The Warriors are back at it as they secure yet another win in the Capital City Invite. All five starters for Westside shot under 75 and they finished with a final of 290. The stand out players for the Warriors were Junior Christopher Whittle and freshman Knox Pocras, both shooting a score of 72. Additionally, both junior Trevor Gutschewski and senior Jackson Benge finished with a 73; and finally freshman Tye Treadwell completed his round with a 74. Here they beat Lincoln East by only one stroke and Lincoln Southeast by three strokes. Coach Jered Hellman reflects on the highs and lows of the invitational.

“The regular season is complete, and we now gear up for our three majors: Metro, Districts, and the State tournament,” Hellman said. “We have earned the Number 1 overall seed and have yet to play our best golf as a team.   We are looking to defend our Metro title next week, which would be the first back-to-back title at Metro since 1989-90 for our storied program. We then will play the last “regular season” event, which is a preview of the STATE course at Norfolk Country Club. We will follow that with Districts on Monday, the 13th where we look to win our 3rd district title in a row and punch our ticket to the State Tournament”

Freshman Knox Pocras has had only a little time playing at the high school level. Recently coming off playing the one spot in the Creighton Prep Invitational, Pocras feels like he is in a good spot athletically for it being his freshman year.

“I feel that I played well overall,” Pocras said. “I wish a few more putts could’ve dropped but nothing more. I played a great game especially in the conditions. Weather limited some of the reads I was able to try and get so that made putting difficult. Everything else went really well for me and I am happy with how I played.”

Junior and University of Florida commit Trevor Gutschewski finished with a 73. Gutschewski agrees with his teammate and coach about what this win can lead to down the line.

“It wasn’t perfect,” Gutschewski said. “We had to come together as a team and I think that we were all pretty happy with the final outcome. I think that this win and the upcoming competitions will help up with a run at back to back state championships.”

To every perfect story there are downsides. This day of golf was not completely sunshine and rainbows for the Warriors. High wind and other poor weather conditions made it hard for the players to adequately play. Pocras believes that the team’s preparation however, was adequate.

“I think that the team struggled with the conditions of the weather and course,” Pocras said. “We were all prepared for anything that came our way. With golf you never know for sure what you’re going to get, so you have to be able to adapt to different situations. This week the situation was the weather.”

Looking ahead, coach Hellman thinks that this can help set them up for success in state level play. Team ambitions are high after the Warriors finished first in the state last season.

“This win shows our depth,” Hellman said. “Our five golfers shot 72,72,73, 73,74. This consistency, top to bottom, is what makes us such a talented golf team and one that is tough to beat. The State tournament is our only two-day event of the season, so consistency is vital to defending our title.”

The team will play in the Metro Conference Championships at Benson Golf Course on Wednesday, May 8.