Van Buren boys, girls ready for another shot at state

VAN BUREN – Van Buren will be counting on recent history and past history when Rhonda Nye and Eric Heitkamp load up the vans and take their golf teams to Columbus this week for the Division II boys and girls state golf tournaments. Eighth in the Division II tournament in 2020 and 11th last year, Van Buren's girls golf team is making a third straight trip to state. The Black Knights will be teeing it up with 11 other Division II schools Friday and Saturday at the Ohio State University Gray Course. "I'll tell you, every time you go down (to state) it's a learning experience, even for the coach," said Nye, Van Buren's girls coach. "What you're doing. Where you're going. The logistics all work better each time you're down there." Competition in the Northwest Ohio Girls Golf League, along with entry into larger tournaments with bigger schools, has paid off for the Knights, who are coming off their first district title. "We played in a lot of D-I tournaments," Nye said. "As far as the pace of play, in bigger tournaments it goes a little faster. The competition is very good, so the girls aren't waiting around a lot and I think that lets them focus on their game a little more. "We'd much rather play at a quicker pace. It helps you get into a rhythm, because when you have to sit and wait you start thinking crazy." Nye has a blend of veteran experience and youth on her 2022 roster. Claire Recker is the lone senior in the Knights' lineup, but juniors Joslyn Hunt and Maggie Wehrle were on last year's state tournament team as well. "For Claire (Recker), this is her third time (at state). Including practice rounds, this will be like the ninth time she's played that course (Gray Course)," Nye said. "Joslyn (Hunt) has played it at least six times, so we have a good familiarity with the course." Rounding out Van Buren's girls lineup will be two freshmen, Addyson Adams and Emily Bishop. Joining Van Buren in the Division II girls state tournament will be Hopewell-Loudon's team and Upper Sandusky's Liv Gier. Led by a 78 from Marissa Cline, Hopewell-Loudon placed third in the district tournament at Arlington's Sycamore Springs Golf Course. Gier landed a state-qualifying spot as one of the top four scores from non-advancing teams. Gier shot an 82 in that tournament. While Van Buren's girls will be playing the OSU Gray Course, the Black Knights' boys team will be in the Division II tournament on the OSU Scarlet Course. This is Van Buren's first trip to the boys state tournament in six years, but the school has a long and successful history in the sport. The Knights were small-school state champions in 1984 and 1990, and added a runner-up trophy in 2016. Their last appearance at state, 2017, was their 19th overall and resulted in a fourth-place finish. Van Buren qualified for state by posting a 320 team score and placing third and claiming the last advancing spot from the Division II district at Eagles Landing Golf Club in Oregon. Galion (314) and Ottawa Hills (316) placed 1-2. Those three scores were competitively some of the best from Division II district tournaments across the state. Kettering Alter won the Heatherwoode District title with a score of 300; Columbus Academy had a 303 and Jonathan Alder a 309 at the Turnberry District site. Heitkamp also has a top-to-bottom competitive blend of athletes, from seniors Weston Heitkamp and Peter Harrington, to junior Carson Foltz, Van Buren's No. 1 player, to sophomore Isaac Dyer and freshman Ben Heitkamp. Eric Heitkamp said even he was a bit surprised by how it all came together this season. "Because this is our first time being Division II," Van Buren's coach said. "As long as I've been coaching, and when I played, we were always D3. When I heard we were D2, I'm thinking, 'Oh boy, now we're going to go up against the big boys." Despite the difference in grades, Heitkamp says there's a common thread running through his lineup. "You look at Ben. He's a freshman on paper but he doesn't act like a freshman or play golf like a freshman. He's been on a golf cart since he was about 3, and he's very mature, very smart on the golf course. "Dyer is the same way. His dad played, so he's been around golf his whole life. Carson's having just a fantastic season and Peter is one of the most competitive guys around. "I love the makeup of this team. The guys are competitive and they're always encouraging each other to be better." Foltz has been par-fect in post-season play, carding par-72 scores in winning medalist honors in the sectional at Moose Landing and finishing second to a 70 by Archbold's Cahle Roth in the district at Eagles Landing. Weston Heitkamp has averaged 81 in post-season matches, Dyer 85.5 and Ben Heitkamp and Harrington both 91. Eric Heitkamp said the Knights have been taking advantage of excellent weather this week to work on the little things that can make a huge difference on a layout like the OSU Scarlet Course. "We've been practicing a lot of putting and chipping, the short game. As a program, that's one thing we've always worked on a lot," Heitkamp said. "We want to focus on getting ahead of the hole, staying in front of the green, staying short of the bunkers, staying out of trouble. The key is not to compound your mistakes, because that's something the Scarlet Course can certainly do to you."