WINONA LAKE – No team from northeast Indiana has won the IHSAA boys state golf championship since Warsaw in 2005 and no team from Fort Wayne has hoisted the trophy since Northrop did so in 1984.

This week, Homestead has arguably the best opportunity to end those droughts since they began.

The Spartans are familiar with the state finals stage, having finished second to Westfield last season for the first top-2 showing from an area group since those ‘05 Tigers. They return three players from that team, all of whom placed in the top 40 in the 2025 state finals at Prairie View Golf Club, and are hungry to take the final step of their climb into the ranks of the state’s elite programs.

“There’s no surprises out there,” Homestead coach Mickey Mazock said. “They’ve been in this before, they know what the environment is going to be. These kids know what that course is.

“What it will take for us to get over the top and win the whole thing is we need to hit good golf shots, be in the right spot, be smart, put ourselves below the hole, all that stuff. It’s just golf and execute the plan, that’s it.”

Homestead, ranked second in the final coaches poll in late May, has prepared for its chance at the trophy with a strong postseason that began with a scintillating 278 at the Canterbury Sectional at Chestnut Hills, the fourth-lowest sectional score in IHSAA history.

Holden Orofino and Caden Baker each shot 4-under 68 in that tournament to finish in a tie for second and then Orofino won individual medalist honors at the Warsaw Regional at Stonehenge with a 3-under 68 that was three strokes clear of anyone else in the field.

As a team, the Spartans finished second at the regional, one shot back of champion Plymouth.

“It’s another chance at the championship,” Orofino said of Homestead qualifying for the state finals for the fourth year in a row. “(The regional) was definitely the hardest part of the year and getting out with probably seven schools in contention was very helpful.

“That gives us some confidence. We didn’t play our best and we still were right there. If we put some stuff together, we can get it done (this week).”

Orofino, who will play for Marquette in the fall, is Homestead’s top returning finisher from last year’s state finals, when he shot 75-76 to finish 7 over and notched a tie for 28th.

Junior Landon Snyder, who is committed to play for Indiana, finished tied for 31st at the state finals in 2025 and sixth among all freshmen and sophomores at 8 over. Baker, who will play for Purdue Fort Wayne next season, was tied for 39th at 11 over.

That’s a strong foundation and it helps that the Spartans now have a better idea of how to attack Prairie View, the 7,073-yard, par-72 pride of Carmel.

“You have to play pretty conservative,” Orofino said. “There are a couple holes you can attack, but you have to have that par mentality and if just don’t make the big number you’re going to sit pretty well.

“Last year, we were probably 8 under as a team on the front nine both days and we ended up shooting (22 over) because the back nine really got us. If we can just play a little more conservative, I think we’ll figure it out and eliminate the big numbers.”

The Spartans will have plenty of competition at the top, most notably from Westfield, which also brings back three players from last year’s state championship team, was ranked No. 1 in the final coaches poll, and has finished in the top two four years in a row.

Also in the mix is likely to be No. 4 Guerin Catholic, which bested Westfield to win sectional and regional championships and is looking to reach the summit again after winning consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023.

Out of northeast Indiana, the Spartans are joined by Warsaw, which finished one stroke behind Homestead at Stonehenge to qualify for the finals for the 25th time and fourth since 2019. Tigers standout Breckin Christner is back at Prairie View after finishing tied for 18th at 8 over as a sophomore in 2024.

Qualifying as an individual for the state tournament was Leo’s Caden Matthias, the Northeast 8 conference champion and the medalist at the East Noble Sectional at Noble Hawk with a 3-under 68.

Matthias shot a 2-over 73 at Stonehenge to finish third in the individual standings and secure his fourth straight trip to the state finals. He is one of fewer than 10 players in the senior class that have been to Prairie View in each season of their careers.

“I just love the competition there,” said Matthias, a future University of Indianapolis golfer. “It’s the best players in Indiana so it’s just great to play such a beautiful course.

“I knew I wanted to get to state one last time. I know it’s going to be a little sad just being the last tournament, but I’m just going to take it all in, enjoy this whole next week and enjoy the end of high school golf.”