After finishing as regional runner-up the past two years, the Columbus North girls golfers will enter Saturday’s Lapel Regional as the favorites.
But even though the fourth-ranked Bull Dogs are the highest-ranked squad in the 18-team field, three other top-10 teams will be at Edgewood Golf Course in Anderson. No. 6 Cathedral, No. 7 Hamilton Southeastern and No. 9 Fishers figure to battle with North for three state qualifying spots.
“I’d say on paper, we’re the favorites,” North coach Scott Seavers said. “But we’re not looking at it like that. We’re looking at it as if we need to go in and play our best to advance.”
The Bull Dogs are coming off their best 18-hole score of the season, a 306 in the Greensburg Sectional. That was good enough to win by 66 shots.
North had the top three and five of the top six individuals at Greensburg Country Club. Senior Holly Anderson and sophomore Alex Munnicha tied for medalist honors with 75s, while junior Danbi Kim was a shot back at 76.
“I do feel good about the way we’re playing right now,” Seavers said. “You always want to peak at the end of the season, and I feel like we are right now. But anything can happen.”
Cathedral carded a 316 in winning the Lawrence Central Sectional at South Grove. Fishers (309) and Hamilton Southeastern (321) went 1-2 in the Anderson Sectional at Grandview.
Cathedral (311), North (319) and Fishers (323) qualified for state from last year’s Lapel Regional. Hamilton Southeastern missed the cut by one shot after a 324.
“I definitely think we have the potential to win it,” Anderson said. “We can all play really well there. But also, there are a lot of really good teams there, so it will be tough.”
Meanwhile, Columbus East will try to bounce back from an off day at the Greensburg Sectional. The Olympians qualified with a third-place finish with a 379.
“I think the ultimate goal is just to keep working to improve,” East coach Troy Buntin said. “Golf is such a mental game. You just have to keep working hard, and the more experience you get, the more you improve mentally. It’s not any different than IU going 6-5 and going to a bowl game. They’re not going to win a championship, but that extra week of practice is going to help the team.”
Three other area golfers will play as individuals at two other sectional sites. Jennings County’s Peyton Whitehead will compete in the Roncalli Regional at Smock, and Brown County’s Emma Bawinkel and Ashley Masteller will play in the Washington Regional at Country Oaks.
North soccer set for conference
The Columbus North boys and girls soccer teams will take the East Division’s top seeds into Saturday’s Conference Indiana Tournament.
The Bull Dog boys will play Bloomington North, and Bloomington South will meet Perry Meridian in the semifinals at 10 a.m. at Franklin Central. The first- and third-place matches are at 2 p.m.
The Columbus North girls will face Bloomington South, and Terre Haute North will play Franklin Central in the semifinals at 10 a.m. at Terre Haute North. The first- and third-place matches are at 2 p.m.
Soccer draws scheduled
Draws for IHSAA soccer sectional action will take place Friday morning.
Columbus East and Columbus North will play in the East boys and North girls Class 2A sectionals. Jennings County will host a 2A girls sectional, and the Panther boys will play in the East Central Sectional.
In Class A, the Hauser and Trinity Lutheran boys will play in the Jac-Cen-Cel Sectional, and the Brown County boys will be in the Southwestern (Shelby) Sectional. The Brown County girls will play in the Indianapolis Ritter Sectional, while the Trinity girls will be at the Rising Sun Sectional.
Boys soccer sectional action begins Oct. 3, and girls soccer sectionals begin on Oct. 4.
Tennis sectional is next week
Boys tennis sectional draws will be Monday.
Columbus East, Columbus North, Hauser, Brown County and Edinburgh will comprise the North Sectional, which will begin Wednesday and continue with the semifinals Sept. 29 and the finals Sept. 30.
Jennings County will host its own sectional. Trinity Lutheran will play in the Seymour Sectional.
Outing to benefit autism
Columbus Signature Academy — New Tech senior and Columbus North golfer Matthew Vorndran is organizing a golf outing for his senior project to raise money for Columbus Autism Network, to benefit Columbus Families with Autism.
The outing will take place Oct. 22 at Otter Creek. The entry fee is $100 and includes golf, lunch and prizes.
For information about participation or sponsorship opportunities, contact Vorndran at [email protected].
Soccer games rescheduled
Columbus East and Columbus North have rescheduled soccer games that had previously been rained out.
The East girls will play Batesville in a varsity-only contest at 5:30 p.m. today on Field 2 at Richard Wigh Soccer Complex. The North boys will host Center Grove on Oct. 1, with the JV scheduled for 2 p.m. and the varsity to follow.
