West Aurora stuns field

No one saw it coming, especially not West Aurora boys golf coach Jay Bauer.

"When I looked at the tee (time) sheets and the averages, I had us coming in ninth out of 10 teams," Bauer said. "This is a total surprise."

In one of the biggest postseason developments in recent years, West Aurora stunned the field at the Class 3A Naperville Central regional behind Kurtis Luedtke, who tamed The Links of Carillon in Plainfield with a level-par 71 to earn medalist honors.

With three other scores in the 70s, the Blackhawks confounded their own expectations as well as their rivals in claiming the team title by a stroke, 304-305, over fellow DuPage Valley Conference foe Wheaton Warrenville South.

Benet, the defending champion of a slightly-altered regional complex, earned the third slot to the Bartlett sectional Monday with a 306.

"In years to come that (West Aurora) team will be pointed to as the Cinderella team," said Naperville North coach Ryan Hantak, whose squad finished fourth but qualified three individuals. "It's good for the conference."

"I am so happy for (Bauer)," said Naperville Central coach Barry Baldwin. "He is always a class act."

"Hats off to Jay and the guys," WW South coach Jimmy Selleck said. "They're quite capable."

The Blackhawks' improbable championship, the first since 1976, was equally inconceivable without the play of Luedtke.

The senior negated his lone front-nine bogey with a birdie to make the turn in 35, and put on a masterful clinic with his ball-striking on the inward nine.

"He almost had two holes-in-one," said Marmion coach Jen Konen, the official scorer in the group.

Luedtke hit the pin with his tee shot on one par-3, and another landed to within six inches for his third birdie of the day.

Back-to-back closing bogeys could not detract from his round.

"I had good distance control all day with my irons," Luedtke said. "I definitely came in with the feeling that I could win it. It's unbelievable. I feel so good right now."

"Luedtke had to go low for them to win it, and that's what he did," Baldwin said. "He's a big-time player."

Mark Torres also made the turn in even par for the Blackhawks, and the senior said the unthinkable became possible when he birdied No. 10.

"I put too much pressure on myself at conference," Torres said. "I went out there today just trying to have fun."

Torres was 1-under through 11 holes, only to settle for a 76.

Sophomore Nick Pavlik came in with a 38 to frame his 78 for West Aurora, and Brian Kirhofer put the team over the top with a 79.

Bauer had never had a team advance to a sectional, let alone emerge victorious, during his 16 years at West Aurora.

For Batavia and Marmion, though, the results were painful to swallow.

The Bulldogs had four players break 80, but neither Shawn Steurer and Collin Huber (78s) nor Tim Schofield and John Vacek (79s) advanced.

Batavia edged Marmion by one, 314-315, for fifth.

"It shows you that it's a very tough regional," Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker said.

Nick Lappin earned one of nine at-large berths for Marmion with a 75.

"I hate to see the career for Bryce (Emory) come to an end," Konen said.

The Cadets' four-time Aurora city champion had his round derailed by three out-of-bounds tee shots.