St. Viator boys, Kaela Klune win ESCC titles
Is there anything that the St. Viator boys golf team can't accomplish?
If there is, the Lions haven't come across that hurdle yet in 2007.
The Lions continued their incredible season, capturing a fourth consecutive East Suburban Catholic Conference championship Thursday at the Traditions at Chevy Chase Country Club despite having one of their top players out.
Junior standout Matt Vitale couldn't play because of a hand injury, but Viator still had plenty of firepower, shooting 303 to best second- place Carmel by 9 strokes.
Sophomore sensation Danny Stringfellow shot 74 for the fourth-place individual medal, classmates Brad Klune (75) and Joe Carlson (77) continued to excel, while senior Matt Crandall stepped up in a pressure situation.
Crandall rose to the challenge by carding a 77 to make a big contribution to the championship.
"This feels really good," said Crandall of his effort in leading Viator to its seventh straight 18-hole tournament victory. "I played my best and kept my cool.
"This course was tough. The pins were tucked back, and the greens were hilly and undulating."
"It (Chevy Chase) played very tough," added Viator coach Jack Halpin. "The tees were back, the pins were difficult -- but it was a fair test."
Another Viator senior, Mike Ferrari, fired a solid 78.
Michael Cermak of St. Patrick was the individual medalist while Benet finished third in the team competition.
"This was a nice win," said Crandall, a Barrington resident who is playing his second full season on varsity. "Now we've got to keep it going (in the playoffs)."
Viator will be at the Buffalo Grove Golf Club in Tuesday's Class 3A Buffalo Grove regional tournament.girl
Klune wins ESCC girls title: In the ESCC girls meet at Broken Arrow, Kaela Klune took medalist honors by 1 shot and led Viator to third place in the tournament and fourth in the overall season standings.
Klune shot a 73 as Viator (335) ended up behind only Fenwick (328) and Marian Catholic (332). The Lions' Abby Dickey was part of a five-way tie for sixth with an 84 and Betsy Mleko took 14th with an 89.