Times two...SCE girls, boys aiming big

The talent has been siphoned off to a second high school, but there never seems to be any dilution of desire in the St. Charles East golf programs.

Veteran coaches John Stock and Rod Osborne have the Saints' boys and girls golf squads undefeated in their Upstate Eight Conference River Division dual matches, and the teams' four combined tournament victories come as no surprise after each qualified for its state tournament last fall.

"Probably the one common denominator has been kids who want to work hard, kids who want to get better," said Stock, who has directed the Saints' boys to 122 dual-meet victories, four conference championships and four downstate appearance since Rob Prentiss took over the nascent program at St. Charles North following St. Charles' split.

"I think (the players on both teams) feed off each other, and they feed off themselves," said Osborne, the hall of fame girls coach with two state titles on his resume. "That helps both of us have a past history that is good."

Both programs surged out of the gates; the boys team shattered 300 at Geneva to start the season to finish runner-up and followed with invitational triumphs at Limestone and Barrington.

The girls did likewise, opening the season with a razor-thin win at Barrington and later adding another team title at Hersey.

To further the analogous relationship, there is no questioning the teams' senior leader.

Bothered by his putting all season, Jordan Wetsch took a lesson Tuesday afternoon as his teammates easily defeated Larkin and Streamwood in league action.

Wetsch has been otherworldly since last spring; the senior blazed the summer circuit with a disdain for the heat, humidity and interminable rainfall in securing a lofty status.

The results cannot be denied.

"Jordan Wetsch is going to play big-time Division I golf," Stock said, underscoring the disproportionate importance the summer season has vis-à-vis the traditional high school campaign.

But, as a famous play title fan appreciate, a funny thing happened on the way to the forum.

Wetsch is collectively 1-over par for the season but vows he could be playing much better if not for a suspect short stick.

"I haven't had spectacular rounds like I did last year at Chevy Chase (the Wheeling Invitational), where I was like 67," Wetsch said. "If you keep getting it around par, eventually it will happen."

Wetsch is adamant, however, that all the summer glory cannot replace the sense of fulfillment team success engenders.

"You get in the groove, and almost every tournament is the same," Wetsch said of his summer bounty. "Towards the high school season, you're thinking more of the team."

The Saints' girls squad is always uppermost in the mind of four-year starter Nicole Rae.

With Rachael Edwards and Jenny Niemiec playing indispensable roles the last two years, the Saints' top player, who opened the season with a career-best 76 at Barrington, is well aware of her primary responsibility.

"Last year I kind of got a taste of what it was going to be like," Rae said of assuming the team leadership role. "Every day I try to play my best and have a solid score all the time in case some of the other girls don't play so well. I have definitely played my best in my fourth season (on varsity)."

"(Rae) knows exactly what a senior leader should do," said Osborne, whose squad is 8-0 overall this fall and 5-0 in the league.

The similarities do not end with programs' top player.

On the boys side, Jon Woods and Nate Esler return from state experience; Kate VenHorst and Paige Jordan are state veterans for the Saints' girls team.

Questions entering the season have largely been answered.

"That was my concern entering the season," Osborne said of the combination of graduation losses and inexperience at the lower levels. "(Rae, VenHorst and Jordan) were the three I thought would be pretty solid."

Osborne has six players - Darby Crane, Anna Daley, Tori Tolbert, Corey Guckien, Jane Noelker and Meenakshi Bhatia - vying for the final three conference and postseason positions.

Stock has a very similar dilemma.

Nick Maze, Sean Lenchner, Michael Heithoff, Stephen Osland and Eddy Hribar all have aspirations for filling out the Saints' six-man, end-of-the-season roster.

Stock has admitted his squad has not been sharp recently.

"I wouldn't say we're in a big rut," Stock said of the Saints' uncharacteristic poor finish at the Batavia Invitational last week. "It's not October yet. There are lots of distractions. It happens in all the fall sports. We kind of have to find ourselves for the last big push. We're not playing poorly, but we're not playing as well as we did at the start of the season."

One thing is for certain as the golf season heads into its second half: the St. Charles East boys and girls teams can never be counted out.