BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
The underreported prep sports story of the spring was the boys golf team from Trinity Greenlawn making the state finals.
This proves that good players and teams can come from small schools.
Having said that, boys golf fans in our area already knew that. We have a pretty thriving scene in our area, and numbers at many schools seemed to have increased. This goes against the hypothesis that golf has become too expensive for parents to want to let their kids try.
And not only are there more players, but there are more good players, and they are seemingly more dedicated than ever, even finding ways to work on their swings indoors during the winter. Once you are hooked on this sport, there is no going back.
We still need to divide boys golf into multiple classes to shine more light on teams like Trinity Greenlawn and to give smaller schools a chance against reasonable competition and not the schools from the north suburbs of Indianapolis that have a dominance on the sport.
Of all those good players, the one that stands out as our RTC4 Player of the Year is Rochester senior Noah Riffle.
His game is thoughtful and sophisticated, and what he might lack in distance off the tee, he makes up for it with peerless iron play.
Rochester was the only area team to advance to regionals, and he was their No. 1 player.
Here is the entire All-RTC4 list for boys golf. We thank area coaches for sharing their scores with us and talking to us after some long, cold days and nights on the course.
Having said that, this list is ours and ours alone, and we take full responsibility for it.
We place extra emphasis on conference, postseason and any 18-hole Saturday tournaments.
First team
Noah Riffle (Rochester) (Player of the Year) – Riffle is taking his game to Grace College after making the All-Three Rivers Conference team and shooting a 72 at the Logansport sectional.
Wes Parker (Tippecanoe Valley) – Parker, a sophomore, could get on hot streaks where he could birdie three holes in a row with ease.
J.R. McLochlin (Rochester) – McLochlin might have been in a rut early in the season, but he excelled at the end, shooting an 81 at Rock Hollow Golf Club in Peru to make the All-TRC team and then shooting a 78 at the sectional.
Ivan Reyes (Pioneer) – Pioneer’s freshman sensation was the Hoosier North medalist. He’s unusually strong for his grade level, but he also has touch on the greens.
Eli Love (Tippecanoe Valley) – Valley’s lone senior is our pick based on shooting a solid 85 at Round Barn Golf Club at Mill Creek at the Indiana Northern State Conference Preview Tournament and an 86 at a very tough Eagle Glen Golf Club in Columbia City for the sectional.
Honorable mention
Davis Renie (Rochester)
Micah Rans (Pioneer)
Brendan Hines (Winamac)
Talen Garner (Winamac)
Isaac Heishman (Rochester)
Nash Bouse (Tippecanoe Valley)
Noah Garner (Winamac)
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