Owls, Braves get fun tune-up in before sectional

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The last time the Seymour and Brownstown Central boys golf teams played competitively was on May 23.

The next scheduled event for each team was going to be the sectional on June 5, but both Jim Hoffman and Brent Hattabaugh thought that would be too long in between matches.

So on Tuesday, the Braves and Owls came together to play a fun match at Shadowood Golf Course. There were four points total to be had on Tuesday as Seymour’s No. 1 and 2 players played against Brownstown’s No. 1 and 2, and so on.

They would play best ball, and whoever won more holes after 18 would receive one point.

“We wouldn’t have played for two weeks, and they were the same way,” Hoffman said. “Brent and I have been good friends for the last 20-plus years, so I said, ‘Hey, let’s do something different, little match play.’ We come out and grind for scores every time we play, and I think it’s a big difference when you have someone to rely on and have a little team. It was fun, it was different and it was a good day.”

“I appreciate Jim letting us come out and play,” Hattabaugh said. “It would’ve been two weeks between our last match and the sectional, so glad we were able to come play 18 holes.”

Brownstown’s Micah Sheffer and Smith Hackman beat Manny Fontanez and Noah Surface as they were two holes up with one to play.

It came down to the wire between Caiden Gwin and Matthew Reedy versus Trevor Alberring and Noah Surface. Gwin and Reedy won the last hole to get the point for Brownstown.

“Seymour’s one, two, three and four played really good today,” Hattabaugh said. “On three and four, we beat them on the last hole to win the match, so it’s good to have that competition.”

Chandler Stahl and Collin Downing were seven up with six holes to play on Luke Fischer and Trent Morris, and Carter Covert and Drew Shelton were eight holes up with six holes to play on Riley Bear and Jay Herbert.

“It was a good tune-up going into sectional,” Hoffman said.

As both teams got a fun, relaxed 18 holes in, they now turn their attention to the sectional on Monday at Cascades Golf Course in Bloomington.

The top three teams advance to regional, and Seymour and Brownstown are in the mix with Bloomington South, Bloomington North and Bedford North Lawrence.

“We’re peaking,” Hoffman said. “We beat Bedford. We had a good showing at Hoosier Hills. We’ve had some good guys shoot some personal bests, and I wouldn’t discount us because I think in the end, we’re going to be one of the top four there. We would just have to have a really good day, and that’s what we’re trending for. All we can do is go over and play and see what happens.”

The Braves have been able to beat the Stars and Owls a couple of times this season, so they hope to be that third team behind the two Bloomington schools on Monday.

“Working on our short game is where it comes down to,” Hattabaugh said. “Little chips and putts is what it comes down to. If we can stay away from the three-putts, we have a chance. There are some good teams in the sectional. I just hope we can get top three and get out as a team.”

Brownstown has had some success at Cascades this season as the Braves placed second in the Edgewood Invitational earlier this year.

That, on top of winning the Mid-Southern Conference, has Brownstown confident.

“We did shoot good scores there,” Hattabaugh said. “That and winning conference gave us a lot of confidence. Beating Silver Creek in conference and they’re in the top five in the state, I think that gave them a lot of confidence going into sectional.”

The No. 1s from each school tee off at 8 a.m. Monday, and each group after that will follow in 10-minunte increments. All golfers should be off and playing before 9 a.m. Monday.

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