Bartlett golfers still the best
Like a seasoned fighter, the Bartlett boys golf team rose again after a stinging punch.
"We made a big turnaround since (Monday) night," said Bartlett coach Tom Boyle.
The Hawks were coming off an Upstate Eight Conference loss to St. Charles East, but Mill Creek in Geneva proved to be a perfect tonic for the squad.
With Ryan Oberg leading the way with a 1-over-par 72, the Hawks defended their team title at the Geneva Invitational Tuesday with a 5-stroke victory over Marmion.
Counting five players' scores, Bartlett recorded a 383 as Nick Quagliano (75), Anthony Burdi (78), Trace Pomplun (78) and Andrew McKinley (80) collectively turned back the Cadets.
"Marmion beat us pretty bad (at Larkin) to start the season," said Boyle. "It was nice to beat a team that had already beaten us this year. They (the Cadets) have a heck of a program."
The host Vikings were third behind the 76 from third-man Braden Dalton, while Larkin with individual champion Mike Sainz, via a scorecard playoff against Oberg, was fourth.
"I started off on fire," said Sainz, who followed up a birdie with a second-hole eagle in the shotgun start.
"I just couldn't hit a green on the back side. It was all scrambling."
Scott Harm, Luc Geier and Ryan Smith all broke 80 for the Royals to frame their 394 finish; Streamwood senior Garrett Eddy made it a top-three area finish as he edged three fellow competitors in the tie-breaker with a 74.
Marmion, as usual, was led by its one-two punch of senior Luke Kolquist and junior Bryce Emory.
The two had matching 74s to earn top-five individual berths, and the Cadets' other contributors were Tim Johnson, Robby Whitehead and Brian Hoss with respective scores of 78, 79 and 83.
"I finished 4-over (par) on the final six (holes)," said Emory, who had a flawless outward-nine start with a birdie and 8 pars for a 35. "It was kind of a shaky finish, but that's golf. The wind got much stronger at the end. It was hard to gauge distances."
For Marmion coach Jen Konen, the Cadets' finish was promising after a less-than-desired beginning.
"I had one boy start off 10-over after four holes," said Konen. "(I was) pleasantly surprised by my team. (Kolquist and Emory) have battled back and forth every year for (team) MVP. I like the format. Bartlett was a great score."
The Geneva fortunes were the telltale product of consistency; Dalton barely missed top-10 individual honors due to the vagaries of the scorecard tie-breaker, but teammates Cole Oosthiuzen, Grant Douglas, Braden Thompson and Reese Pagel were right behind the senior to give the Vikings a 389.
Sam Coalson paced the West Chicago fifth-place effort with a 75, and St. Charles North was sixth as its five counting scorers averaged 80 per round.
Matt Schroeder had a 78 to lead the North Stars, and Matt Reams (79), Chris Thomas (79), Greg Wiitanen (81) and Matt Sprengel (85) furthered the Schroeder pace to enable St. Charles North to edge Sycamore, West Aurora and Batavia.
Even with its best player Brandon Vicory at Pebble Beach for a Champions Tour pro-am tournament this weekend, West Aurora managed a quality showing.
Jeff Etter had one of four 74s on the afternoon to pave the Blackhawks' eighth-place showing, and Kurtis Luedtke (78), Cameron Wisniowicz (81), Kyle McCradic (82) and Mark Torres (87) followed suit to give West Aurora a 402 result.
Shawn Steurer was the low man for Batavia with a 78, and Kaneland received a similar role from Curtis Lubic (83).