Wetsch shoots St. Charles East to conference championship

Jordan Wetsch sensed not only imminent danger but a much more pleasing moment of relief seconds later.

The St. Charles East standout watched nervously as his second shot on St. Andrews' fifth hole flirted with an ominous white stake out of bounds, which carries a penalty of stroke and distance.

"I got lucky on that one," said the Saints' senior leader who recently committed to Wisconsin.

Wetsch, who toured his front side at the Upstate Eight Conference twin boys golf tournaments in level par, came home with late back-to-back birdies to complete a tournament-best 1-over-par 72 Thursday in West Chicago.

With another anchor score from Eddy Hribar (75) and a solid 77 by Nick Maze, the Saints (306) completed an undefeated run with their 11-shot victory over Geneva for the River Division.

Waubonsie Valley did likewise in the Valley Division as its 312 total turned back competitive bids by Lake Park (316), South Elgin (321) and Bartlett (321) to complete a flawless divisional run.

"I don't know if you can call it a conference championship," Waubonsie Valley coach Dave Owles said. "We won a division. St. Charles East is the (true) champion. They beat us (in both head-to-head play) and the tournament."

"In my mind, I think St. Charles East is the overall conference champion," Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker said.

"The last three weeks (conference and postseason) is all that matters," said Wetsch, who has averaged a shade over 72 in 18-hole events this season.

St. Andrews' layout in West Chicago played reminiscent of its namesake at the home of golf in Scotland.

Gusting winds and draconian pin placements on St. Andrews' luxurious putting surfaces created havoc.

"There weren't that many scores in the 70s," St. Charles East coach John Stock said.

"They had some tough (pins) out there," Wetsch said.

But the conference MVP and his teammates persevered.

"We were in a little bit of a funk in the middle part of the season," Wetsch admitted. "We started off (the year) playing so well."

Hribar fashioned his 4-over performance as the Saints' sixth man.

"I knew I wanted to participate," Hribar said. "I knew I had it in me to play like this. I hit the ball pretty well."

Geneva, St. Charles North and Batavia were conceivable champions with a tournament-winning performance based on regular-season dual results, but Jon Woods' 82 put St. Charles East over the top.

Geneva had four consistent scores from Andrew Cisco (78), Adam Milano (78), Scott Parola (80) and Jeff Lapetina (81), but the Vikings' maiden appearance in their new league was appreciated by coach Bill Koehn.

"I love this conference," Koehn said. "I think it's the best thing (Geneva) has done in years. We didn't do very well in the duals, and that hurt us coming into today. I love the challenge."

Andrew Sterling had a 76 to pace third-place Batavia.

"We know we have enough talent (to advance out of the Class 3A Larkin regional on Tuesday)," DeBruycker said. "Three (hundred) twenty-two is not going to get it done (at Bartlett Hills)."

Waubonsie Valley, like St. Charles East a returning team state qualifier, has talent, depth, and camaraderie as its disposal.

Brian Salerno and Alec Koulos paced the squad from the middle of the lineup with respective rounds of 76 and 77.

"I got off to a strong start with birdies on three of my first six holes," Salerno said. "When you start off like that, it's hard not to shoot in the 70s. I hit (my approach shots) within five feet on five of my first six holes. I was thrilled to be 3-under (after six), but it could have been even better."

Koulos, meanwhile, was perplexed by the greens at times; the junior nullified his high putt count with crisp ball-striking.

"I struggled around the greens," Koulos said. "Knowing that I'm striking the ball well, I'm excited for regionals."

State veterans Alec Meyer, Thomas O'Bryan and Dylan Despot completed the Warriors' scoring.

Lake Park was 4 shots off the Warriors' pace to finish second.

The Lancers' Brian McKeown fired a 74 to lead Lake Park; junior Troy Butler also eclipsed 80 to bolster the squad.

"My putting was very good," McKeown said. "(The pin locations) were definitely very difficult. I made some good 10-footers that made my game good."

Three-time defending Upstate Eight Conference champion Neuqua Valley struggled mightily.

Junior Greg Schwager was the low man of the Wildcats' 324 total with a 77.

"I played pretty well," Schwager said. "I didn't play too well to finish. Carillon (the site of the Naperville Central regional on Tuesday) is definitely a bit easier than it is here."

Bryson Hughes' 83 paced Metea Valley, which was sixth with a 343.

Six players crafted all-conference performances for the Elgin-area high schools.

Bartlett sophomore Ryan Wolfe led the sextet with a 3-over par 74 that earned him a first-place tie with McKeown.

"I bogeyed three of the last four holes," Wolfe lamented after getting to level par with a birdie on the par-5 14th. "(My round consisted) mostly of scrambling, making a lot of ups and downs and a lot of long putts."

Ryan Starks was equally consistent for the Hawks; the junior came home with a 76 for Bartlett as the third man.

But the squad had its chances of catching Waubonsie Valley undermined by having to take two scores in the mid-80s.

In certain respects, the conference tournament typified the regular season for Bartlett.

"We lost four (league matches) by 1 shot," Bartlett coach Tommie Boyle said.

But Bartlett did receive some solace when Wolf was declared the overall champion on a scorecard playoff.

Alex Woodrich fashioned a pair of 2-over rounds to post the low Streamwood round with a 75.

"Everything was working very well today," Woodrich said. "I hit some quality wedge shots and made some putts. That was pretty much it."

Ryan Pondel and Xavier Owens were a shot apart, 76 and 77, to lead the South Elgin fortunes.

The Storm also carded a collective 321,

"Towards the end I had kind of heard that no one (in the field) was doing real well," Pondel said. "I just tried to hold (my round) together."

Austin Lodge, who was paired with Woodrich, had a 78 to lead Larkin.

Zach Sprague had an 89 for Elgin.