Garmoe's 73 helps Prospect tie Barrington
Robert Garmoe already knew what it was like to be a conference champion, having won the Mid-Suburban League individual junior varsity title as a freshman last year.
This season, the Prospect sophomore golfer did it again - but this time on a much bigger stage.
Garmoe fired a blistering 73 - a round that included a 35 on the back nine, the only under-par 9 hole mark of the day by any competitor - to win MSL varsity medalist honors Tuesday on a chilly, windy day at Chevy Chase Golf Course.
The sophomore's stellar round help boost the Knights to a co-title, as Prospect shared the team crown with Barrington.
The Broncos, led by 74s from Tom Calbi and Cole Kempinski, entered Tuesday's MSL tourney with 22 total points based on an 11-0 regular season record - but the Knights bested the Broncos at the meet in Wheeling 301-305 to forge a tie for the overall championship.
Both teams finished with 44 season points. Fremd, whose 321 at Chevy Chase saw the Vikings finish third, also came in third in the overall race.
"Robert has had some good performances this year," said Knights coach Tom Martindale of Garmoe, "but today was a big-time performance."
"I'm just happy my team won," said Garmoe. "I tried to stay focused and calm, not look ahead, and not worry about my score.
"This is one of the highlights of my career."
Tim Lim (76) and Burke Barsamian (81) also added medal winning scores for Barrington, which claimed at least a share of the league title for a second straight year. The Broncos won outright in 2013.
"This was a good day," said Kempinski of the back-to-back crowns. "We didn't have our best stuff , but we were able to grind it out."
The junior added that the conditions at Chevy Chase were not conducive to low scores, thanks to the weather.
"It was cold to start the day," said Kempinski. "A lot of the guys were wearing hats and gloves."
"It was pretty cold," added Fremd senior Matt Doherty, who carded an 82. "But once it warmed up a little, the greens hardened up and got quicker."
"I had a slow start today," said Doherty, "and I just couldn't get back on track. "I thought this course would play a little easier but they had the pins in some tricky positions."
TJ Swan of Prospect tied for second place overall with a 74, while Payton Kim of the Vikings shot 77.
Jon D'Amico of Hoffman Estates finished at 78 to earn a medal, as did Miguel Go (79) of Schaumburg and Joey Dellanina (80) from Prospect.
Also bringing home medals with outstanding rounds of 81 were Joey Batliner of Barrington, Brenden DeSilvia from Elk Grove, Jason Doering and James Feng of Fremd, Prospect's Johnny Bruno, Jimmy Ingolia of Rolling Meadows, and Steve Bukielski and Justin Lorenz of the Saxons.
"The key here," said Elk Grove's Jack McEnroe of the Wheeling links, "is to hit the ball straight. If you don't, you're going to be in trouble."
Tom Broders, Trace Holloway and Matt Weltzen led Palatine by shooting 82 apiece; Buffalo Grove's Connor Burhop led the Bison with an 83, while Matt Crance and Chris Blaha each fired 84 for Conant.
But the day belonged to co-champions Barrington and Prospect, and Knights seniors Grant Gavin and Jack Kavanagh each produced a strong effort to help the Knights winning cause by finishing at 77.
The senior duo has been leading Prospect since day one this fall.
"We got everything we wanted today," said Kavanagh. "All the guys came out and played great golf."
The Knights' co-championship was even more impressive considering their situation this season. Prospect finished with a 10-1 regular-season conference record despite despite playing all their matches as "away meets" due to the fact that their home course, Mount Prospect Golf Club, was closed for renovations.
"I could not be more proud of these kids today," said Martindale. "I'm elated."
"This gives us a ton of confidence," added Swan. "Hopefully we can carry this over into regionals and sectionals."