Boys golf: St. Edward's Mattas Class 1A state champ
BLOOMINGTON — Michael Mattas was beyond grateful to his St. Edward teammates after holding off two players by a stroke to win the individual Class 1A boys golf state championship at Prairie Vista Golf Course on Saturday afternoon.
“This is a team victory,” the Green Wave senior said after using three consecutive birdies on his back nine to ease past Quincy Notre Dame senior Drew Eaton and Urbana junior Varun Chopra for a one-shot win.
“I wouldn't even be here without them,” said Mattas, who had composite rounds of 75-74 for his championship 149 total. “I played my worst round in three years (at the Byron) sectional. If we didn't go as a team, I couldn't have made it individually.”
Mattas would have missed the individual cut at Byron by a stroke with his 84.
“I owe them a lot,” Mattas said of fellow second-day counting scorers Steve Poremba, Jason Allen and Aaron Worf.
Ralph Gierens' triumph for St. Edward in 1965 is the only other golfing state championship in Green Wave program history.
But second-round action also produced heartache for the Green Wave as the team fell a stroke shy of a team trophy when Rock Island Alleman snared the third spot.
Byron defeated Quincy Notre Dame by 13 shots for the Class 1A team title.
At the Class 3A tournament at The Den at Fox Creek, also in Bloomington, Geneva was making its first appearance in the large-division tournament in program history.
The Vikings' only other state appearance came in the Class A championship 26 years ago.
Geneva finished last in the 12-team field as Hinsdale Central edged New Trier and Neuqua Valley for its fourth consecutive state championship.
“Managing expectations coming off two great state series qualifiers (at Larkin and St. Charles East) was the greatest challenge,” Geneva coach Eric Hatczel said.
“(The Den) was fairly new to all of our boys. (State) is all about experience. We're a young team.”
Senior Andrew Abel had an 80 on Saturday to augment his team-best 83 for Geneva in opening-round action.
“The Fox Trap (holes five through seven) gets a lot of golfers here,” Abel said. “That's what hurt me today. I played a tournament here over the summer, (but) it's my first time down here (for the state tournament).”
Freshman Tyler Isenhart ended his first campaign in impressive fashion by closing out his season with an 84. Hudson Traylor and Spencer Monroe had the other counting scores for Geneva.
The Class 2A tournament at the Weibring Golf Club on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal mirrored the single-A championship.
But Will Marshall ran out of holes in trying to duplicate Mattas' feat.
The Kaneland freshman had 4 birdies in a five-hole stretch to start his inward nine, closing to within a pair of shots late in his round.
“He was obviously pretty dialed in,” Kaneland coach Mark Meyer said of the Marshall birdie barrage. “I wouldn't say I was surprised. I have seen him do things like that before. He is very streaky with birdies.”
But first-round leader Drew Miles of North Shore Country Day regained his composure to win the tournament with a 2-under 140.
Marshall had to settle for solo fourth place with his 3-over 147 total.
It was the best showing for a Kaneland male golfer since Milo French was Class AA state runner-up in 2002.