Columbus North is hoping to duplicate the solid round it produced in last month’s State Preview when it returns to Prairie View Golf Club for this weekend’s IHSAA Girls Golf State Finals.
Senior Danbi Kim fired a 2-under-par 70 to win medalist honors, and the Bull Dogs shot a 310 to finish as runner-up, one shot behind Westfield and two shots ahead of Zionsville on Aug. 5 at Prairie View. Westfield, Zionsville and North have been the state’s top three ranked teams for most of the season.
Those three teams will be among the favorites to capture the state championship. Play begins at 8:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday at the Carmel course.
“I felt like we played pretty well that day and just hope we can go in with confidence and compete with the best teams there,” North coach Scott Seavers said.
“We know we’re capable. We just have to do it at the right time for two days in a row.”
The Bull Dogs carded a 306 to finish second in Saturday’s Lapel Regional at The Edge Golf Course in Anderson. That was tied for the fourth-best regional score in the state.
Homestead had the best regional score, a 296 in the East Noble Regional at Noble Hawk in Kendalville. Zionsville had a 303 at the Roncalli Regional at The Legends in Franklin, and Fishers won the Lapel Regional with a 305.
North and Hamilton Southeastern in the Lapel Regional and Westfield in the Roncalli Regional all shot 306.
“We’re just looking to go in and play our best,” Seavers said. “We’re not worried about what they other teams are going to do. We know we can’t win it on the first day. We just want to go in and keep it close and give us a chance to win it on Day 2.”
The Bull Dogs could have a chance at having the individual medalist for the second year in a row. Kim has been among the state’s top players for most of the season, and freshman Nathaly Munnicha was medalist in the Greensburg Sectional.
Holly Anderson, who now plays at Ball State, was last year’s state medalist.
“I think (Kim and Munnicha) both have a shot,” Seavers said. “I do like Danbi’s experience. She’s played that course many, many times. She knows what to do, and she’s a competitor, so I expect her to be at her best this weekend. From what we learned last year, you don’t have to go super low to win. You just have to avoid big numbers and keep it around par to have a chance.”
Senior Julia Luken and junior Alex Munnicha also will play both days for North. Sophomore Annie Anderson is slated to play Friday, with senior Molly Donnell replacing her in the lineup Saturday.
East coach sets record
Brad Barber is only in his ninth season as Columbus East boys soccer coach, but he’s already etched his name in the school’s record book.
Last week’s 5-0 win against Madison was Barber’s 92nd with the Olympians. That broke current boys golf coach Tom LaBarbera’s school record for career wins.
Barber, a Jennings County graduate, is 92-44-18 during his tenure at East. This year, the Olympians are 10-2-3 and ranked No. 19 in Class 3A going into Saturday’s regular-season finale against Jeffersonville.
East opens sectional play Monday against Floyd Central at Seymour.
North senior gets invite
Columbus North senior J.D. Harris has been selected to play in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida.
The game will take place at 1 p.m. Jan. 13 at EverBank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It will be televised on ESPN3.
Harris, whose main position is cornerback, leads the Bull Dogs with four interceptions and three pass deflections. The Northern Illinois recruit also has caught five passes for 40 yards and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Volleyball teams to meet
Columbus East will play its first volleyball match in its main gym tonight when it hosts Columbus North.
The Olympians have been playing their home games in their auxiliary gym all season while the bleachers have been replaced in the Orange Pit. Tonight’s JV game will start at 6 p.m., with the varsity to follow.
The Bull Dogs have beaten East only one time on the court since Columbus split into two high schools. That came in 2002, when current North coach Caitlin (Watts) Greiner was a sophomore at East and her sister Brittany Watts was a senior at North.
The Bull Dogs did win one other time by forfeit when it was discovered an Olympians player had played in too many sets between the JV and varsity matches. That came in 2005. Terry Sweasy, who is now an assistant coach at East, was North’s coach in both of its wins against the Olympians.
East hosting conference
Columbus East will host the Hoosier Hills Conference cross-country meet Saturday at Ceraland. The boys meet will begin at 9 a.m., with the girls to follow at 9:45 a.m.
No. 24 Jennings County is the only ranked boys team in the field. No. 6 Floyd Central is the lone ranked girls squad.
Ted Schultz is sports editor for The Republic. He can be reached at [email protected] or 812-379-5628.
