The Lutheran South boys golf team will not make its first trip to the state championship since 2003 after all.
The Lancers will not compete as a team next Monday and Tuesday at Silo Ridge Golf Club in Bolivar.
That was not what they were told Wednesday when they walked away from the Class 3 Section 2 tournament at Aberdeen Golf Club in Eureka.
Lutheran South and six individuals were told their scores put them through the sectional and into the state tournament.
However, upon reviewing the results Thursday morning the Missouri State High School Activities Association realized a scoring error occurred.
Priory, not Lutheran South, was the second-place team and thereby the second qualifier to the state championship. Westminster won the sectional championship and the first bid into the event.
Priory, which did not advance as a team from its district tournament, qualified four individuals to the sectional. Under MSHSAA guidelines a school that qualifies four individuals is allowed to compete at any tournament, from districts to state, as a team.
Priory and its four players scored 332. Lutheran South shot 347.
“I’m not sure if there was a misunderstanding of the rules,” MSHSAA assistant executive director Tim Thompson said.
The best two teams and top 15 individual scores not on qualifying teams advance to the state championship.
Because of the initial error, the top 15 individuals allowed into the state tournament changed. Six individuals and two players from Lutheran South were told Thursday they would not be packing their bags for the state tournament.
“As the assistant executive director it is my duty to inform the school and the athletic director,” Thompson said. “We feel badly for all those it has affected.”
Left out of the state championship tournament are Hannibal’s Charlie Baumann, John Burroughs’ Michael Epsten, Warrenton’s Mikal Harpster and Ethan Luecke, Moberly’s Mark Loeber and St. Charles’ Adam Minter. All six shot 85, 13 strokes over par.
Lost from Lutheran South’s team bid were Steven Piedimonte and William Tyler Brown.
Lutheran South athletic director Mark Probst was unhappy with how things shook out.
“If you put on a sectional by MSHSAA you have to follow the rules,” Probst said. “If you have questions you have to follow the rules.”
Burroughs, the host school, was responsible for the sectional tournament. This is the first year for a sectional golf tournament. Teams and individuals in the past have qualified for state straight from the district round.
Thompson said that in his three years with MSHSAA it is the second time a scoring error has occurred and been caught after the fact.
“It is very, very unfortunate,” Thompson said. “There were several coaches, student athletes and families that were hurt by this.”
Burroughs athletics director Peter Tasker did not return a call seeking comment.
Warrenton coach Rich Barton called the situation a "kick to the gut" and, "one of the worst things in 25 years in teaching and coaching" he's ever come across.
Harpster is a senior and Luecke is a freshman.
"I had to look in those kids' eyes and tell them they're not going," Barton said.
St. Charles coach Greg Gibson had a similar conversation with Minter, a senior, after school on Thursday.
"From a coaching standpoint I totally understand that we're human and we make mistakes," Gibson said. "I guess my biggest problem with it was people had left the course and they had already been told (the initial results). Tim Thompson from (MSHSAA) told everybody this was a correctable error."
Added Barton: "We're talking about great kids from across the area and eight kids not able to play at the state tournament, something they've worked so hard for and thought they had. Hopefully there's a lesson to be learned somewhere and hopefully the state looks at that and clarifies it better. I hate that it happened and the way it worked out. Just an unfortunate situation."
If there's one common thread between the three local golfers that missed out and their reaction toward hearing the disappointing news, it's that they all handled it with dignity, both coaches said.
"To have that happen to him his senior year is very upsetting," Gibson said of Minter. "But he handled it with sportsmanship and class like nothing I've ever seen. He didn't blame anybody and in fact said that if he had shot a couple strokes better (he may have qualified anyway). The way he handled it is something I'll never forget.
"Sometimes life's not fair but in the scheme of things looking back on it, there are a lot worse things that can and have happened. We'll move forward, but I don't want that to be the end all be all. We're playing in the Troy tournament (on Tuesday) so hopefully we'll go out and have some fun on our last day and have good memories of the season."
Greg Neunuebel provided information for this story.
