Boys golf: Scaletta, Barrington still MSL's best

Barrington's Dominic Scaletta made sure he left his mark on Barrington boys golf and the Mid-Suburban League.

Scaletta, who is a home-schooled senior, carded a 1-under 70 to win the individual title at the Mid- Suburban League tournament at the Hilldale Golf Course in Hoffman Estates. It was Scaletta's second-straight MSL individual title.

"I played well," Scaletta said. "I teed off this morning and I wanted to win. I was down after 11 holes, but I wasn't going to lose. I wasn't going to let anything get in my way."

Scaletta was even with Hersey's Henry Quinn through the first 10 holes. Scaletta bogeyed 11 after his tee shot went out of bounds. He then pulled it together and birdied the 12th, 14th and 15th holes.

"I knew being two-under I had a cushion there," Scaletta said. "That was huge to stay in there and not give up."

With Scaletta leading the charge, Barrington won the team title with a score of 301. Sean Markham carded a 74 for the Broncos to finish tied for third in the individual championship.

It's the seventh straight year Barrington has won or shared the conference title.

"I had a good front nine, but collapsed towards the end of the round," said Markham, who is a senior and had par 35 on the front and a 39 on the back.

"Overall it was a solid day. I struck the ball real well, but the putts weren't dropping."

Also having a big day for the Broncos was sophomore Dylan Dunne. A sophomore, Dunne played in his first varsity tournament last Saturday. He was the No. 6 golfer for Barrington Tuesday and his score of 78 was counted along with Ian Bouchard (78). Nick Pitzaferro had an 80 and Matt Lee an 82 for Barrington.

"I had a shaky start, but a good finish," Dunne said. "That always helps. I was getting close with my approach shots and made some good putts."

Barrington was tied with Hersey and Prospect for the regular-season title. Hersey shot a 312 to finish second Tuesday while Conant was third with a 314, Fremd fourth with a 320 and Prospect fifth with a 335.

"This is a great group of kids and they worked hard all season," said Barrington's Bryan Tucker, who is in his first year as head coach.

"We have been grinding all season. I think the key today is that we have a lot of depth. It is a luxury to have and it is a tribute to these guys."

Hersey's second-place finish helped it to the East Division title. The Huskies were led by Quinn, who finished tied for third with a 74. Tyler Irwin posted a 77 while Tyler Haas had an 80 and Michael Zelma has an 81.

Quinn's point total for the entire season earned him MSL Player of the Year honors.

"It was a little nerve-racking," said Quinn, who is a junior and played in the top group.

"I have played with these guys before. I knew the winner of the tournament was going to come out of this group. We all played real solid, but I kind of slipped away at the end."

Fremd's Ryan Higgins also had a 74. The senior shot a 38 on the front and came back with even-par 36 on the back.

"It went well for me today," Higgins said. "My iron play was great too. I was proud of the way I was able to get a good score and have my teammates following up."

Conant's Nikko Ganas finished second overall in the tournament with a 73. The junior played 3-over par on the front with a 38, but came back strong on the final 9 holes to score a 1-under 35.

"I started out kind of rough," said Ganas. "I started to hit some iron shots and made some putts and shot one-under on the back."