Shelbyville High School’s boys golf team advanced to the regional round of the IHSAA tournament this year for the first time since 1996, as it finished third in the Greensburg Sectional in June.
The Golden Bears completed the competition behind champion Columbus North and runner-up Columbus East. Shelbyville avenged an earlier season loss to Greensburg by finishing just ahead of the Pirates by two strokes with a score of 326.
Jake Garrison led the Golden Bears’ effort with a 73. Brock Wischmeyer recorded an 83, Eli Baker an 84, DaMiles McDuffey an 86 and Logan Reinhart an 89.
The Golden Bears’ golfers finished 10th in a field of 15 regional participants the following week at Champion’s Pointe Golf Club in Henryville.
The recent boys golf success is reminiscent of the 1990s when Shelbyville golfers claimed four sectional titles and advanced to regional play in seven consecutive seasons from 1990 through 1996.
Eli Baker’s and Jake Garrison’s fathers were SHS golfers during that exceptional period. Jason Garrison and Brian Baker were teammates on the 1991 team that captured the school’s first-ever sectional championship with Garrison shooting a 67.
In addition to winning the sectional, the 1991 Golden Bear team posted nine wins against four losses, finished runner-up in two invitationals and placed 7th in the regional.
In 1991, Shelbyville captured its first boys golf sectional championship. Members of the team were (from left, front row): Tom Stafford, Jason Garrison, Brandon Manning, Matt Shuppert, Aaron Hobbs and John Stafford; (back row) Brian Baker, Aaron McClure, Jim Paulson, John Allen, Vance McQueen, Andy Michel and head coach Jerry Higgins.
Jake Garrison currently serves as Shelbyville boys golf coach.
“Baker was a senior and I was a freshman that season,” said Garrison. “Matt Shuppert, Vance McQueen and Tom Stafford were some other members of the team.
“It is satisfying for Brian and I to see our sons have similar experiences and enjoy success some 32 years after we did.”
The 2023 Golden Bears started the season with a second-place finish at the 18-team Edinburgh Invitational (main photo). Wischmeyer (second from right) led the Shelbyville effort with an 82 and finished sixth overall. McDuffey (far right) had an 83, Garrison (second from left) scored an 85 and Baker (third from left) an 86.
Shelbyville then ran into a series of talented opponents and dropped the next four matches.
“Our schedule was very tough at the beginning,” said SHS assistant coach Doug McDuffey Jr. “All four of those teams we played early advanced to the regionals. We came back to win four in a row and picked up some very positive momentum.”
The Golden Bears recorded another runner-up finish by placing second in the Seymour Invitational and then posted a strong performance at the Hoosier Heritage Conference tournament at Yorktown.
Shelbyville’s No. 2 player Jake Garrison finished in a three-way tie for first place at the conference. He lost a tough playoff tiebreaker. McDuffey believes he has a very bright future.
“Jake was only a sophomore this year and works very hard at his game,” said McDuffey. “I believe he has the potential to be a state competitor before his high school career is complete.”
The Golden Bear assistant coach also lauded the leadership of Eli Baker, the squad’s No. 1 player this year.
“Eli was a senior and was the mature leader that we needed because we were such a young team,” stated McDuffey. “Eli was a four-year player and gave us a sense of stability. Everyone knows how frustrating playing golf can be. Eli really helped us coaches keep everyone calm and steady.”
Baker and Garrison were selected to the 2023 HHC All-Conference team.
Baker, the only graduating senior, will continue his education at Eastern Kentucky University in the fall where he will pursue his goal of becoming a firefighter. He has been working at the Edinburgh Fire Department during the summer.
The loss of only one senior and the emergence of some promising younger players makes for an optimistic prognosis for Golden Bear boys golf.
McDuffey, a three-year letterman, will return as the only senior in 2024. Garrison and Wischmeyer will bring a wealth of experience and success to their junior seasons and sophomores Reinhart (far left in photo) and Kruz Nedderman offer significant promise.
Coaches are also encouraged by incoming freshmen Logan Tobian and Ethan Hughes.
Returning and incoming players have been putting in work this summer to improve their individual games.
“We held practice two nights a week this summer,” said McDuffey. “We should have more depth next season which will be a big plus. We may even have enough for a junior varsity team. We are very excited about the players we have developing.”
This year’s Shelbyville boys golf team produced a stellar season that was inspired by a legacy created some three decades earlier. The work continues with the anticipation of upcoming strong seasons that could very well harken back to the glory days of the 1990s.
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