What we learned from Southwestern Indiana at the IHSAA boys golf state championship
CARMEL, Ind. — This should go on record as one of the stronger showings from Southwestern Indiana at the state championship in some time.
The IHSAA boys golf season concluded at Prairie View Golf Club on June 18 with some of the best performances in state finals history. And a slew of individuals from the Evansville area were in contention until the closing stretch. The final scoreboard had six in the top 18, including both runners-up.
It’s a fitting conclusion for one of the more talented senior classes in recent memory. Here’s what we learned from the final tournament to wrap up the 2025 season.
Luke Johnston earned a deserved spot in program history
The North standout will want a mulligan on a pair of shots. But one thing was made absolute certain: the Ball State recruit is among the best players in the state.
Johnston shot a 1-under 71 in the final round to finish at 6-under and the co-state runner-up. The senior was tied for the overall lead with two holes remaining before a three-hour weather delay halted his progress. Johnston bogeyed the 17th after hitting a driver into the hazard right of the fairway. Will Harvey of Westfield went birdie-birdie following the restart to win the individual championship at 9-under.
Johnston was dialed in for most of his tournament. He held the overnight lead with a 67 on day one. The senior followed with three birdies on the opening nine during the second round. Johnston is the fourth state runner-up in program history (Jeff Overton, Jason Jones, David Mills).
“I felt like I showed myself this year,” Johnston said. “Especially at state on the big stage. I might have bogeyed 16 and 17, but my 67 was pretty strong. I stayed steady. A lot of messages from friends and family to just go out there and have fun. It was my last time (for North) today. It was fun for sure.”
North struggled on day two as a team to earn fifth at 607. Brody Sorrell shot a final-round 74 to finish tied for 15th overall and earned All-State honors in addition to Johnston. Hank Schreiber, the lone returner in the lineup next year, went 75-81 in his state championship debut.
Regardless of the future, a top-five showing caps another strong season for the Huskies. The program continued lengthy winning streaks in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference, sectional and regional. North coach Keith Bagby, who guided the team for the final team this week, added a second top-five to this era.
“Luke works at it harder than probably any kid,” Bagby said. “He has a passion for the game and highly competitive. He wants to win. He represents our program well. All of these kids do. It’s about our program. I’m proud of the fact that we have a culture at North that has been built. These fine young men know how to act.”
Peyton Blackard cemented his own legacy in the final round
The only item missing for the Gibson Southern senior was success at this level. And did he ever earn it.
Blackard fired a 6-under 66 in the final round to vault up the leaderboard and tie Johnston as the state runner-up. It was a dynamic round highlighted by eight birdies. The Notre Dame recruit went 5-under over his final eight holes, including a chip-in birdie at 14, to post the top score in the clubhouse until Harvey claimed the title late in the day.
Peyton Blackard of @GSTitans1 finishes his day at 6-under at the 88th Annual @IHSAA1 Boys Golf State Finals! pic.twitter.com/bBV0X3MiKm
— Champions Network (@IHSAAtv) June 18, 2025
The change from day one to day two? Blackard made a lot of putts. The only struggles came in the middle of the round with bogeys at 6 and 10. But the rest was near perfection. Not many players in the field could make a run at the title like he did on the back nine.
It is the highest individual finish in program history.
“I kept grinding and giving myself chances,” Blackard said. “It’s all I could ask for to go out that way. Starting the day five back with a lot of good Division I golfers, I knew I had to do something special to try and put some pressure on them. I really did all I could. I’m just super happy with how I played this whole week.”
Castle is the team to beat in Southwest Indiana next season
This was obvious to those who paid attention the past month. It was driven home at the state championship.
Castle finished eighth following a final-round 310. Brayden Lamborne continued to be the Knights’ go-to player with a 71-72 showing at Prairie View. The Ball State commit finished seventh overall at 1-under to earn All-State honors ― it is Castle’s top individual finish since Adam Bratton (fourth) in 2019.
Layne Cunningham posted a final-round 75 to finish tied for 45th overall. Brady Fiester (81), Dylan Welp (81) and Carson Cook (83) also had positive moments in the final tournament of the season. This was the Knights’ best team performance at Prairie View since finishing fifth in 2019.
It also could be a sign of the future. The program has shown incremental progress the past two years: 17th in 2024 and 8th in 2025. Castle returns three starters (Lamborne, Fiester, Cunningham) and welcomes one of the top incoming freshman players around next spring. It’s not a stretch to see the Knights competing for a spot on the podium.
“It’s all about learning and building upon this,” Lamborne said. “I’m happy with the team and excited to see where we end up. I feel like we have the talent to win a state championship, as long as everyone continues to grow as a player and a person. My game is trending in the right way. I tried to stay patient and trust my game.”
This championship will rank among the best in state history
This was an elite effort across the board at Prairie View.
Harvey matched Chris Baker of Brownstown for the lowest individual 36-hole score at 135. It is the best score since the event moved to Prairie View in 2015. Westfield also set multiple team records in winning its first state championship in nine years: lowest 18-hole team score (280) and lowest 36-hole team score (568).
Southwestern Indiana also shined on the biggest stage. North and Castle finished in the top eight. Blackard, Johnston and Lamborne were also joined in the top 10 by Caleb Schnarr of Jasper. The senior had four birdies in his final round to shoot 71 and finish tied for eighth at 1-under.
Grayson Coughlin of Memorial finished 18th with a strong 2-under 70 on day two. The junior had it rolling with seven birdies across his first 16 holes. He will be among the top players in Southern Indiana next season and a candidate to contend should he replicate this effort.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: What we learned from Evansville teams at the IHSAA golf state finals
