Eash shoots 47 but Couriers lose two at McCormick Creek

Evan Stutzman chips out of a sand trap on the
18th hole.

Justin Horst prepares to putt.

Justin lines up his putt while a South Bend Washington
golfer watches.
---

NAPPANEE (Mon., May 11, 2009) - Sophomore Tyler Eash shot a 47 but the Couriers fell to Jimtown and South Bend Washington in varsity boys golf at McCormick Creek. South Bend Washington won with a team score of 177 followed by Jimtown's 202 and Clinton's 204.

Junior Jordan Bontrager finished with a 50, freshman Justin Horst added a 51, junior Atlee Bender and senior Evan Stutzman both shot a 56 for the Couriers (1-6). Washington's Ryan Cole was the low-score medalist with a 41.

The Couriers are idle until a season-ending match at Black Squirrel Golf Course in Goshen May 26 against host Bethany Christian and West Noble. The Bethany Christian Bruins lost to the Couriers 188-238 at Timber Ridge on April 23.

Couriers lose two on the road

WARSAW (Mon., Apr. 27, 2009) - Justin Horst shot a career-best 44 and Tyler Eash rebounded from a 9 on the first hole for a 47 but the Couriers fell to Lakeland Christian 176-191 at Rozella Ford Golf Club.

Jordan Bontrager and Evan Stutzman both carded scores of 50 for the Couriers (3-4) who have never beaten the Cougars on the golf course.

Lakeland Christian won the JV match 249-258.

AUBURN (Tues., Apr. 28, 2009) - Lakewood Park squeaked by the Couriers 191-193 at Bridgewater Golf Club.

Tyler Eash topped the Couriers with a 45. Evan Stutzman added a 47, Atlee Bender 50 and Justin Horst 51.

The 3-5 Couriers return home Thursday to host La Lumiere.

Couriers beat Bethany by 50 strokes

MILLERSBURG (Thurs., Apr. 23, 2009) - In their best performance of the young season, the Couriers varsity boys golf team easily outpaced Bethany Christian 188-238 at Timber Ridge.

Senior Evan Stutzman paced the Couriers with a school-record round of 43 with Atlee Bender close behind with a 44. Jordan Bontrager shot a 49 and Justin Horst 52 as the Couriers tied their best nine-hole performance set against Trinity on May 16, 2008.

Jared Schwartzentruber led the Bruins with a round of 44.

The Couriers visit Lakewood Park Tuesday at the Bridgewater Golf Club in Auburn. The Couriers finished third and the Panthers fifth in the five-team Fairfield Invitational earlier this month.

Couriers fall to LaPorte foe

LAPORTE (Thurs., Apr. 16, 2009) - The Couriers varsity boys golf team lost to La Lumiere 186-212 at Legacy Hills Golf Course in their first 9-hole match of the year.

Senior Evan Stutzman led the way with a 49. Justin Horst added a 53, Atlee Bender 54 and Jordan Bontrager 56.

La Lumiere handled the Courier JV 215-266. Eighth-grader Corby Miller shot a team-best 64 for the Couriers, now 0-1.

The varsity drops to 2-3 and visits Lakeland Christian Tuesday on the Rozella Ford Golf Course in Warsaw.

Couriers take third for best opening weekend

MILLERSBURG (Sat., April 12, 2009) - The Couriers golf team placed third out of five teams in the Fairfield Invitational at Timber Ridge Golf Course. It was improvement over a fifth-place finish in a seven-team field in 2008.

The Fairfield Falcons won their own event with a team score of 347. West Noble finished second with a 388 followed by the Couriers 402, Eastside 406 and Lakewood Park 424. Fairfield's Brad Shipley shot an 84 to garner medalist honors.

Atlee Bender shot a school-record 91 to lead the Couriers. Evan Stutzman and Justin Horst carded 103s and Tyler Eash opened his first season of golf with 105.

The Couriers (2-2) travel to Rozella Ford Golf Club in Warsaw to face Lakeland Christian on Tuesday, April 21. In two tries, the Couriers are winless against the Cougars.

Knepp sees improvement in golf program

March 26, 2009 - Entering the third season of varsity boys golf at Clinton Christian, Coach Matt Knepp welcomes back three letterwinners. Evan Stutzman (50.8 average per nine holes) is a senior, Atlee Bender (57.0) and Jordan Bontrager (51.0) are juniors.

Coach Knepp says, "Key returning players will be Stutzman and Bender. Senior Dwylin Gingerich, Bontrager, sophomore Tyler Eash and freshman Justin Horst will compete for the final three spots. Horst, who took up golf just two years ago, is playing well and is a nice surprise. We are still a young program but we are definitely improving every year."

The 2008 squad finished 5-8 and graduated two key performers in Joel King (50.8) and Mike Troyer (50.0). Dustin Yoder, who carded a 53.2 average as a sophomore, is not out for the team in 2009.

Knepp's assistant for a second year is Jared Hochstetler. The Couriers play all their home events at Timber Ridge Golf Course near Millersburg.

The season opens at the Fairfield Invitational April 11 at Timber Ridge, also the home course of the Falcons.

2009 Clinton Christian Couriers varsity boys golf roster

Dwylin Gingerich, senior
xEvan Stutzman, senior
xAtlee Bender, junior
xJordan Bontrager, junior
Tyler Eash, sophomore
Justin Horst, freshman

x - Returning letterwinners

2009 Clinton Christian Couriers junior varsity boys golf roster

Shad Miller, freshman
Corby Miller, 8th
Ethan Miller, 8th
Lance Miller, 8th
Cory Eash, 7th

My ICST All-Tourney Team and stats

Benj Shirk's 2009 ICST Finals All-Tournament Team

Most Valuable Player: Evan Stutzman, Clinton Christian
Dustin Yoder, Clinton Christian
Taylor Bradbury, Horizon Christian
T.J. Baldonado, Horizon Christian
Jake Andringa, Heritage Christian

Honorable mention: Jordan Bontrager, Clinton Christian; Luke Jones, Horizon Christian (awarded Christian Character Award by ICST); Case DeJong, Heritage Christian; Gavin Harvey, Columbus Christian; Derek Roth, Columbus Christian

Disclaimer: These picks are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ICST Committee, schools or fans.

2009 ICST Finals Top Scorers
Player, school Pts.
Evan Stutzman, Clinton Christian 33
Dustin Yoder, Clinton Christian 30
Taylor Bradbury, Horizon Christian 27
Jordan Bontrager, Clinton Christian 21
T.J. Baldonado, Horizon Christian 21
Luke Jones, Horizon Christian 20
Jake Andringa, Heritage Christian 18
Case DeJong, Heritage Christian 11

Girls championship game: Heritage Christian 57, Kings Academy 23

Go to BracketMaker.com for the final brackets for both tournaments. Audio of the boys' semifinals and video of both finals are available from HoosierAuthority.com.