Day one of the Class 3 state golf tournament offered hope of a state medal for Warrenton. But the second round at Island Green Course in Republic was not as promising, as the Warriors dipped in the standings. They finished at the bottom of the 10-team pool during the school's first trip to state since 1991. Coach Rich Barton says that isn't reason to discount the team's accomplishments this season. "This was three years in a row now we've made giant strides in our program," said Barton. "This was another big stepping stone." After shooting a 328 during Monday's opening round, the Warriors followed up with a 354 on Tuesday. "I'm disappointed for the kids, but I'm certainly not disappointed in them," said Barton. All five of Warrenton's golfers added at least one stroke to their score during round two. "That was the standard for (Tuesday)," said coach Rich Barton. On Monday no one logged a score in the 100s but that changed during the second round. A rule change complicated matters on Tuesday, as players weren't allowed to drop balls and were forced to play up. "The first day they let us play the ball up so we got relief, but today they decided we would play the ball down," explained junior Patrick Koch. "I think it was playing the ball down that hurt, because the course wasn't in very good condition for that," added senior John Schwerdt. Playing the No. 2 spot, he shot an 84 on Monday and returned with a 92 on Tuesday. "I felt pretty good about my first round," said Schwerdt. "But (Tuesday) nothing was working." Warrenton's No. 1 golfer was in contention for an individual medal following Monday's round. Junior Mikal Harpster shot a 77 during his state debut but couldn't overcome a rough start and turned in an 86 on the second day. "It wasn't anything we did preparation wise," said Barton. "We were able to keep our focus throughout the experience." Koch was making his second straight state appearance. He shot a 79 on the first day but returned with an 86 in the No. 3 spot. "Today most of my trouble was with putting," said Koch. "A couple of bad lies in the fareway gave me trouble too." Senior Austin Gibbs held up the No. 4 spot. He shot an 88 the first day and followed with a 93. Despite adding five strokes, Gibbs actually felt better about his round on Tuesday. "Today I thought I was hitting a lot better off the tee, but I was getting extremely unlucky on where the ball lied in the dirt or the fareway," said Gibbs. Senior Kurtis Pruitt represented Warrenton in the No. 5 position. He turned in an 89 on Monday and record a 90 the following round. Barton says there wasn't a clear explanation for the team's Tuesday struggles, and he felt like the Warriors approached the meet in a business-like manner. "I was very proud of our efforts," said Barton. "I think the first day proved that we belonged with these other teams. It proved we can compete with the best teams in the state." Westminster claimed the team title with ease by shooting a remarkable 599 over the two-day period. Defending champion Warrensburg fell considerably behind in second place, shooting a 325. Eight of the 10 teams in the pool had advanced to the state tournament in 2009 as well. Westminster also had the top two individuals, with Kevin Vandekamp recording a tournament low 145.