By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
The first endeavor on a laundry list of goals can be marked off the board for the Warrenton golf team. While the most important challenges still await the Warriors, perhaps the most pride-filled accomplishment has been conquered. Win the Warrenton Invitational — check. For the first time in Coach Rich Barton’s tenure, the Warriors claimed top honors in their own tournament. The 20-team meet was split between two groups, dividing the smaller and larger schools. Warrenton edged every other competitor in the small school division by shooting a 311, finishing 23 strokes ahead of second-place Union. “This should be a huge springboard for our program,” said Barton. “It kind of validates the work we’ve put into the program over the last four years.” For Ethan Luecke, Thursday’s tournament meant just another round on his home course — literally. Luecke’s family owns the Warrenton Golf Course, so it only seemed fitting that he shoot the team’s lowest score of the day. The freshman carded a 73, finishing second among individuals in the small school division and tying for fourth overall. Luecke says he realizes there are some unspoken expectations that surround him when he steps onto the golf course. “I was confident coming in because it’s not like having to go to another course that you’re not familiar with,” said Luecke. “But there was definitely some added pressure to play well.” The day’s best round was played by Jackson Lane of Timberland, who shot one under par at 69. Barton says the physical element of Luecke’s game existed before he joined the team, but others areas of his game have developed. “Ethan is getting more mentally tough,” said Barton. “He knew there were expectations placed on him. He just goes out and performs and shows his passion for golf.” Barton says, while the Warriors' accomplishment was met with jubilation, anything less than first place would have likely resulted in disappointment. The program has come to expect these types of triumphs during its rising over the past few seasons. “You never want to put that kind of pressure on the kids, but I think they knew we had a shot at winning the tournament this year,” asserted Barton. “We've been focused on and working toward that.” On Thursday, it wasn't so much about if a Warrenton golfer could take the top spot as much as who that individual might be on that particular day. Senior Mikal Harpster played the No. 1 spot and shot a 76 to finish third as one of the Warriors' four medalists. “My round was kind of up and down,” said Harpster. “I was excited for our team and for Ethan coming in with a good score like he did. This is definitely a confidence booster for the team.” Harpster was able to hit several solid recovery shots to keep himself in contention for a medal. “He's become such a competitive golfer that he knows when he's not playing well there are strategies he can still use to score,” said Barton. Senior Patrick Koch landed an 80 on what he called a mediocre day on the course. Still, it was good enough for sixth place. “I wasn't very pleased with my round,” said Koch. “It's my home course, so I felt like I could have played way better, but I'm not going to dwell on that.” He will be working on polishing his game over the next few weeks in an effort to earn a third straight trip to state. Junior Tyler Romaker picked a convenient day to earn his first-ever varsity medal by recording an 82. The junior began the day by tripling on his first hole but recovered to shoot a 38 on the back nine. “I was really happy, because that was the best round I've ever shot,” said Romaker. “I came in smiling the whole time, because I knew the whole team had done good.” Sophomore T.J. Lafaver played the fifth spot for Warrenton, shooting an 89. “I was really pleased with Tyler and T.J. as well,” said Barton. The Warriors were scheduled to compete in the GAC North Conference tournament on Wednesday at Innsbrook.
