Parola connects as Mundelein tops Stevenson

First and foremost, Mundelein senior golfer Derek Parola is a baseball player. So it was up to him to find a comparison to an eagle, in baseball terms.

“It’s a home run,’’ Parola said. “Or maybe it’s a grand slam homer.”

Parola waited until the 18th hole on Tuesday at the Arboretum to bring out his big swing.

“It was a long par 5,’’ Parola said. “I hit the ball right into the rough, but I found the ball. And then I hit a low screamer into the bunker and it slipped out. I then chipped in for eagle from about 10 yards.”

Mundelein and Stevenson had already met a few times this season in tournaments, and Stevenson has prevailed each time.

But on Tuesday, it was Mundelein’s turn to leave on a good note. Parola fired a 37. Bret Cigelnik and Ryan Magee added 38s. Mundelein won 155-168 on Stevenson’s home course.

“I don’t think we’ve ever won here, at least while I’ve been here,’’ said Mundelein coach Todd Parola.

Mundelein’s big day was accented by a solid 41 from Bennett Weise.

“We have three guys playing pretty good golf,’’ coach Parola said. “They still need to be a little more consistent. But we need that fourth score and today Bennett came through.”

Cigelnik doesn’t look like the same player when he entered high school. He’s hit one of those sustained growth spurts that he estimates at 8 inches.

“I’m 6-foot-3 or 6-4,’’ Cigelnik said. “It’s been kind of hard adjusting. But my driving, putting and chipping have been OK. My irons are holding me back right now.’’

Cigelnik is enthused about this Mustangs squad.

“We have a lot of depth,’’ he said. “Our top three are really solid. And the next six players can shoot good scores.”

Also playing for Mundelein were Brett Parola (46) and Tyler White (48).

It wasn’t a total loss for the host Patriots. Shooting 41s were Luke Feder, Logan Brim and Jason Gohde. Jerry Pan added a 45 and Kameren Sandhu added a 46.

“I was hitting it straight and avoided the big numbers,’’ Brim said. “I just didn’t convert anything.”

For Gohde, it was about surviving his day.

“I was scrambling out there,’’ Gohde said. “I was battling and trying hard.’’

On Gohde’s second hole of the day, he just missed a birdie.