Oct. 9—BOWLING GREEN — Madison Central had a seven-stroke advantage over Trinity after the opening round of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s state tournament.
The lead didn’t last long once the teams stepped back onto the course at the Bowling Green Country Club on Wednesday morning.
“It disappeared real quick,” Madison Central coach Kyle Congleton said with a laugh.
A couple of holes later, Trinity had surged to the top of the leaderboard.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Congleton said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be handed to us. We struggled all day, honestly.”
The Indians, though, regrouped and battled back to claim a historic victory.
Central shot a two-round total of 596 (+20) and beat out Trinity by four strokes to earn a third-straight state championship. Seth Barker (+3, 147) and finished 10th individually, while Jake Feldhaus (+4, 148) tied for 11th place.
The Indians are only the fourth team to win three (or more) consecutive KHSAA titles — St. Xavier (2014, 2015, 2016), Male (1944-48) and Anchorage (1936-39).
Central’s Tucker Jones shot a +6, 150, and tied for 16th. Senior Radney Bales (+7, 151) tied for 19th and senior Reece Keeton (168) tied for 78th.
Lexington Catholic’s Charlie Spiller (-1, 143) took the individual title, beating out Pikeville’s Cam Roberts and Allen County-Scottsville’s Barton Rutledge in a playoff.
“At the beginning of the day we said, ‘par are our friends,'” Central assistant coach Adam Herald said. “And sure enough, coming down the stretch, these guys rolled in big par puts after big par puts. That sealed the deal.”
The Indians had five double bogeys on the front nine Wednesday — including two on No. 1.
Things started to turn around, however, before they made the turn.
Barker, Feldhaus and Bales all had birdies on No. 9.
“It think it was the first time I hit a fairway all day,” Bales said. “Getting that birdie really did change my mindset. I just knew I was going to get to the back nine and power through it.”
Central was extremely solid on the back nine.
Barker birdied No. 14 and 18 and Bales also had birdie on No. 9.
The Indians had just one double bogey in the final 11 holes.
“Seth had one of the biggest holes of the tournament on 18,” Congleton said. “He had one of the best drives I saw all day. He was probably one of the only guys who had an eagle putt on No. 18. For him to step up and hit those two shots just shows the type of player he is. He knew how big it was.”
Barker and Keeton were part of Central’s state tournament team last season.
Feldhaus had already played in the year-end event three times while at Mason County.
Jones, a transfer from Model Laboratory who had to sit out last season, was making his first appearance at the state tournament. The junior was tied for the individual lead after the first round (-2, 70).
“Jake and Tucker have been two phenomenal pick-ups for this program,” Congleton said.
Bales has been a big part of an amazing run of success. The senior closed out his high school career as a three-time state champion.
“It won’t sink in for a little bit,” Bales said of winning three titles.
The state championship was special for Herald, also.
Herald played at Madison Central — with Congleton — and qualified for the state tournament.
He is in his first season as an assistant at his alma mater.
“It’s been an honor and a joy. This program means a ton to me. We never could get across the finish line when we came here as players. It’s a testament to what coach (Congleton) has done throughout his tenure and the (team’s) work ethic and determination.”
In his nine seasons as head coach at Central, Congleton has won six region titles, while finishing as the runner-up three times. The Indians were also the state runner-up in 2021, finishing just one shot behind Christian Academy of Louisville.
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