Neuqua Valley, St. Charles East perfect in UEC

St. Andrews' reputation for its greens being the last line of defense was on ample display for the twin divisions of the Upstate Eight Conference golf tournament Wednesday.

But the speed, vastness and treacherous undulations of the greens did not stop Neuqua Valley and St. Charles East from completing flawless seasons at the boys championships in West Chicago.

Drew Rouches' birdie putt on the second playoff hole against Waubonsie Valley sophomore Jack Troy not only earned the Neuqua Valley senior the individual Valley championship but also served as the anchor score of the Wildcats' championship 313 total.

St. Charles East, meanwhile, crowned four all-conference members with its 318-332 victory over Geneva in the River.

The divisions' two champions completed perfect conference campaigns after combining for a 14-0 regular-season record in league dual meets.

Rouches birdied the eighth hole and added an eagle two holes later as the highlight of his 5-over-par 76.

Troy used a more methodical approach to craft his matching total in regulation.

"There are definitely a lot of tough pins out there," Rouches said of the layout. "I did the best I could to put the ball in the right spot. I went for 2-putts (on my approach shots) because the pins weren't accessible."

Troy was more than gracious in finishing runner-up.

"I was just thinking coming in to try my hardest," Troy said. "It's my first-ever playoff. I'm a sophomore; (Rouches) is a senior. It's better for him (to win) because he's not going to be here next year."

Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie shared six of the seven players to break 80 on the day in the Valley.

The Wildcats' Greg Crowley and Jimmy Roach fired rounds of 78 and 79 to help hold off Waubonsie Valley by 7 shots.

The Warriors' Conrad Esch and Parker Hoffman backed up Troy with the same numbers as their Neuqua Valley second and third scorers.

"We had a mantra of one shot at a time," Neuqua Valley coach Bart Carbonneau said. "All the scores were really high today."

"The boys came into today and really, really wanted to show their heart," Waubonsie Valley coach Eric Flodberg said.

Metea Valley senior Jeremy Forbes' 83 was uncharacteristically high for the Mustangs' top player, but his regular-season dominance in dual play enabled him to win division MVP honors.

David Lipan had a 78 for Metea Valley, which finished at 334.

But the Mustangs maintained their runner-up team finish due to Waubonsie Valley losing four times in the regular season.

Bryce Roberts' 81 paced the 340 team total Glenbard East mustered.

West Chicago was sixth in the River at 358.

St. Charles East coach John Stock has been retired from the classroom for some time, but the veteran mentor continues to rack up conference titles.

The Saints' comfort level at St. Andrews once again came to the forefront with four counting scores between 78 and 81.

"This is my seventh conference championship in my 15 years," Stock said. "A great team effort today. We had five of the top 10 (scores). We had to hang in there."

Ronnie Griggs and Colin Johnson led the way with a 78 and 79; Kyle McWeeney and Daniel Haugen completed the scorecard with an 80 and 81.

Gary King, Griggs, Johnson and McWeeney were the Saints' all-conference selections.

"The course was playing really tough," Griggs said. "There greens were giving a lot of guys trouble. There were a lot of 3-putts out there."

"I thought the (winning) team score would be around 310-ish," Johnson said. "I wasn't thinking of my score that much - just trying to play one shot at a time."

Andrew Abel and Garrett Davis were the leaders for Geneva with an 80 and 83.

"Our scores were a little disappointing," Geneva coach Eric Hatczel said. "The back nine got us as a group. (St. Charles East) earned the win."

Andrew Nelson fired an 82 to lead Batavia; the Bulldogs finished right where they started - behind St. Charles East and Geneva with its 335.

"The pins were fair," Nelson said. "I never putt well here. My speed was just off today."

Michael Staszcuk was the lone all-conference member for St. Charles North, a shot behind Batavia at 336.

West Aurora was seventh in the Valley, but the Blackhawks' Adam Spooner did earn all-conference on the basis of his regular-season dual performances.

Jon and Dan Lenz have literally been the twin stalwarts of the Larkin program for the last four years.

Dan Lenz ballooned on Wednesday, but Jon compensated for his sibling by claiming Player of the Year honors.

Jon Lenz had three late birdies to shoot the low round of the tournament - regardless of division - with his 75.

"I started off kind of steady, then I went through a rough patch where I couldn't stop making bogeys," Jon Lenz said. "I was 7-over-par at one point. I heard there weren't that many good scores out there. I ended up birdieing three of my final five holes."

Larkin finished in fifth place overall with its 350 total.

Despite surging to an 87, Dan Lenz still had the third-most points in the season-long points race for all-conference.

"They have played solid for four years," Larkin coach Tim Jones said of the senior twins. "They have been in the sectional three years (straight)."

Streamwood was seventh in the River with its 370 total.

But the Sabres did have a major consolation prize as Chase Pantle was all-conference after leading the way with an 81.

Brandon Stork was the lone Elgin golfer to break 100 with an 87.

On the Valley side, South Elgin finished in a third-place overall tie with Waubonsie Valley after posting a 341 score.

Ethan Hilderbrandt was the low man for the Storm with an 85.

Bartlett finished 5 shots higher than South Elgin.

The Hawks' JC Grabarek led five scorers in the 80s with his 83.