Prep boys golf: Badin’s Noelker, Fenwick’s Abbott advance to district

Andrew Noelker and Alex Abbott played the survive-and-advance game Wednesday at the Division II sectional boys golf tournament.

Noelker, a Badin High School senior, was the top local finisher at PipeStone Golf Club and earned a district berth, as did Abbott, a Fenwick junior.

“It’s unreal. I can’t believe I made it this far,” said Noelker, who carded an 8-over-par 42-38—80. “I couldn’t express any more thanks to my coach and all my teammates for helping me out to get to this point.”

He’s been the Rams’ No. 1 golfer this season. Abbott has elevated his game of late, but he’s been Fenwick’s No. 4 man throughout the fall.

“This is a little bit of a surprise, but I’ve been playing well the last few rounds,” said Abbott, who put up a 43-40—83 score. “I’m glad I shot the way I did today, and I’m glad to move on.”

The top four teams and best four individuals not on one of those squads advanced to the district event at Beavercreek Golf Club on Thursday, Oct. 5.

Alter (312), Oakwood (328), Clinton-Massie (348) and Eaton (353) were the qualifying teams. Individuals joining Noelker and Abbott at district will be Valley View’s Ben Herman (38-35—73), a two-time state qualifier, and Chaminade Julienne’s Andrew Detmer (41-38—79).

Wednesday was a difficult day for Fenwick team-wise. The Falcons missed a trip to district by one stroke.

“It’s an emotional day,” Fenwick coach Joe Wagner said. “You watch them play the first few holes and you think, ‘OK, we might have a shot.’ Then you’re like, ‘No way, we don’t have a shot.’ And then it’s back and forth all day long.”

Andrew Lieb (45-43—88), Zac Hayek (43-45—88) and Patrick Manning (48-47—95) followed Abbott.

“I’m sure everybody out here has one stroke that they could’ve saved,” Wagner said. “It’s disappointing for Andrew the senior. We put up a pretty good score for us. It wasn’t great, but in a tournament like this, scores always go up a little bit. But we’ve improved all year long, so I’m proud of them.”

Can Abbott, a first-year varsity player, make some noise at the district tournament?

“He just needs to get the ball in the fairway and on the green and in the hole,” Wagner said. “He can’t control all the other stuff, so he can’t worry about it. You just do the best you can.”

Abbott said his driver was very effective Wednesday, and the 6-iron is his favorite club.

“The irons were feeling all right, but the driver is what got me in the best position to get mostly pars on the back nine,” Abbott said. “The course was playing pretty tough. The greens were fast, but they’ve always been fast.”

Noelker said the driver is his strength as well, and he was strong off the tee Wednesday.

“I felt like I was in a groove on the back nine,” said Noelker, who will be making his first district appearance. “On the front nine, I was definitely struggling a little bit with that 42. But I had a lot of up-and-downs on the front, so I felt good. It felt smooth.

“I was trying to get mid-70s today, but the greens were a lot faster than I thought they would be. I missed a couple putts that I should’ve made.”

Noelker was more relieved than excited when he found out that his season had been extended.

“I know I can shoot better, so hopefully that happens next Thursday,” he said.

“Andrew played decent on a few holes on the front, but I told him, ‘You’ve got to go low on the back.’ And in Andrew-ish fashion, he shot 38,” Badin coach Tim Dixon said. “As a senior, I’m really proud of him. You couldn’t ask for a better player or person.

“He’s mentally tough and hits the tee ball a long way. When he keeps it in play, he’s hard to beat. I think he can go a long way still. I think he can get to state if he plays the way I know he can.”

Eddie Kammerer (50-46—96), Lucas Nartker (48-48—96) and Will Enderle (44-56—100) also scored for the Rams, who placed 10th as a team.

“Not a bad year for us,” Dixon said. “Today was the way they’ve always been. We were up and down, but we never quit.”

Carlisle was 11th in the team standings and led by A.J. Keeton (46-39—85). Tristan Sipple (43-44—87) topped 13th-place Madison.

Team Standings

Top Four Advance To District

1. Alter 312; 2. Oakwood 328; 3. Clinton-Massie 348; 4. Eaton 353; 5. Fenwick 354; 6. Valley View 354; 7. Chaminade Julienne 356; 8. Brookville 364; 9. Versailles 372; 10. Badin 372; 11. Carlisle 372; 12. East Clinton 373; 13. Madison 377; 14. Preble Shawnee 416; 15. Stivers 467

Top Five Individuals

1. Ben Herman (Valley View) 38-35—73; 2. Jack Norman (Alter) 37-38—75; 3. Keith Mineer (Clinton-Massie) 36-40—76; 4. Adam White (Alter) 41-37—78; 5. (tied) Andrew Detmer (Chaminade Julienne) 41-38—79; Alex Grant (Oakwood) 37-42—79; A.J. Pothast (Alter) 42-37—79

Individual District Qualifiers

1. Ben Herman (Valley View) 38-35—73; 5. (tied) Andrew Detmer (Chaminade Julienne) 41-38—79; 8. (tied) Andrew Noelker (Badin) 42-38—80; 12. (tied) Alex Abbott (Fenwick) 43-40—83

Local Team Results

Fenwick (354): Alex Abbott 43-40—83; Zac Hayek 43-45—88; Andrew Lieb 45-43—88; Patrick Manning 48-47—95; John Luers 46-50—96

Badin (372): Andrew Noelker 42-38—80; Eddie Kammerer 50-46—96; Lucas Nartker 48-48—96; Will Enderle 44-56—100; Ben Brossart 58-50—108

Carlisle (372): A.J. Keeton 46-39—85; Kaden Langdon 44-46—90; Justin Flor 45-48—93; Dalton Smith 55-49—104; Levi Smith 49-62—111

Madison (377): Tristan Sipple 43-44—87; Landon Runnells 46-50—96; Jake Edwards 51-46—97; Carter Kirk 52-45—97; Alex Cecil 55-52—107

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