SELLERSBURG —
The Floyd Central boys’ golf team’s sectional-title streak continued on Monday at Covered Bridge Golf Club.
The fifth-ranked Highlanders won their 10th consecutive sectional championship and their 13th title in 14 seasons by dominating the Providence Sectional. Floyd Central fired a team score of 295 and had all five of its players shoot in the 70s.
The top three teams and top three individuals on non-advancing teams qualified for Thursday’s Providence Regional at Champions Pointe Golf Club.
“The guys really played good. We played really good on the front nine, where we were 1-under (par),” Highlanders’ head coach Mike Cason said. “I can’t complain about anybody’s game.”
Floyd Central junior Devin Jenkins earned sectional medalist honors for the first time in his high school career.
Jenkins and Highlander senior Jay Holderman tied for first place in the individual standings at the end of regulation play, each shooting a 1-over-par 73. Both Floyd Central players went to a sudden-death playoff, starting on the par-4 first hole. They played until the par-3 third, where Jenkins clinched medalist honors with a birdie.
“It was pretty fun,” Jenkins said about squaring off with his teammate in the playoff. “I hit the ball pretty decent and putted pretty good. I made some birdies.”
Jenkins made three birdies during his round and shot an even-par 36 on the back side. Holderman was on fire on the front side, firing a 3-under 33 with third birdies.
Rounding out the scoring for the Highlanders were sophomore Jack Sparrow with a 74 and senior Austin Peckham with a 75. Floyd Central junior Daniel Shepard carded a 77.
“Their goal is to win the state tournament and this was the first step in doing that today,” Cason said.
The host Pioneers punched their tickets to their own regional by finishing second with a team score of 312.
Senior Bryce Very shot Providence’s lowest score with a 2-over 74, one stroke shy of joining Jenkins and Holderman in the medalist playoff. Very made one birdie on the 17th and had 14 pars, as he scored a 36 on the back nine.
Pioneers’ head coach Ken Allender said Very was a little disappointed that he did not earn medalist honors.
“He said he didn’t hit the ball well today. Sometimes it’s tough to break through,” Allender said.
Junior Cory Cahalan was the only other Providence player to shoot in the 70s, carding a 76. The Pioneers’ Mitchell Allender and Robert Waiz each fired an 81, while junior Max Hupp chipped in a 90.
Ken Allender said he needed at least one player to fire a real low number to make a run at Floyd Central for the title.
“I thought someone had to go low for us to have a chance, and we couldn’t do that,” he said. “Overall, I was pleased. Bryce was on the verge of being medalist again. Cory had a good, consistent round. Mitchell Allender had a good round despite the conditions.”
New Albany fell short of advancing to regional, placing fourth with a 326. The Bulldogs were 12 strokes behind third-place Corydon, which had three players in the 70s.
But New Albany had two of the top three individual qualifiers on non-advancing teams in senior Corey Embry and junior Garrett Arnold.
Embry carded the Bulldogs’ lowest score with a 76. Embry made three birdies, which came on the fifth, seventh and 10th holes.
Arnold advanced to regional by winning a one-hole playoff for the final individual qualifying spot with North Harrison’s Zach Shearer and Scottsburg’s Justin Wright. Arnold fired an 81 during his round, as a birdie on No. 9 and an eagle on No. 14 helped him overcome four double bogeys.
One area player who was expected to contend for medalist honors was Henryville’s Evan Embry, who posted an even-par 72 in each of his two previous trips to Covered Bridge.
But the Hornet senior could not match that score on Monday, as he settled for a 77. Evan Embry did not make any birdies, while he had three bogeys and one double bogey. Still, he advanced to the regional as the No. 2 individual on a non-advancing team.
“I think a lot of it was self-imposed pressure and it got to him,” Henryville head coach Robin Embry said. “He hit a couple of shots that made it tough for him.”
Coach Embry thinks Evan Embry has a shot to advance to next week’s IHSAA State Finals at regional, which will be played on the Hornets’ home course.
“He will want to be competitive in that,” Robin Embry said about regional. “He expects to shoot somewhere near par.”
Jeffersonville wound up sixth with a 357, followed by Silver Creek in eighth with a 365. Borden was ninth with a 374. Charlestown finished 11th with a 407, followed by Henryville (408) and New Washington (507). Clarksville and Christian Academy of Indiana each fielded incomplete teams.
Three Clark-Floyd area players — Clarksville’s Nick Cappola, CAI’s Jayson Arrell and Jeff’s Zack Lovan — were one stroke shy of getting into the playoff for the regional’s third individual qualifying spot. Each player shot an 82.
PROVIDENCE SECTIONAL
at Covered Bridge Golf Club, Sellersburg, par-72
(Top three teams and top three individuals on non-advancing teams qualify for Thursday’s Providence Regional.)
Team scores — Floyd Central 295, Providence 312, Corydon 314, New Albany 326, Scottsburg 350, Jeffersonville 357, North Harrison 364, Silver Creek 365, Borden 374, Lanesville 388, Charlestown 407, Henryville 408, New Washington 507, Austin inc., Christian Academy of Indiana inc., Clarksville inc., South Central inc.
Floyd Central — Shepard 77, Jenkins 73, Sparrow 74, Peckham 75, Holderman 73.
Providence — Very 74, Cahalan 76, Allender 81, Waiz 81, Hupp 90.
Corydon — Ti. Wiseman 75, Frederick 84, To. Wiseman 79, Hinton 82, Crawford 78.
New Albany — Embry 76, Banet 86, Nelson 83, Arnold 81, Smith 90.
Jeff — Lovan 82, Lacy 89, Naiser 90, Willis 96, Craig 117.
Silver Creek — Garr 84, Tingle 88, Ricketts 94, Duncan 99.
Borden — Smith 90, Wagoner III 89, McCombs 95, Cook 119, Fraley 100.
Charlestown — Wolfe 96, Terry 100, Watson 114, Braun 106, Jackson 105.
Henryville — Embry 77, Fields 105, Furnish 105, Reister 121.
New Washington — Dean 134, Wallis 101, Wilson 153, Zimmerman 119.
Clarksville — Cappola 82, Fisher 115, Fox 138.
CAI — Arrell 82, Kidd 99, Jones 132.
