By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – The View at the top has obscured by cloudy scores during Bedford North Lawrence’s recent appearances in the IHSAA state championship, the pinnacle of the campaign.
Prairie View, the host course for the finals, has been an untamable bear, with claws out and teeth snarling, during the last three years for the Stars. If the third time is a charm, the fourth time is routine. And BNL has made the journey to the final stage of the state tournament series a routine rite of passage.
BNL, fresh from an electric victory in the regional, will make its fourth consecutive trip to Prairie View for the 53rd annual state championship on Friday. The Stars will compete for two rounds, seeking improvement in the team standings and individual scores. BNL finished 15th in 2022, 14th in ‘23 and tied for 16th last season. BNL’s best previous conclusion during the first 11 appearances was third in 1977, and the Stars have been in the top 10 six times.
Lucky 7? The Stars, with experience on the tough course during the finals and the prestigious State Preview during the regular season, have their goals set to exceed recent results.
“There’s a joke on this team that I’m never satisfied,” BNL first-year head coach Carly Stigall said with a grin, along with an eye roll from team members. “I’m very proud of these kids for making it to the state finals. But if we end it there, what’s the point? Why don’t we show these teams we’re a lot better than the scores we’ve posted.“
BNL’s average team score during the last six state rounds has been 375.8, and the Stars shot 388 during the State Preview on Aug. 11. There’s a reason for those elevated numbers. Prairie View is longer than typical layouts the Stars play during the year, guarded by heather grass and water hazards. It demands target golf rather than spraying and chasing to recover. That’s where experience will be a key. The intimidation factor, especially for the three veterans at the top of the lineup, should have dissipated.
”We come in with a lot of nerves,” Stigall said. “We’re one of the lower ranked teams coming in, so when we play with some bigger dogs we get a little intimidated. We’re not used to target golf, we’re used to playing missable courses. Hitting targets can be tough, especially at Prairie View. If you don’t hit the target, you’re in a tough situation.
”They know where not to go, they know where it’s safe. There are bigger greens, heather, water. Knowing that is huge. Execution will be how well we can manage the golf course.”
Sammie Nusbaum, the regional medalist at Country Oaks, has been solid there, posting rounds of 85-84 during last year’s state finals and 82 (with a 38 on the front nine) during this year’s Preview. She wants to slay that demon following the injection of confidence from her victory last week.
“It was a boost,” she said. “I have this hunger to beat a lot of people. Most don’t know who I am. Now I have ‘regional champ’ on my name. So I can show them who I am and what I can do.
“I can shoot low up there – but I blew it in my last four holes (in the Preview). I proved to myself I can score. You have to be focused and locked in constantly. Even on the greens, there’s no letting up. There’s no relaxing. It’s the most intense and fun part about it. I expect us to handle our emotions, handle our self control, hit those targets.”
Kinleigh Root is making her fourth straight trip to the finals. She has played the course a dozen times now.
“I’ve played it a lot, so I need to overlook the scores from the past,” Root said. “I have a lot better mental game, and I can put up a solid score. It’s a lot of course, a lot of water and really long (approximately 6,200 yards). But I feel like my game is solid.“
Emma Voris will make her second trip, while Kadynn Canada and Bella Warren will make their finals debuts. BNL matched a school record (accomplished twice by the boys golf team) with its fourth straight state finals.
“It’s super cool,” Stigall said. “We fought so hard, it was a big accomplishment.”
BNL will begin teeing off on the front nine at 9:20 a.m. The final round is set for Saturday.
