Tough day for champs

Being a conference champion ended up being the kiss of death Tuesday at Mill Creek in Geneva.

The inaugural Class 3A Geneva boys golf regional featured four conference champions, but Benet had all the components in place for a result a quarter-century in the making.

The Redwings' John Callahan and Don Maag toured Mill Creek with 2-over-par 73 rounds to anchor the squad, while Will Feldman and Mike Kenning had matching 78s to put the exclamation on the first regional championship for the program since 1982.

With its 302 winning effort, Benet advances to the Naperville Central sectional on Monday at Naperbrook Golf Course.

Waubonsie Valley (309) edged Batavia by a stroke for second, and the two schools also sent their entire six-man lineups to next week's sectional.

"The number is not an anomaly," said Benet coach Dan Nagis. "It's been the norm for us. We stumbled a little bit in the conference tournament, but we've been playing well all year."

The gusting southerly winds that buffeted Mill Creek provided a metaphorical study in contrasts.

Geneva, Marmion, West Aurora and Neuqua Valley captured their respective league titles, but none advanced as a team.

On an individual level, brilliant outward-nine scores were an entirely different matter for several players; there were also equally dramatic reversals for others.

But in the end it was Benet in the much-dissected elite 10-team field that emerged with the championship hardware behind Callahan and Maag.

West Aurora senior Brandon Vicory matched their 73s to force a three-man playoff, and the Blackhawks' top gun abruptly ended the race for top individual honors with a first-hole birdie.

But the Redwings' pair was still basking in the spotlight.

"This course has so much trouble," said Callahan, who had a level-par 36 coming in to complement an outward 37. "I just avoided mistakes the entire day -- that was the key to my round today."

For Maag, slicing 14 strokes off his East Suburban Catholic Conference tournament performance was equally rewarding.

"I had a good start through the first five holes and kept my focus," said the Naperville resident. "I was definitely upset about the 87 (at Chevy Chase, where the Redwings finished second behind St. Viator)."

The disastrous Upstate Eight Conference tournament by Waubonsie Valley last Thursday was a distant memory; the Warriors advanced to the sectional for the first time in four years behind Paul Asheim and Matt Nied.

The latter fashioned composite nine-hole scores of 37-38 for a solid 75, but it was Asheim who carried the day for Waubonsie Valley down the stretch.

After opening in 5-over 40, the senior fired a bogey-free 34 on the inward nine to anchor the Warriors' fortunes with a 74.

"I found consistency," said Asheim. "I just relaxed and hit the shot I was most comfortable with. We got to focus more on shot selection and shot-making."

"Everybody was disappointed at conference to play that poorly," said first-year Waubonsie Valley coach Dave Owles, whose team also received a 78 from freshman Josh Stefanski and an 82 by Chris Gregg. "It's on to Naperbrook. Scores were much higher than anyone could have guessed."

Neuqua Valley, which had at-large qualifiers in Stephen Powers (75) and Matt Nied (77), was fourth at 317.

Suyi Tongo survived the 79 individual cut for fifth-place Naperville North with a 78, and Naperville Central senior Grant Bishop also advanced.

Steve Skurla paced Wheaton Warrenville South with an 81.

The trend of conference runner-ups vanquishing their league rivals reached its apex when Batavia topped the host Vikings, despite enough fluctuations to cause plenty of consternation.

Batavia junior Shawn Stuerer blazed an outward-nine 33 for the Bulldogs, but the capricious winds on the back nine sent his score soaring to a 43.

James Henkelman and Tim Schofield came to the forefront for Batavia.

Henkelman had a back-nine run of five consecutive 3s to offset back-to-back closing bogeys, finishing with a 74 that immensely helped the Batavia cause.

"I was hitting everything straight," said Henkelman. "I hit around 60 percent pitching wedges (during the run of 3s) real close."

Henkelman corrected a flaw mid-round -- "I was overextending my back swing" -- and Schofield took his cue.

The Western Sun Conference champion duplicated the inward-nine 36 by Henkelman to post a 79, and the Bulldogs were sectional bound when Kyle Ewert and Collin Huber had matching 81s.

"We put some good nine-hole scores together," said Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker.

DuPage Valley Conference champion West Aurora was seventh with a 324, but the Blackhawks not only had the individual low performance by Vicory for solace; DVC champion Kurtis Luedtke had a thrilling conclusion to advance as well.

Vicory was 2-under on his round after a birdie at No. 14, but the senior followed a miscue at 15 with a triple bogey at the treacherous 16th.

"I just tried to make par-par coming in, which I did," said Vicory.

The Blackhawks' three-time sectional qualifier drained a 12-footer on the first playoff to turn back Callahan and Maag.

"I was hitting the ball so well and making some putts," added Vicory.

Luedtke, meanwhile, overcame three out-of-bounds tee shots to close with 3 birdies over his final five holes to post a 78.

"It was one of those days off the tee, but my putting really saved me in the end," said Luedtke.

Braden Dalton paced sixth-place Geneva with a 75 as the junior birdied a pair of front-side par 3s to go out in 34.

For Suburban Catholic Conference champion Marmion, junior Bryce Emory snared one of the two final at-large berths with a 79.

Geneva resident Luke Kolquist ended his stellar four-year career with the Cadets with an 81.