Here's how North, Memorial and Mater Dei advanced to the IHSAA boys golf regional

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Nothing the North High School boys golf team accomplished on Thursday should be surprising.

This is a program built to win. It wields a deep lineup possessing a year-round work ethic. It played a tournament schedule against the toughest fields in Indiana. This was no shock to those who know.

For the Huskies to be this talented at their age, however, may turn some heads.

With an all-underclassmen lineup, North continued its recent dominance on the links. The No. 13-ranked Huskies won their sixth straight sectional championship with a 303 at Helfrich Hills to comfortably distanced themselves from the field by nearly 20 shots.

North posted four of the top five individual scores in the tournament.

“We talk about finishing and, for the most part, that’s what they did,” said North coach Keith Bagby. “They understand what it takes. We play more tournaments than anybody and practice more than anybody. When you do that, we see the fruits of our labor.”

What should trouble opponents is this effort was far from the Huskies’ ceiling.

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North traversed the par-71 layout better than the field – a 148 on the front nine provided a 10-shot cushion – but still worked hard for the title. Daymian Rij earned his second sectional individual victory in as many years with a 73.

A wayward driver was saved by a strong short game. The sophomore only had two birdies: The par-4 third hole and par-4 17th. The back nine played tough due to slick greens and tucked pins.

“I had to scramble a lot,” said Rij. “These greens were hard to read and unpredictable sometimes. We build momentum off each other. When one of us plays well, all of us play well.”

The entire lineup is why the Huskies added another title. Sophomore Griffin Sohn finished third overall at 76, while freshman Luke Johnston and sophomore Peyton Butler both carded 77s. The 81 from freshman Brody Sorrell also tied for 11th overall.

The round from Sohn in the fifth spot was notably impressive. He was disappointed with his start, making the turn at 5-over 40. The sophomore corrected his mistakes by playing smart golf. Nothing above the hole to give himself easy looks at par.

His play on the back nine was as strong as anybody in the field.

“I didn’t put myself in positions where it was super tough to two-putt,” said Sohn. “If we don’t get anything above a bogey, we all make plenty of pars and birdies (to score well). Everybody just needs to keep the big scores off the card.”

The next step is the regional at Country Oaks next Thursday. The Huskies already won an invitational there two weeks ago and will be among the favorites to win again. A sixth straight regional championship would tie the current record owned by Center Grove.

If North keeps playing strong golf – its worst finish this year was seventh at the state preview – it would take an impressive day to beat them next week.

“I can’t be more proud of this group,” said Bagby. “Two freshmen and three sophomores. To win six in a row is not an easy thing to do. With each step you take, it’s get a little bit tougher.”

Memorial shoots season-best to finish runner-up

It sounds simple and obvious. For a team to play its best, it needs to stay relaxed and avoid big numbers.

That's what Memorial did at Helfrich. The Tigers shot a 321, their best score this spring, to finish second and advance to the regional. The top three teams earned tickets to Country Oaks.

Thomas Broshears once again led Memorial with a strong round. The sophomore posted a 75 to finish second overall behind Rij. He dropped a few shots around the turn but recovered with birdies at the par-4 11th and 15th.

Evan Hudak shot an 80, while Brady Wynn and Nico Brougham fired 83 to round out the Tigers' scoring.

"Everybody pulled their weight pretty well," said Broshears. "I think everybody relaxed and played their game. Made the big numbers go away."

Memorial finished 15th in the regional last year with three members of the lineup back. The Tigers played multiple rounds at Country Oaks and know where to strike. The mindset will be the same as it was Thursday.

"There are a few holes out there where if you can get through with par or even bogey there are birdies out there (to recover)," said Broshears. "You have to see how low you can go."

Mater Dei settled for third but still saw progress

The final result wasn't ideal for Mater Dei on its home course. It has no issue with a return trip to the regional, though.

The Wildcats took third with a 327 and the final spot at Country Oaks. It wasn't the cleanest round for most of the lineup. The strong wind and fast greens gave Mater Dei trouble.

Josh Fenwick was a bright spot. The sophomore continued a strong week with a 78 to finish sixth overall. He broke 80 for the first time in a high school tournament on Tuesday at Sultan's Run during the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference meet.

"He's trending in the right direction," said Mater Dei coach Gabe Rohleder. "Not the cleanest round from a lot of guys. A few too many easy mistakes. The course wasn't playing easy."

Jim Doepker turned in an 80 for the Wildcats. Their number one, Pete Doepker, struggled on approach shots during a round of 83. Conner Frey finished with an 86. Mater Dei was fourth at the turn but overtook Castle (335) on the back nine for the final advancing spot.

While this scoring was higher than expected, the Wildcats have proven capable of competing against tough fields. Mater Dei finished third at the SIAC Tournament and was briefly ranked earlier this season.

"We have a good game plan moving on this week," said Rohleder. "We're going to hone in on a lot of the basics, the fundamentals. We'll go over some good course strategy for Country Oaks and hopefully we play cleaner than 327."

Who else advanced to the IHSAA regional?

The top three individuals from non-advancing teams also earned a trip to Country Oaks.

Castle junior Avery Justus earned his ticket with a 79, while Central freshman Hunter Riggs (80) and Central senior Noah Albin (81) also extended their seasons.

The latter needed to win a sudden-death playoff against Dru Henderson of Mount Vernon. Albin hit his approach from the right rough on the par-4 18th just a few feet above the hole. The senior made the downhill put for birdie.

Here are the rest of the team standings: Central (353), Reitz (360), Mount Vernon (369), Boonville (371), North Posey (392), Harrison (450), Bosse (464) and Day School (no team score).

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA boys golf: North, Memorial, Mater Dei advance to 2022 regional