Jordan Anderson showed plenty of emotion after sinking a putt to clinch his regional berth. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)

WARSAW — One is the loneliest number, but don’t tell that to Triton’s Jordan Anderson.

At Friday’s Warsaw Sectional at Rozella Ford Golf Club, Anderson was the lone local player to punch a regional ticket, and that was far from a guarantee for much of the day. In fact, it wasn’t even a certainty until the very last hole.

After final scores were brought in, the math was added up, the numbers crunched and most things became crystal clear. Columbia City had clinched its third consecutive sectional title with a 303, Culver Academy (313) and Northfield (314) joined the Eagles with regional berths. Plymouth’s Micah Calhoun (74) had clinched one of the three individual qualifying spots, everything else was far from sorted out.

Plymouth’s Hudson Yoder, Huntington North’s Nolan Betterly, Manchester’s Noah Cain and Anderson all tied with a 76. Four guys for two spots, the herd needed to be thinned. The foursome headed out to No. 18 to sort everything out.

Once the final hole was played for seemingly the final time, again, there were still some issues. Cain had punched his ticket with a four, Betterly had bowed out with a six. One spot remained and Yoder and Anderson both stayed knotted with a five. So, back to the tee box they went, to play No. 18…again.

As the duo came over the hill it appeared that Anderson had the edge with a great second shot, but Yoder countered with his third shot that set him up nicely for a one-putt. Anderson needed a short tap-in to match Yoder’s score of four and answered the call. So, back to the tee box they went, to play No. 18…again…for the fourth time on the day and third time in the playoff.

The third time turned out to be the charm for the Triton’s ace. Anderson recorded a three on the hole by sinking a lengthy putt that was far from automatic. He followed that up with an emphatic fist pump, and rightfully so.

“It was a lot of fun, that’s for sure,” a relieved Anderson remarked after his round.

The irony of Anderson’s performance was the pressure that his situation provided in the playoff. With so much that could go wrong, Anderson remained cool through it all. But controlling his situation is what started his day on the right foot to begin with. Anderson usually plays the No. 1 spot for the Trojans, but requested to play No. 5 to take some pressure off after some rounds that weren’t up to his standard.

“I was hoping it would take some pressure off and then maybe I could play more loose and have some fun with it,” explained the Trojans regional qualifier.

“I was really happy with my round overall,” Anderson continued. “I saved some shots out there. I was confident with my putting stroke all day today, it wasn’t just that last hole. Dropping some putts early really helped me out. There’s holes that I can always have back, but I’m pleased with how I played.”

Anderson had a 40 on the way out but shot an impressive 36 on his way back in to finish with the 76. Triton’s remained scores came from Isaac Wall (82), Braden Kreft (83), Beau Hepler (81) and Bryce Swihart (87).

While Anderson’s performance certainly stole the show from a local perspective, the most notable moment of the day came from the Warsaw camp. The Tigers gave a valiant effort shooting a 318, but were left on the outside looking in, missing the regional cut for the first time since 1993.

“You can’t start off sectionals playing hole one as awful as we did,” Warsaw head coach Ben Barkey offered. “We didn’t play that well on that hole. We had one par, went double, double, quad, triple. That’s it right there, game over.”

Warsaw youthful roster straightened out its act after the forgettable first hole, but those strokes cost the Tigers in the end. The good news was that Warsaw did not let the bad start define the next 17 holes.

Tim Rata summed up Warsaw’s day with his expression after this shot.

“For starting off that poor, and for everybody seeing it, to shoot what they did on the back side, is a testament to these young guys,” Barkey remarked. “Three sophomores, two juniors, to shoot what they did on the back, one of the best back side performances of the tournament, that’s impressive. We almost got it done but we let a few get away from us. We were paired with Northfield, they played great and they deserved it.”

Warsaw’s top scorer was Sam Yeager with his effort of 77. Michael Jensen signed for a 78. Luke Delp (81), Tommy Meier (82) and Tim Rata (84) rounded the scores for the Orange and Black.

Friday also marks the last appearance for Barkey as the team’s coach as he will turn his focus to fully to being the vice principal at Warsaw.

“Everything comes to an end,” Barkey said with a lump in his throat. “I’m not their golf coach anymore, but I’m their assistant principal and I become their life coach. I tuck in that shirt and wear a belt, it doesn’t change. Check their grades, hold them accountable. It doesn’t matter where I am or if they’re moving on, we’re all a Tiger family.”

Wawasee was without its coach Steve Coverstone as he had to miss Friday’s affair with kidney stones. Wawasee had a solid round, shooting a 327. The Warriors were led by Jeffrey Moore’s 78. Cal Heinisch shot a 79. Kyle Weideman had an 84 while the scores were rounded out By Cameron Adams (86) and Jayce Boatwright (86). The Warriors did manage to give their coach a good laugh as they posed for a picture with the sectional trophy and sent it to him to brighten his day.

Tippecanoe Valley was led by Jeremy Julian’s 77. The Vikings scores were rounded out by Trevor Neeley (81), Cole Cumberland (89), Chandler Newsome (102) and John Young (102). The Vikings totaled a 349 as a team.

Whitko’s team remained very consistent as all five players shot in the 90s. The Wildcats shot a team score of 373 behind Grady Clingerman’s 90. Kaleb Busz shot a 92, Tim Gensch signed for a 95, Nic Rose had a 96 and Cade Bechtold finished with a 97.

Thursday’s regional will be held at Stonehenge Golf Club on Pierceton Road in Warsaw. Tee times will be announced early next week.