Seth Berry always was involved in athletics during his time at Brownstown Central.
He participated in golf, cross-country and basketball and was a volleyball and basketball manager during his time with the Braves.
“I knew I wanted to play a sport every trimester,” he said, and mentioned earlier in his career he could see himself playing golf and basketball. “But I never imagined myself doing cross-country or managing, but that just kind of came along.”
Berry has been playing the No. 2 position for the golf team this spring, and he said he thinks the strongest part of his game is his driving distance.
“I can hit it pretty far compared to most people,” Berry said. “I don’t control it as well as the best players do. I’d say that is the thing that hurts me. When I hit my driver well it averages about 300 yards.
“I generally don’t have to hit a whole lot of irons on the courses we play. If I’m hitting it well it’s going to be a driver into a wedge. My par 3s this year have been pretty good. I’ve made pars on a lot of par 3s this year.”
Berry made the All-Mid-Southern Conference list past spring, helping his team to the title.
Today, he and the Braves travel to Indiana University to compete in the sectional.
“IU is not one of my favorite courses to play, but I think I have the capability to play well there,” Berry said. “We’ve played a lot of rounds there the last few years. We’ve played sectional there three times and played various practice rounds there so I know it really well.”
Berry said you have to be physically and mentally prepared every time you tee it up.
“Practice, obviously, is very important,” he said. “There are so many different shots that you are going to have to encounter playing a golf round and you need to know what’s going to happen when you swing a club this way or if your ball is not sitting well on a good lay, there are so many different things you have to know how to do.”
The senior attributes practicing to success.
“You’re not going to get good at it just by going out and playing,” Berry said. “I’ve practiced a lot in the last 10-12 years. I go to driving ranges, and short ranges and work on that. You have to practice more than you play if you want to be a great golfer.
Berry said he is glad he ran cross-country last fall. Berry said CC coach Derrick Koch approached him about running when he saw him training for basketball.
“He said I looked like I might be able to do it competitively,” Berry said. “I didn’t have anything else to do, so I decided I might as well give it a try. It was fun. I would definitely do it again.”
Berry ran No. 4 the first half of the season.
“I was our third runner a couple of times,” Berry said. “I ran the first six or seven races and then I ended up getting shin and foot tendonitis. I got down to 19:04. I think I could have gotten a lot lower.
“I ended up running in the sectional on absolutely no training. I hadn’t done anything in about a month and a half. I ran in the sectional, and I was about back to square one in conditioning. It was definitely a different experience of all the sports that are played.”
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Name: Seth Berry
School: Brownstown Central
Parents: Holly and Richard Berry
Siblings: Sarah, Nate, Caitlyn
Sports: golf 4 years, basketball 2 years, cross-country 1 year, volleyball manager 2 years, basketball manager 2 years
Athletic highlights: CC-2015 academic all-state; golf- 2015 regional qualifier
Organizations: president Booster Club, secretary Lettermen’s Club, National Honor Society
Plans after high school: Attend IUPUI Kelly School of Business
Favorite TV show: Parks and Recreation
Favorite musicians: Dave Matthews Band
Favorite movie: Semi Pro
Favorite athlete: Russell Westbrook
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Q: What’s it like playing on your home course?
A: “I’ve always struggled to shoot good scores at Hickory Hills. It’s neat to play matches there because I’ve grown up there. I’ve played there all the time since I was 4 or 5 years old so it’s fun to compete there.
Fondest golf memory?
A: “My sophomore year when we got out of the sectional. That was a very good team effort. We all had scores about the same. We didn’t play well in the regional but it was a good experience to get there.”
Q: What’s it like attending BCHS?
A: “Being a student at Brownstown has been terrific. It’s been a great school to go to. I’ve taken a pretty wide variety of classes. I think they’ve definitely been enjoyable. I’ve made a lot of great friends. There are a lot of great people here. You don’t find too many people you don’t enjoy spending time with.”
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