By MIKE HUTSELL
It goes without saying that both Floyd Central and Providence expect nothing but the best competition this week when each team travels to play in the IHSAA boys’ golf state finals.
But finding a spot in the second day of the tournament is a literal battle for survival.
Thirteen teams, including both the Highlanders and the Pioneers, posted regional-round scores of 311 or better last week, and four more clubs were within four strokes of that score during regional play.
Those 15 clubs will fight for the top nine spots when play tees off at the state meet on Tuesday at Franklin’s Legends of Indiana Golf Course.
“As we’ve gone on each week, I’ve really felt like the guys have played their best golf of the season,” said Highlander head coach Mike Cason, whose squad won the Floyd Central Sectional and was the runner-up at the Seymour Regional on Friday. “We’ll need to continue that. There’s going to be a lot of good squads that we’ll be up against up there.”
The Highlanders won back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007, but last year’s squad fell short of advancing back to state.
While the lineup and the faces from the championship teams may be different this time around, Cason said his group is used to pressure and has a tendency to peak during these types of settings.
“These guys are confident in their ability to play,” said Cason. “They all know what they’re capable of and they’ve all played the course. They feel good about their chances of getting back there a second day.”
Providence is making a return trip to the state round after finishing 11th there a year ago. Providence missed the cut for ninth place on Day 1 by five strokes, shooting a 306 as a team.
Senior Trey Pfund though qualified for the second day in the individual tournament a year ago. He finished at even par with a round of 70 after Day 1 and was sixth in the standings heading into the second day of play — where he shot a 5-over 75 and finished the tournament 16th overall.
Pfund was the medalist at sectional last Monday, but he was the runner-up on his team at the regional where Ben Rose shot a 74 to lead the Pioneers.
