Newport Central Catholic’s boys golf team was in daycare or preschool the last time the Thoroughbreds qualified for a state tournament.
Monday, however, was cause for celebration at 13 Carothers Road. NewCath finished second in the Region 8 – and advanced to next week’s state First Round at Pendleton Hills Country Club in Butler – at Henry County Country Club in New Castle.
Juniors Evan Himmelsbach, Alex Bacon, Alex Tracy and Ben Fassler combined for a 34-over-par 322, two shots behind Henry County’s 320.
“That’s great for the school,” Fassler said.
What was equally nice: Fassler and Himmelsbach each carded a 4-over-par 76 and finished third and fourth individually.
“Pretty special,” Himmelsbach said. “We’re a good team, we’ll pretty good next year, too.”
Before Monday, NewCath had not advanced as a team since 2011.
“I’m just super-proud,” NewCath coach Colin DuPont said. “They’ve all shaved off a bunch of strokes. They deserve this.”
Himmelsbach said his drives were the best part of Monday’s round. They were mostly accurate, too — he averaged around 300 yards, hit 12 fairways and 10 greens in regulation.
Fassler said his short irons and putting were the strongest parts of his game. “I lost a couple drives, but other than that, everything was pretty good for me.”
Highlands finished fourth with a 331. Bishop Brossart was fifth with a 337, and Campbell County was seventh at 358.
Highlands coach Kenny Race said a 30-minute weather delay was a distraction.
“(The course) played a little differently,” he said. “The wind … picked up, caught us by surprise on a couple strokes. They were playing for two hours, and then you take that delay, no time to come back out and warm up. You come right back out and hit your next shot.”
Campbell County coach Tim Cooper, meanwhile, said other than slower greens after the rain, the delay wasn’t a problem.
“I think if it had been any longer, it would’ve been pretty bad,” Cooper said.
Beane takes second straight individual win
Campbell County senior Talen Beane was low scorer with a 3-over 75 – his second straight title.
The backstory is, Monday’s win was just his second tournament after recovering from a back injury he suffered at the Randy Wise Junior Open Aug. 11-14 in Linden, Michigan; he played two rounds before withdrawing.
“It was hard to stay off the course,” Beane said. “I had a good support system around me – just my family and everybody else. Mentally, it was challenging.”
Beane said he hurt himself late in the second round on Aug. 13.
“I had a herniated disc that was bulging in my spine,” Beane said. “It took me out completely for 3 ½ weeks. I was still able to knock off the rust … I’m slowly getting there.”
Beane started on the 369-yard, par-4 No. 5 hole on Monday. It didn’t go well at first – bogey-par-double bogey for the first three holes. The next three holes were much better – a par and two birdies. After the delay, he birdied two holes parred six and double-bogeyed two.
“I hit my driver pretty well all day,” he said.
Beane trailed Owen County’s Britton Stafford by two shots with two holes left – the 561-yard par-5 No. 3 and the 352-yard par-4 No. 4.
“Luckily enough, I had a pretty stress-free on 3, and (Stafford) made a bogey,” Beane said. “On the last hole … I hit it a good driver down the middle, I had 44 yards.
“We work on these (pitching) wedges all the time. I hit a nice little wedge up to about three feet, tap-in birdie.”
Beane, Derek Bezold of Bishop Brossart and Highlands’ Abram Kees qualified for First Round as individuals.
Boys Region 8 golf tournament
At Par 72, 6,707-yard Henry County Country Club, New Castle
Team scores
1. Henry County 320
2. Newport Central Catholic 322
3. Owen County 327
4. Highlands 331
5. Bishop Brossart 337
6. Harrison County 351
7. Campbell County 358
8. Gallatin County 390
9. Trimble County 411
10. Pendleton County 423
Local scores
Newport Central Catholic
Ben Fassler 76, Evan Himmelsbach 76, Alex Tracy 81, Alex Bacon 89, Gabe Waggoner 99.
Highlands
Alex Race 78, Abram Kees 83, James Kuhn 85, Berz Wagner 85, Liam Lovell 87.
Bishop Brossart
Derek Bezold 80, Cole Bricking 84, Jack Delaney 85, Kellan Shaffer 88, Collin Parks 89.
Campbell County
Talen Beane (medalist) 75, Bryson Guidugli 83, Garrett Robinson 94, Uriah Loreaux 106, Layton Reis 108.