Naperville North tunes up with DVC triumph
There was more than one angle for the contestants at the DuPage Valley Conference boys golf championship on Wednesday at Bartlett Hills.
“It was a good practice round for the (Class 3A Bartlett) sectional,” said Naperville Central junior Peter Mandich, who led his team with a 5-over par 76.
Naperville North, third in state last fall, has been a machine in the league the past three years.
The Huskies entered the tournament with 27 consecutive dual-meet wins and had to completely implode not to win its third consecutive crown.
Wheaton Warrenville South and Naperville Central made a game of it, and a mere two shots separated the three traditional powers.
In the end, though, Naperville North, behind three players in the 70s, won the title with a 310 total; Ohio State-bound WW South senior Tee-K Kelly was the meet medalist with a 72 to anchor the Tigers' 312 total, which was one better than the Redhawks' four counting scores.
“I honestly don't feel like we won,” Naperville North coach Ryan Hantak said. “This team is a lot different than last year's team. They continued the tradition.”
It was the sixth conference championship for Hantak in his 11-year career for the two-time state champion.
Raymond Knoll had his imprints all over the latest Naperville North triumph.
The lone returning starter from the Huskies' reigning trophy unit, the junior, fifth individually at state last year, matched Kelly shot for shot before the Tigers' two-time state qualifier pulled away late.
Knoll was runner-up with a 75; Jake Dunham fired a 76 for the Huskies' second score, with Eric Izzo (79) and Braden Klaisle (80) rounding out the team scorecard.
“It's always a pleasure to play with (Kelly),” Knoll said. “We always bring out the best in each other. I was insanely nervous playing the 18th hole.”
But Knoll had a critical up-and-in to save par and preserve the Huskies' tenuous lead.
“Today was about staying positive,” Dunham said. “I made a lot of pars on the back nine.”
Naperville North would have had to finish fourth or worse for either second-place WW South or Wheaton North overtaking them.
The Tigers' Kelly brothers nearly pulled it off.
Kelly and his freshman brother Will combined for a 149 to solidify the Tigers' standing.
“I was putting (my drives) in good position,” the elder Kelly said. “I had trouble reading the greens. (The 311 team finish) was right around our target zone. I feel pretty good about my game (entering the postseason).”
Naperville Central had its core of Mandich, Tim Lieser and Henry Conforti (matching 78s) to stake its claim.
“We wanted to put up a good number,” Mandich said.
Freshman Matt Winkelmann paced fourth-place Wheaton North (322) with a 77.
“I have been (the low man for our team) once or twice before,” Winkelmann said. “It was just exciting. I was able to get (my short irons) close.”
Kyle Martens' 78 was the low score for West Chicago (346); Greg Ludwig and Guy Marino performed similar tasks for Glenbard East (373) and Glenbard North (380).
It has been a trying campaign for West Aurora this year on the links.
But the Blackhawks' youthfulness did pay off in a small measure as the squad repeated its regular-season dual victories over Glenbard East and Glenbard North to finish sixth overall.
Jonathan Hunecke and Michael Golich each had 88s to lead West Aurora (361).
“I paid attention to the course a little more,” Hunecke said of a possible sectional appearance on Oct. 10. “The rain didn't help (my score). I didn't really play like I wanted to.”
Blake Kauffmann (90), Alex Poissant (95) and Daniel Newhouse (95) were the Blackhawks' other contributors.
“(Our performance was) about what I thought was going to happen,” West Aurora coach Jay Bauer said. “Three-sixty-one has been about what we have averaged (for 18-hole tournaments) the whole year. We're young. Things went about as well as expected.”