Jonny Hollar shot a 74 to help his team advance to the regional round. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)

WARSAW – Regardless of what has happened in the regular season the sectional provides a rebirth for every team. It is a time to forget about the rest of the season and hopefully bring the best performance of the year to the table. It does not matter what the sport is, sectional time is a time for proving what a team is capable of doing when the lights, or sun, shine brightest.

Under a beautiful summer sun 13 area prep golf teams gathered for a shot at sectional glory at Rozella Ford Golf Club on Friday morning. The day provided a tight finish for everyone outside of eventual champion Columbia City (299), while one local team managed to make the cut for next week’s regional.

The Warsaw golf team shot its second-best round of the year with a 308 to take second place in the first sectional held at Rozella since 2002. Culver Academies (310) beat out Wawasee (315) to earn the final invitation to Thursday’s regional at Stonehenge Country Club in Warsaw.

Will Petro gets ready before teeing off on No. 13.

The Tigers were not great on Friday, but they didn’t have to be, they just needed to be good enough to get to the regional. Warsaw was in third place at the turn and only improved its play on its last nine holes.

Jonny Hollar shot a 37 on the way out and duplicated the score coming back in to finish with a 74, tying for Friday’s third-lowest score. Will Petro took home the tournament’s second-lowest score when he signed for an impressive 73. Brandon Eckert gave his team the boost it needed on the back end with his score of 78. Eckert shot a 38 on the way in to help secure the nice score. Both Ryan Cultice and Michael Jensen shot an 83 for the Tigers.

“I think we just played solid and consistent today,” said Ben Barkey, Warsaw’s head coach. “I don’t know if we really did anything great out there today but we were very good. There are some things I know our guys are frustrated about with their scores but they understand the big picture. There has been times when we have finished second or third in sectional and still went on to do great things at the next level.

“For us, there is a lot of confidence that surrounds Will (Petro) and Jonny (Hollar). In order for us to do great things, they need to continue to play well. We’re excited with where their game is headed.”

One team that narrowly missed out on sharing Warsaw’s excitement was Wawasee. The Warriors started the day in a great spot, shooting a 151 on the front nine. That score put Wawasee in second place after all teams had made the turn, but the back nine would prove to be a killer for the Warriors.

Sophomore Jeffrey Moore was the lone Warrior to make the cut for Thursday’s regional.

Wawasee shot a 164 on the back nine, dropping its final score to a 315. That score led the field for the majority of the afternoon until the last group finished. That final group included some heavy hitters as it included Warsaw, Plymouth, Culver Academies and Columbia City.

Not much else could be asked of Wawasee. 315 was the team’s best performance on the season, it could not have came at a better time, but it was too little, too late.

The good news on the day for the Warriors was Jeffrey Moore’s score of 75. That score would put him through to regional as an individual. Moore, a sophomore, also made the cut to the regional last year.

Tristen Atwood shot a 79, losing an otherwise great round with a less than stellar performance on No. 18. As a team Wawasee had nothing under a double bogey on the courses final hole. Cal Heinisch shot an 80 for the Warriors as he played in the No. 3 slot while Mason Germonprez signed for an above average 86.

The Warriors did provide the field with a “feel good” story through their fifth man, Rasmus Rich. Rich, a foreign exchange student from Denmark, is being visited by his parents this week. Though his time as a Warrior golfer is now over, Rich shot a career-low score of 81 with his parents in attendance.

“We have had a bad pattern this year and it was noticeable again today,” said Wawasee head coach Steve Coverstone. “We don’t finish rounds well. I don’t know if we lose focus or what it is but we have done this all season.

“I can’t argue with our final score, 315 is very good for us. That’s the best we’ve shot all season. I’m very proud of these guys and hopefully next year we can get over that hump.”

Triton had the advantage of playing on its home course but the Trojans fell short of the top three after turning in a score of 322.

Greg Music will represent Triton on Thursday for the regional at Stonehenge.

Triton was led by Greg Music. Music shot a 74, tying for the third lowest-score of the day to advance to Thursday’s regional. Tanner Shepherd also had a nice day, shooting a 77, but ultimately missed the regional cut. Braden Kreft (87), Jordan Anderson (87) and Lucas Shaffer (84) rounded out the scores for Triton.

Tippecanoe Valley surprised itself by shooting a 328. While the team did not make it through, junior Bryce Zimpelman will carry the torch for the Vikings at regional after shooting a 76 to make the cut.

“I’m very excited,” said Zimpelman. “I’m a junior so finally getting through feels great. I missed the cut last year by one stroke. I know Stonehenge well so I will feel comfortable on that course, but I am still going to get out there and practice this week and work on my game, especially putting. I did not putt the best today, but I will work on that and look forward to getting my chance at the regional.”

Tanner Neeley (78), Trevor Neeley (83), Cole Cumberland (91) and Josh Tucker (92) rounded out the scores for Valley.

Whitko (365) did not have the day it was hoping for on the course. Top golfer, Danny Zawlocki had an off day, shooting an uncharacteristic 87. Tim Gensch was disqualified after an error with his card. COle Bechtold (92), Will Peters (88) and Matt Hathaway (98) made up the rest of the Wildcat scores.

Lakeland Christian Academy is still getting its feet wet in the IHSAA scene and came in last place with a score of 435. The Cougars were led by Jacob Strickland’s 91.