West Aurora ends Marmion's city reign
The West Aurora boys golf team looked like a group of expectant fathers as the final Marmion player approached the 18th green at Phillips Park.
There was a lot of pacing going on.
The two-time defending city champion Cadets needed a 77 or better from their seventh man, or the Aurora City of Lights Tournament would crown a new team victor.
One day after dropping a heartbreaking DuPage Valley dual meet to Naperville Central by a stroke, the resurgent Blackhawks were on the other end.
Brandon Vicory and Kyle McCradic had inward-nine level-par rounds of 35 to flavor their second- and third-place individual performances as West Aurora overcame the medalist 71 by the Cadets' Bryce Emory to ease past Marmion 303-304 Wednesday afternoon in Aurora.
"Any time you beat Marmion it means so much," said McCradic, who birdied the par-5 closing hole to card a 75. "I was in the bunker (on No. 18) in two and made the putt from about seven or eight feet."
Vicory would have matched the even-par 71 turned in by three-time individual champion Emory if not for a triple-bogey 8 on the third hole.
But the Blackhawks' No. 1 player turned the near-calamity into a mission, employing a pair of birdies into a second-place 74.
"I tried to go for (the par-5 third) in two," Vicory said of a errant second that ended up out of bounds.
"I've played this course a million times. I knew there were a lot of birdie holes left. I played even par after that."
The two squads have been going full-tilt toward one another since the season-opening Larkin Invite, but this was the first time the Blackhawks had defeated Marmion in head-to-head competition.
West Aurora set a new school record (302) at Batavia last Saturday, but the Cadets were even lower at Fox Valley with a 298.
Jeff Etter added a 77 for West Aurora, and junior southpaw Kurtis Luedtke, coming off a school-record-tying 69 at Batavia, duplicated the 6-over-par total largely courtesy of a front-nine 37.
"It's a surprising victory," said West Aurora coach Jay Bauer. "We're pretty good -- on any given day it proves that adage."
Emory nearly carried the Cadets to victory on his own shoulders, overcoming a 38 on the front side with a remarkable stretch on the back.
The junior began the back side with four pars, only to birdie the 14th and hole out from a bunker on 15 for eagle 3.
One poor swing, however, cost Emory a double-bogey on 16, and a 25-footer for birdie on the last was not quite enough.
"It's bittersweet," said Emory. "It could have been a better three-peat with the team victory. (The double) turned out even more costly than I thought."
David Brouch had a 77 for Marmion, and the Cadets' Luke Kolquist, Brian Hoss and Tim Johnson had matching 78s to complete their scorecard.
"Good for West -- they've been playing well all year," said Marmion coach Jen Konen.
Waubonsie Valley (315) was comfortably in third, while St. Charles resident Jeff Hund paced fourth-place Aurora Central Catholic (334) with a 79. Sean Wear (83) was the low man for Aurora Christian (353).
East Aurora and IMSA did not field teams.
Waubonsie Valley is in the thick of the Upstate Eight Conference race after St. Charles North knocked off Neuqua Valley, the only team to beat the Warriors in league play, earlier this week.
"We know (West Aurora and Marmion) are two teams were going to see in the regional," said Waubonsie Valley coach Dave Owles. "We saw them first hand today. We have some work to do. We've been competitive, but the stakes are getting higher."