It was at dinner last year after another district disappointment that the Lutheran West golf team’s dream of making the state tournament morphed into something else altogether.

That’s when it became a mission.

“We said, ‘There’s no way we’re going to come down and fall short again,’” said Longhorns senior and tri-captain Louie Durban. “We made it our goal. Over the winter and summer we worked for it.”

The work paid off, obviously, because on Friday and Saturday at Northstar Golf Club in Sunbury, the Longhorns — senior captains Durban, Nick Blackburn and Ben Lehrke and juniors Mike Clum and Jared Fristik — will tee it up at the 40th annual boys Division II state tournament.

It’s no surprise to veteran Longhorns coach Karen Wittrock that this talented group is the second in school history to make it to state, and that they did it in the school’s first season in Division II. (Wittrock’s 2003 team finished ninth in Division III.)

“We knew right away when they were freshmen,” Wittrock said of the high expectations that accompanied Blackburn, Durban and Lehrke’s arrival at Lutheran West. “We knew we had something special. They’ve had that (making state) as a dream all four years. It’s something they’ve worked to do. They’ve worked so hard for this.”

Not that hard work is always enough. While hard work had bought Wittrock’s three four-year varsity players conference and sectional titles every year, it hadn’t been good enough in three previous district tournaments. The toughest to take was last season when the Longhorns finished third, just four strokes shy of making state.

Then again, maybe that was just the slap in the face the Longhorns needed.

“We felt really bad last year since we didn’t make it,” said Lehrke, who lives in North Ridgeville. “We made it our goal that we’d make it this year. All of us worked hard over the summer.”

It wasn’t that they hadn’t worked hard in summers past. It was just a different level of dedication this time. Blackburn, Clum and Fristik are primarily golfers, but even Durban and Lehrke, who also play basketball for the Longhorns, dialed up their golf intensity another notch.

“We played the same amount of golf,” Durban said, “but our work ethic was better.”

The dividends have shown all season. The Longhorns have won six tournaments, including the Patriot Athletic Conference, sectional and district, while breaking school records for low nine-hole score (141), 18-hole score (298) and most wins in a season.

And they’re a confident group, especially after playing a beefed-up schedule that had them squaring off with some of the best teams in the area and state.

“We’re pretty confident,” said Lehrke, who was medalist at the PAC and sectional tournaments. “We’ve played well all year. We’ve beat about every team we’re about to face at least once.”

The Longhorns also bring the lowest district score to state, their 307 at a tough Windmill Lakes Golf Club two shots better than defending champ University School, which played in the same district tournament. Next best is the 314 shot by Chagrin Falls, also out of the same district, and Dayton Oakwood, which won the Southwest district title.

“I think we have a good shot at winning,” said Blackburn, a Westlake resident who was individual runner-up at district. “We just can’t let our heads get in the way. Since this is our first time in the state tournament, we may get a little nervous. Hopefully, it will pass quickly.”

It’s not just the seniors, either. Clum won the PAC tournament last year and Fristik has been steady all season. All five players average between 78 and 83 for 18 holes.

“We have probably the most depth we’ve ever had,” Blackburn said. “We have a lot of balance.”

They’ll also have some familiarity with their surroundings. Each member of the team has played Northstar, a new state tournament site, at least twice and they’ll get another practice round in today.

They’ll also be comfortable with each other. This is a team that gets along on and off the course.

“They’re a close group,” Wittrock said. “They have fun together. They do things together other than just golf. I think that’s made the team special. They’re happy for each other. I don’t see a lot of jealousy or stuff like that.”

“We’ve pretty much grown up together since the eighth grade,” Lehrke said.

Durban believes that’s a definite plus.

“I really like that we have such great camaraderie,” he said. “This year we have a different attitude. When someone plays bad, it’s not a big deal. Everybody pushes each other in a good way.”

Which just leaves one thing left to do … play.

“We’re treating it like a normal tournament,” Lehrke said. “We’re making it our goal to win and have fun while we’re here because it’s a great experience.”

Contact Kevin Aprile at 329-7135 or kaprile@chroniclet.com.

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