When the results came filtering in at the conclusion of last Thursday's Warrenton Invitational, one particular score sparked a buzz around the clubhouse. Warrenton senior Kurtis Pruitt turned in the Warriors' lowest score of the day. He shot a 72, finishing second in the small school division. While his teammates were pleasantly surprised, they weren't necessarily shocked by his achievement. Pruitt, who had never recorded that low of a score before at Warrenton Golf Course, actually competed on the junior varsity team on Thursday. Both he and his teammates believed Pruitt was capable of such an impressive round. "I knew I could shoot it, I just hadn't done it yet," said Pruitt. "I'm glad I finally figured it out." Junior Mikal Harpster, who maintains the Warriors' No. 1 spot, was glowing with admiration for Pruitt. Harpster shot a 78 and was one of four Warriors to medal at Thursday's meet. "I'm happy for him, because I think now he's going to start playing amazing," said Harpster. "That's what I'm hoping for anyway. I think he just needed that one round to start playing the way he really can." Maybe it was Pruitt's mental approach that altered his results. "Earlier in the week I had set a goal I wanted to shoot under 80," said Pruitt. "So, I'm happy that I was able to get that goal." With his parents and grandparents tagging along as spectators, Pruitt says he felt more focused on the course. "I slowed down and just took time in what I was doing," said Pruitt. "I played the course the way it's supposed to be played." Pruitt turned in a 34 on the front nine and let his confidence carry him through the next nine holes. "After the first nine I was pretty excited about shooting pretty good," said Pruitt. "I was one under, and that showed me that I could do it. I took that over to the back nine and shot a 38." Even his coach recognized a difference in his demeanor. "We'd been talking a lot about his composure on the course and not letting one shot ruin it," said coach Rich Barton "... Kurtis really looked relaxed on the course today, so it was really exciting. He told me he was going to play well today and that's what you like to hear." Barton was content with his team's finish in the small division. "Coming in third out of 11 teams - I was really proud of that," said Barton. "That's a step up for us. We were just a few strokes back of St. Charles West." Union took top honors among the small schools, recording a 311. Harpster took consolation in earning a medal but wasn't overly satisfied with his performance. "It was pretty all over the place and inconsistent," quipped Harpster. "I'm just glad it's over." His score placed him fourth among the group of small school competitors. "I started out playing pretty good until I got to No. 9, then I doubled No. 9," said Harpster. "I couldn't chip for anything today. I was hitting the driver Ok - irons, I started hacking them at the end it felt like." Seniors John Schwerdt and Austin Gibbs both medaled after shooting an 83, finishing XXth and XXth, respectively. Schwerdt turned in a 30 on the front nine but shot a 10 on a par 4 to weaken his final score. He says he didn't let the one shaky hole affect his entire round. "I played really well," said Schwerdt. "I had one hole that killed my score, but other than I hit the ball really well. I was really pleased with how I played besides that little hiccup." Senior Chris Bardy and junior Patrick Koch each shot an 84 but missed out on the final medal position following a tiebreaker. "Bardy and Koch just lost on a scorecard playoff," said Barton. "I want to give them some credit too, because we were close to having six medalists." The Warriors' performance cast aside any concern there might have been about the added pressures of hosting an invitational. "I was proud of our team effort," said Barton. "We were really focused on doing better in our team tournament this year."