C-G nips Jacobs for Charger Classic title

Homecoming was no distraction for Cary-Grove and Jacobs.

Ignoring the fact that both schools had homecoming dances just hours after the two teams teed off at Saturday's Charger Invite at Randall Oaks, Cary-Grove shot a 298 and Jacobs went 301 to finish first and second, respectively in the 24-team field. It was the 35th annual Charger Classic, which is hosted by Dundee-Crown.

"We all came in here pretty confident today," said Cary-Grove's Scott Brady, who finished in eighth place with a 74. "Even on the bus ride over here we were confident."

The Trojans' confidence carried them throughout the day. The Trojans got a 72 from Matt Efflandt, who finished second, and a 73 from Ryan Kewch, who finished third.

"I was hitting the ball well," Efflandt said. "I was putting well. I was 2-under going into the last hole."

Benet (303) finished third, while Crystal Lake Central (306) and Fremd (306) tied for fourth. Zion-Benton (308) came in next, followed by Glenbard North (310). Crystal Lake South (311), Geneva (312) and Glenbard West (320) rounded out the top 10.

"We have a group of really hard workers," Jacobs' coach Jeremy Bauer said. "Some of the guys were a little disappointed with their rounds. (But) This is one of our best finishes."

Jacobs, which calls Randall Oaks home, travels to Cary Country Club on Thursday to face the Trojans in a dual match. Josh Kopka (73) finished sixth overall for the Golden Eagles, who also got solid rounds from Tyler Vachio (75), Scott Cahill (75) and Andrew Meier (78).

Both teams know that every score will count Thursday as much as it did on Saturday.

"We had some great rounds out of everyone," Trojans coach Kelly Muzzy said. "Ryan was up 4 (strokes) early and managed a 79. He really fought the whole day."

Kopka was pleased with his efforts.

"I was bombing the driver," he said. "I had 30 putts on the day. You can't be mad at that."

While Cary-Grove drew all of the attention for its low team score, Larkin's Luc Geier was all the buzz Saturday afternoon. Geier recorded his first-ever hole-in-one on the 154-yard, par-3 hole 6. Geier's hole-in-one, which he hit with his 9-iron, allowed him to finish with an 82 as Larkin shot a combined 333.

"The pin was kind of up and it bounced and rolled," Geier said. "We didn't even see it. I've hit the pin twice this year at Elgin Highlands."

Benet found itself in a similar position to last season with its third-place finish. Mike Kenning (73) finished fifth and Don Maug (76), Pat Callahan (80) and John Callahan (80) all gave consistent efforts for the Redwings.

"That's a great round," Benet coach Daniel Nagis said. "Any time you have two guys going really low, that's what you want."

Kenning struggled on his long game most of Saturday, but was able to pull a 73 together with the work of his short game.

"I made the short putts and my wedge game," said Kenning of his strong points. "I had a few holes where I had bad drives and was still able to make par."

Fremd was looking to sneak up on the competition much as it did in the Woodstock invitational earlier in the year. The Vikings' Kyle Bahnick finished fourth with a 73.

"The score is about what we want to shoot," Fremd coach Josh Teschner said. "We're progressing as the year goes on."

Glenbard North is also progressing.

The Panthers finished counting 4 scores in the 70s on the par-71 course. Jason Smith, Kevin Belford and Tommy Stacey all finished with 78s, while David Wolak led the way with a 76.

"To have four guys shoot in the 70s is your goal every time out in a tournament," Panthers' coach John Chamberlin said. "We're a better tournament team then a dual team. I'm hoping that this will get the guys rolling with some confidence."