BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Keystone Heights High School placed 12th out of 12 teams at the Region 2-1A boys golf tournament, which was held Nov. 4 at New Port Richey’s Seven Springs Golf and Country Club.
Every other team in the tournament was a private school — the kind of situation that led to the creation of this year’s Florida 1A Public School Championship, which Keystone won on Oct. 25 prior to the start of the Florida High School Athletic Association’s state-series events.
The Indians, who qualified off their District 5 runner-up finish, finished with an 18-hole team score of 360. Windermere Prep and Winter Springs’ Circle Christian each had a score of 287 to top the field, which also consisted of Orlando’s First Academy, Orlando’s Lake Highland Prep, Lake Mary Prep, Port St. Lucie’s Morningside Academy, Winter Park’s Trinity Prep, Montverde Academy, Spring Hill’s Bishop McLaughlin, Gainesville’s Oak Hall and Melbourne’s Holy Trinity.
Four of those teams were state qualifiers last year, with Lake Mary Prep and Morningside placing fourth and seventh, respectively.
The Region 2 tournament consisted of 71 individuals. Ty Mitzel was the highest finisher for Keystone, shooting an 87 to finish in a four-way tie for 59th. He made par on nine holes.
Nate Bardier and Jacob Beach had scores of 89 and 90, respectively, for the Indians, with Bardier making par on eight holes and Beach making par on four.
Also competing for Keystone were Hunter Sheppard and Will Begue. Sheppard made par on six holes in shooting a 94, while Begue made par on one hole in finishing with a score of 98.
