Vikings, Saints win rivalry matches
Andrew Cisco was up and down, but Tim Schofield was masterful at getting up and down.
The Western Sun Conference league opener had all the typical ingredients of Batavia and Geneva going full throttle.
But Cisco had a little more support, and the Vikings denied their rivals with a 154-160 boys golf dual-meet victory Tuesday afternoon at Fox Valley Golf Club in North Aurora.
"Honestly, I haven't played well this season at all since tryouts," said Cisco, a main cog in Geneva defending its conference championship last fall. "Conference is a new season, and I want to help the team win."
Geneva is 1-0, 1-0 in the league; Batavia slipped to 0-1, 0-1.
Cisco sprayed the ball to the right off the tee periodically and failed to convert par on the final hole in firing a 1-over-par 37.
But the Vikings' junior ace reached the par-5 11th hole in two for a tap-in birdie, and he registered another red number at No. 16 to offset three bogeys.
Schofield, the individual league champion as a sophomore, put on a scintillating performance in salvaging par from a variety of greenside positions.
The Batavia senior made a routine 2-putt par on his first hole and then proceeded to make four straight conversions with his sizzling blade.
"I read the greens, they rolled well and I trusted my line," said Schofield. "They just went in."
The four Schofield putts were between eight to 15 feet, leaving his playing companion Cisco in awe.
"If I putted like (Schofield), I would be Tiger Woods," Cisco said.
Schofield extended his par string to seven, and he appeared ready to finish under par when he reached the fringe on the par-5 17th in two.
"I was debating between putting and chipping it," Schofield said.
The resulting chip scurried past 25 feet away, and Schofield - with nine putts through the first seven holes - lost serious momentum with a 3-putt bogey.
Schofield and Cisco both had putts on the closing hole - the latter for par, the former for birdie - to finish level for the cloudless afternoon.
But neither putt found the requisite destination, leaving the two tied after the opening foursome.
Geneva, however, seized control as junior Jeff LaPetina, making his varsity debut in a dual-meet format, forged a three-way logjam for low man with another 37.
"I got up and down twice (to save par)," said LaPetina, who collected eight on the day. "All the others were on 2-putts."
Zach Schrotenboer and Evan Kling had matching 41s for Geneva, which when paired with the 39 fashioned by junior Ben Waldie, provided the margin of victory.
Nathan Podraza, Grant Pufahl, Ian Sohst and Brian Anderson all fired 41s for Batavia to frame the Bulldogs' final tally.
"One-sixty is not good enough to win this matchup," Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker said. "Ever. Geneva played better than us today."
St. Charles East 160, St. Charles North 162: The St. Charles high schools' boys golf squads are not separated by much, especially when it comes to their annual Upstate Eight Conference at the Country Club.
The Saints' Jordan Wetsch, one day removed from the championship at the prestigious Biltmore tournament in North Barrington, continued his solid play with a 1-over-par 37 to lead all players Tuesday in St. Charles.
St. Charles East, with Nick Maze, Wes Apple and Jon Woods firing between 40 and 42, respectively, nipped the North Stars 160-162.
"It's always close," said St. Charles East coach John Stock, whose team improved to 2-0 both overall and in the league with the simultaneous win over Streamwood.
"There is some good golf being played on both sides of town."
Nate Clark had a 39 to lead St. Charles North (1-1, 1-1), which also received contributions from Kyle DalDegan (40), Chris Thomas (41) and Kris Davison (42).
"We felt as though we left a lot of shots out there," St. Charles North coach Rob Prentiss said. "Our decision-making is not where it needs to be. We just make too many doubles; that adds up fast. They're going to get better. I want us to get tournament ready."