Mackenzie Weaver and NorthWood will take its swings at the HOF Invite in August. (File photos by Mike Deak)

DEMOTTE – The girls golf teams from NorthWood and Warsaw will have a quality opportunity to see how it is stacking up against some of the best competition in the state.

Both clubs are part of a 17-team field in what’s a who’s who of girls golf in the state of Indiana. The Hall of Fame Classic, hosted by Lake Central, will take place on Saturday, Aug. 25, at Sandy Pines Golf Course in Demotte. The field includes 11 teams that were ranked in the state poll last season, including No. 1 and defending state champion Zionsville, No. 2 and state runner-up Westfield, No. 4 Evansville North and No. 5 Homestead.

NorthWood, which will feature state qualifying senior Mackenzie Weaver and freshman sensation Cybil Stillson, will look forward to its fifth entry into the HOF tournament, its third straight appearance.

“We’re honored to be invited to such a prestigious event on a great course in Sandy Pines,” said NorthWood head coach Adam Yoder. “Lake Central will be great hosts to this awesome event. Our girls have worked very hard to earn the chance to be included with teams like this, and we absolutely love playing with the best in the state.

Continued Yoder, “As for the competition part of it, this will be our fifth time (2010, 13, 16, 17) in this event and we’re hoping to be invited to the State Preview at Prairie View on Aug. 4 as well, which would be our third trip there, so at this point our kids really don’t get intimidated or awed by the surroundings. They know how great of players and teams will be in the field and relish these opportunities much more than a bunch of events where we can easily finish in the top three or a bunch of nine-hole matches. We’re very fortunate to have so much administrative and community support behind that philosophy. It’s a lot of traveling and entry fee costs, that’s for sure.”

Added Warsaw head coach Tad Nieter, “We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to compete against the best teams in the state at the Hall of Fame Classic next fall. This is one of, if not the most competitive regular season invitational our state has. We are looking forward to seeing how we stack up against some of the state’s top programs.

“When I opened the message, I was thrilled for our girls. I first want to express how proud of our girls I am. We have worked hard to get where we are at. This is a testament to their hard work paying off. I’m excited to work with our team in the coming months to prepare for not only the Hall of Fame Classic, but to have a strong 2018 season. We do not want to just show up to the tournament, we want to be prepared to the best of our abilities. I’m confident our girls will not take this opportunity lightly.”

Maddie Ray and Warsaw will join 16 other teams to make up the HOF Invite field.