hit fairways and tighten up my misses."

Another to watch is the lone individual qualifier from the area in Luke Shappard. The junior shot a 1-under 71 at Country Oaks to earn one of two spots from non-advancing teams. Shappard has been one of Jasper's top players his entire career which included a trip to state last season when the Wildcats finished 13th.

How to follow

Prairie View Golf Club is located in Carmel. The first tee times are set for 7 a.m. with unofficial live scoring at BlueGolf.com. IHSAAtv will have live video coverage of Hole 18 starting at 11 a.m. during the second round. Admission is $15 per person (it's good for both days) while children age 5 and younger get in free. All tickets are digital and can be purchased through GoFan.com.

Here are the first-round tee times involving local players:

• 7:00 a.m. on 10th tee: Luke Shappard (Jasper), Aaron Fulda (Eastbrook), Silas Haarer (Westview)

• 7:18-7:54 a.m. on 10th tee: Memorial, Noblesville, Northridge

• 8:03-8:39 a.m. on 1st tee: North, Hamilton Southeastern, Leo

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA state golf tournament: What to know about SW Indiana golfers