Boys golf: Glenbard West's Wild stands out

John Wild was seemingly playing a different Class 3A sectional golf course than his 111 counterparts Monday.

A Glenbard West sophomore, Wild tamed the capricious greens, unpleasant conditions and playoff pressure with a 1-under-par 35 on his inward nine at Village Links of Glen Ellyn.

When added to his 37 on the outward nine, Wild was the runaway individual winner of the boys golf tournament with a level-par 72.

Wild's medalist performance also propelled the Hilltoppers to the team championship with a 317.

Five other players were a distant runner-up with 78s at the Glenbard West sectional.

Seven-time defending state champion Hinsdale Central edged Geneva 328-329 for the other two qualifying spots to the state tournament this weekend in Bloomington with their second- and third-place performances.

In making a return visit to the team state finals at the Den at Fox Creek, Geneva denied DuKane Conference rival St. Charles East by a mere stroke.

"Last year I did not play well at the (South Elgin) sectional," Wild said. "It feels great (to lead the team to the first sectional championship) in 13 years. You have to try and stay out of trouble here. You want to try and get on in regulation and make pars."

Wild missed four greens but compensated for his pair of dropped shots with an equal number of birdies.

"I was 2 for 4 in scrambling," Wild said.

The Hilltoppers' lone returning state qualifier, Griffin Roscich, finished with an 80; Colin Malec and Harrison Monteith had rounds of 81 and 84 to cement the Hilltoppers' 11-shot win over West Suburban Silver rival Hinsdale Central.

"It's so much more of an advantage to bring the whole team down," Roscich said. "You are sharing your joy with the team. We knew the scores were going to be high. We didn't know exactly what (the team target score) would be."

"This golf course defines good teams and good players," Glenbard West coach Paul Hezlett said. "I think the three best teams certainly advanced."

Tommy Clark is one of two Hinsdale Central state veterans who helped make history for the Red Devils' record-tying consecutive run of state championships.

Clark paced Hinsdale Central with one of the five runners-up 6-over 78s.

"It's obviously hard to speak for everyone (on the team),"Clark said of a potential state record. "We have had a lot of wake-up calls this season. You have to hit your target (to advance)."

Waubonsie Valley had two major consolation prizes as Will Troy and Jacob Fritz were among the golfers who fired 78s.

The two seniors headlined the list of 10 at-large qualifiers.

"I didn't feel like I hit the ball all that bad," Troy said. "It was just some loose shots. I didn't give myself many looks for birdies."

Glenbard East coach Chris Wienke will experience the state tournament for the first time in his 16th season after sophomore Matt Guthrie made the cut with an 80. Guthrie is the first Rams golfer to go to state since the 1970s.

The six Geneva starters played in the first wave as the runners-up at the South Elgin regional last week.

But the Vikings are bound for the state tournament for a second straight year. Quin McNeive and Carter Williams fired 86s for the fourth counting score.

St. Charles East managed an 87 for its final counting score.

"I definitely didn't think (329) was going to make it," said Geneva junior Zach Padgett, who also fired a 78 to lead the Vikings. "To go again when nobody thought we would is special. We were kind of the underdogs this year. We lost Tyler Isenhart and Jack McDonald."

In addition to McNeive, Nathan Dalton is the other Geneva returning state veteran.

The senior had the Vikings' second-best score with an 82.

"I didn't think anyone was expecting it," Dalton said of the collective team mindset. "A new course, a new venue from last year. "There are some scores up there (on the scoreboard) we couldn't expect to see at all. This is a tough course."

Cal McKittrick was the third man for Geneva with an 83.

When the scores in regulation were totaled, St. Charles East was guaranteed a lone state representative after Bennett Mortensen fired an 80.

But Mortensen will have company after Jake Daeschler survived a two-hole playoff for the final at-large berth to Bloomington this weekend.

"It's real tough," Mortensen said of the team falling ever so short. "I think I played one of my better rounds of the year. I didn't let any of the big scores get to my head."

South Elgin regional champion St. Charles North struggled mightily in placing last among the 12 qualifying programs with a 349.

Batavia, West Aurora, South Elgin and Bartlett also failed to advance any of their individual sectional qualifiers.