Boys golf: Scouting Lake County

ANTIOCH

Coach: Jeff Moxley

Returning golfers: Cody Albrecht (Sr.), Andrew Gagnon (Sr.), Dillon Kreutzer (Jr.), Jason Mrkonich (Jr.)

Season outlook: Grant Smith shot a 76 at the regional last season, but both he and fellow sectional-qualifier Eric Pascual have graduated. Coach Jeff Moxley does return some experienced golfers. Seniors Cody Albrecht and Andrew Gagnon and juniors Dillon Kreutzer and Jason Mrkonich have been on varsity the last two seasons. They were the Sequoits’ top four scorers in Thursday’s season-opening Woodstock invite at Plum Tree National in Harvard. Kreutzer shot 86, while Albrecht and Mrkonich carded 91s. Gagnon came in with a 94.

CARMEL CATHOLIC

Coach: Jay Hoffmann

Returning golfers: Jackson Wietecha (Sr.), Jared Moore (Jr.), Nick Tasch (Sr.)

Newcomers: Carter Wietecha, Jack Lake, J.T. Pitts, Chris Amato, Ben Kloss

Season outlook: Recently retired Lake Forest principal Jay Hoffmann, a Carmel alumnus, is coaching the team in place of longtime coach Jim Nolan, who’s taking a medical leave. The Corsairs went undefeated in East Suburban Catholic duals last year, finished second in the conference meet and placed second in the Class 3A Lake Forest regional at Lake Bluff Golf Course. Jackson Wietecha, Jared Moore and Nick Tasch return from that sectional-qualifying squad. The Corsairs (323) finished sixth in Saturday’s Warren invite at Bittersweet. They were led by Wietecha’s 79. Tasch and Moore shot 80 and 81, respectively, while Carter Wietecha had an 83. Jack Lake (85), and J.T. Pitts (88) also carded sub-90 rounds.

GRANT

Coach: John Eiduke

Returning golfers: Austin Basala (Sr.), Tyler Corcoran (Sr.), Joe Henningsen (Sr.), Pat Nesterowicz (Sr.)

Newcomers: Chris Bautista (Sr.), Brandon Halleck (Jr.), Kolton Kretschmer (Jr.), Mitch Meier (Jr.), Joey Paret (Jr.), Sam Saghafi (Jr.), Collin Uyttebroeck (Jr.)

Season outlook: The Bulldogs boast several golfers who earned varsity tee times last year. “Hopefully our returning players and our newcomers will be able to focus on the challenges at hand, maintain that focus and take one shot at a time,” said coach John Eiduke, who’s in his 14th season. “If we can do that, we will make progress and have a fun season.”

GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL

Coach: Jim Mazzetta

Returning golfers: Kyle Reynolds (So.)

Newcomers: Cooper Brunk (Fr.), Connor Fitzgerald (Jr.), Michael Murdy (So.), Matt Reed (So.), Josh Schneider (Jr.), Tommy Triggs (Jr.)

Season outlook: The Rams advanced to the sectional for the second year in a row and third time in four seasons last fall. They return only sophomore Kyle Reynolds off that squad, which graduated Tanner Hermes, Kyle Balling, Dan Choi, Dan Reed and Tommy Hutchings. “We hope to continue growing our program and build on the success we have had in the past,” coach Jim Mazzetta said.

GRAYSLAKE NORTH

Coach: Tim Hough

Returning golfers: Christian DiBerardino (Sr.), Kyle Sagendorph (Sr.), Scott Wonsil (Sr.), Fox Hobart (Sr.), Ryan Gross (Sr.)

Newcomers: Gage Winters (Sr.), Kyle Baker (Jr.), Adam Baker (Fr.)

Season outlook: The Knights have reason for optimism after coach Tim Hough reported they had their best turnout ever. Hough believes the high number of players should lend itself to some good competition among the squad members this season. Christian DiBerardino (2012 sectional qualifier), Kyle Sagendorph, Scott Wonsil, Fox Hobart and Ryan Gross are all veterans. The newcomers include brothers Kyle and Adam Baker. “The team will feature more experience and more depth this season,” Hough said, “which hopefully hope will translate into more victories.”

LAKES

Coach: Justin Cooper

Returning golfers: Mike Barry (Jr.), Jackson Shulty (Sr.), Jeff Cherry (Sr.), Connor Fitzgerald (Sr.)

Newcomers: Joe Sisk (Sr.), Ian Nuxoll (So.), Andruw Whitis (So.)

Season outlook: Justin Cooper takes over as the Eagles’ coach and has some talent to work with. Mike Barry qualified for the sectional last fall. “We are looking to compete for a team regional championship with a very talented and experienced group of golfers,” Cooper said. “Mike Berry should be our No. 1 golfer most of the year, having made some significant improvement to his game during the off-season. We should be competitive all season, hopefully peaking at the right time.” At Antioch Golf Club this past week, Barry shot a 36 and was the only golfer to break 40, as the Eagles carded a winning 177.

LAKE ZURICH

Coach: Terry Geoghegan

Returning golfers: Jacob Edwards (Sr.), Brent Rogers (Sr.), Aman Roy (Sr.)

Newcomers: Sean Baldwin (Jr.), Matt Clarkson (Jr.), Scott Finley (So.), Tommy Greco (Jr.), Teddy Noll (Jr.)

Season outlook: The Bears look to compete in an always competitive North Suburban Conference, but will do so without their best player from last season. Adam Schulte earned a state berth in his senior year after qualifying for the sectional in a breakout junior campaign. Veteran coach Terry Geoghegan’s returnees include seniors Jacob Edwards, Brent Rogers and Aman Roy. In Lake Zurich’s season opener Thursday at Plum Tree National, Roy fired a team-best 88, as the Bears (361) tied for seventh. They also counted the scores of junior Sean Baldwin (90) Rogers (91) and junior Teddy Noll (92). Edwards and sophomore Scott Finley each shot 93.

LIBERTYVILLE

Coach: Sean Matthews

Returning golfers: Billy Knutson (Sr.), Matt Reed (Sr.), Bobby Snader (Sr.)

Newcomers: Tad Carlson (Sr.), Jack Lipp (Sr.), Matt Cordan (Jr.), Chris Akers (Jr.)

Season outlook: The Wildcats advanced four individuals to the sectional last year. Peter Henderson and Dinilo Sutic graduated, but Bobby Snader and Billy Knutson return for their senior year, as does three-sport athlete Matt Reed. Basketball star Jack Lipp looks to show that he can make shots on a golf course, too. Veteran coach Sean Matthews appears to have a strong group. “We are a little top heavy with seven out of our nine golfers on the varsity that are seniors,” Matthews said. “We are hoping for those seniors to step up and lead the team. They have the ability to perform well and we should be in all our matches this year. We have some good, young players on our JV that should help us in the near future.” Reed’s 81 was the Wildcats’ best score in their season opener at Willow Glen last Monday. Libertyville (332) placed second among four teams. All seven Wildcats — Reed, Jason Eick (82), Lipp (84), Knutson (85), Snader (85), Joey Nedland (86) and Tad Carlson (87) — broke 90. On Saturday, the Wildcats (327, eighth) received a team-best 78 from Knutson in the Warren invite at Bittersweet. They also counted the rounds of Reed (81), Lipp (83) and junior Matt Cordan (85).

MUNDELEIN

Coach: Todd Parola

Returning golfers: Derek Parola (Sr.), Bret Cigelnik (Sr.), Jeff Lee (Jr.), Bennett Weise (Sr.), Cullen Kobayashi (Sr.), Matt Cushman (Sr.)

Newcomers: Ryan Magee (Fr.), Tyler White (Fr.), Brett Parola (Fr.), John Lentz (Jr.)

Season outlook: The Mustangs seek a “3-peat” in the North Suburban Conference, and coach Todd Parola acknowledges they “should be solid” with a group that includes his son Derek (a three-sport athlete), returning state qualifier Bret Cigelnik and freshman Ryan Magee. Junior Jeff Lee was a member of the Mustangs’ sectional-qualifying squad last fall. Cigelnik is a four-year varsity player, while Derek Parola is playing his third varsity season as a member of his dad’s squad. “We’re looking for a mix of older guys or young guys to fill the rest of the lineup,” Todd Parola said. The Mustangs graduated a strong senior class that was led by veteran Grant Heelan.

STEVENSON

Coach: John Rueth

Returning golfers: Jerry Pan (Sr.), Logan Brim (Sr.), Chris Krebs (Sr.)

Newcomers: Kamaren Sandhu (Fr.), Kevin Chin, Jason Gohde (Jr.), Seth Gunmundson (Jr.), Luke Feder (Jr.)

Season outlook: The Patriots lost a great deal of experience from last year’s team, including state qualifiers Reed Aren and Jack Spellman. Senior Jerry Pan has the most varsity experience on the team. He was on the sectional-qualifying team two years ago and helped the Patriots win the Class 3A St. Viator regional last fall at Old Orchard Country Club. Coach John Rueth said many of his players worked hard on their games and entered many tournaments this summer. “Consequently, all the players on this year’s team made great progress over the summer,” Rueth said. “On that note, we have the ability to play well. However, consistency may be the issue.” Rueth said he expects juniors Jason Gohde, Seth Gunmundson and Luke Feder to be major contributors. Rueth calls freshmen Kamaren Sandhu “an excellent player with outstanding maturity who will be a major factor in the team’s success.” In their season opener last Monday, the Patriots won the Rolling Green Country Club invite, hosted by Hersey. They shot 292, with Pan and Feder firing 71s, Sandhu shooting 74 and Gohde carding 76. “We will see if we can keep it going throughout the season,” Rueth said. Led by Chris Krebs’ 78, the Patriots (315) finished fifth in Saturday’s Warren invite at Bittersweet. They got 79s from Pan, Gohde and Feder.

VERNON HILLS

Coach: Shawn Healey

Returning golfers: Ricky Schmidt (Jr.)

Newcomers: Justin Park (Fr.), John Goehrke (Sr.), Bo Manso (Jr.), Stephen Levine (Jr.), Ty Chong (Jr.), Danny Furie (Jr.)

Season outlook: The Cougars graduated eight of their top nine players off a squad that won a Class 2A regional championship last fall. Gone from that victorious squad at White Deer Run are Russell Hutson, Chris Edwards, Connor Dickman, Eric Swanson, James Roussel and Patrick Quinn. Coach Shawn Healey said his 2013 team will rely on freshman Justin Park and junior Ricky Schmidt, who played a few matches last season, to lead a talented but inexperienced group of first-timers. Park got his high school career off to a great start, earning medalist honors with a 79 at Willow Glen last Monday, and then shooting a 77 at Glendale Lakes on Tuesday. “We hope to be a much better team at the end of the season,” Healey said, “than we are at the beginning.”

WARREN

Coach: Mike Wittes

Returning golfers: Jack Hansen (Jr.), Mike Balla (Sr.), Jason Sachs (Sr.), Shane Roberts (Sr.), TJ Collins (Sr.)

Newcomers: Matt Moran (Jr.), Mitch Ryan (Jr.), Josh Winkler (Jr.), Carter Wood (Jr.), Mike Spangler (Jr.), Luke Maan de Kok (Jr.), John Snediker (Jr.), Matt Allen (Jr.)

Season outlook: Junior Jack Hansen earned a Class 3A sectional berth last season for the Blue Devils, who graduated fellow sectional qualifiers Chris Oberto and Kyle Kane. “I think we will be competitive in a very tough conference,” coach Mike Wittes said, “especially if the juniors improve like I think they will.” The Blue Devils opened their season by winning a four-team invite at Willow Glen last Monday. Warren (328) received an 80 from Hansen, an 81 from junior Mitch Ryan, an 83 from junior Josh Winkler and an 84 from senior Jason Sachs. Junior Matt Moran (86) also broke 90 for the Blue Devils. On Saturday, Warren (374, 11th) was paced by senior Shane Roberts’ 86 in its own invite at Bittersweet.

WAUCONDA

Coach: Lee Oler

Returning golfers: Austin Wray (Sr.), Brad Efflandt (Sr.), Mike Gertz (Sr.), Mitch Sharkey (Sr.), Annette Yandall (Jr.)

Newcomers: Brian Nee (So.), Patrick Adams (Jr.), Alex Brannick (Jr.), John Keblusek (Sr.)

Season outlook: Seniors Austin Wray and Brad Efflandt, along with the amazing Annette Yandall, look to lead the Bulldogs. A junior who plays with the boys golf team because Wauconda does not have a girls program, Yandall often has her score count in matches against the boys. Last year, she was the North Suburban Conference girls runner-up to state champ Stephanie Miller of Stevenson. “She’ll probably be my third-best player,” coach Lee Oler said. “On the last day of tryouts she shot a 41 and the other two (boys) shot 43s.” The Bulldogs may lack a dominant player, but they have solid golfers. “I’ve got 4-5 kids that can shoot, potentially, in the low 40s,” Oler said, “or occasionally a 39.”