Boys golf: Waubonsie's Khanduja, Neuqua Valley nab regional crowns
Waubonsie Valley' s Salil Khanduja is the undisputed Aurora-area golfer of the year.
But there was no stopping Neuqua Valley coach Bart Carbonneau from directing a sixth regional champion during his eight-year tenure Wednesday afternoon at Orchard Valley in Aurora.
Khanduja, the defending champion, reigned supreme at the Class 3A Metea Valley boys golf regional with a scintillating 2-under par 70 to supplement regular-season titles at the Aurora and Naperville city tournaments as well as the DuPage Valley Conference last week in Bristol.
Only a sophomore for Waubonsie Valley, Khanduja denied his fellow top-ranked golfers from Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central, Alec Cross and Harvey Wang, to claim the individual title by a stroke.
"It really meant a lot to win, especially after winning last year," Khanduja said. "I thought ball-striking was about the best it has ever been. My ball-striking with hitting greens was really good. That's what enabled me to shoot this good score."
"He plays well beyond his years," Waubonsie Valley coach Eric Flodberg said of Khanduja. "When he is faced with adversity, he pushes forward and is able to accomplish unbelievable things."
Cross, meanwhile, overcame a turgid start with a birdie flourish to finish in anchoring the Neuqua Valley 302-309 team triumph over Naperville Central and Waubonsie Valley.
All three teams, plus the 10 individuals - headlined by five Metea Valley athletes and three West Aurora players all competing on their home course - from non-qualifying programs advanced to the Glenbard West sectional Monday for a berth to the two-day state finals the following weekend in Bloomington.
"I had a couple of hiccups here and there," said Cross, who framed the Wildcats' regional championship with a 71, on bogeys on two of his first four holes. "I knew if I kept plugging away there were a lot of birdie holes out there. I had four or five coming in."
Wang was the third player in the red with his matching 71 at Orchard Valley, a layout fraught with danger but also vulnerable due to its generous fairways.
"This is my lowest round," Wang said of his career-low performance. "I played very smartly today. I hit conservative tee shots and was aggressive with my approaches. I saw my team was doing pretty well but I was pushing for the individual title."
Metea Valley (314) had its high expectations fall by the wayside with its fourth-place result.
Arjun Vyas' 76 led the Mustangs' five individual qualifiers with his 4-over 76.
"It's a tough pill to swallow," Vyas said. "We didn't play well enough as a team."
Jackson Ciganek fired a 75 to author the lone advancing score for sixth-place Naperville North (333).
West Aurora junior Kyle Haynes survived a 4-for-3 playoff to earn his first sectional appearance as the individual cut fell at 82.
Haynes' teammates, Evan Wicks and Andrew Bacarella, could watch the playoff reach its denouement in leisure after carding regulation rounds of 78 and 80.
Kenny Michaels' 83 rounded out the Blackhawks' fifth-place scorecard (323).
West Aurora has been prep tenants since Orchard Valley opened in the late summer of 1993.
"Home-field advantage definitely helped, for sure," Wicks said. "For me, ever since the (Metea Valley Invitational at) Stonebridge (Country Club) I have been on fire. It's been lights out. That (tournament) was a turning point for me."
Bacarella used home cooking to his benefit as well.
"I knew how the putts were going to roll today," Bacarella said. "It made it a lot easier for me personally. I am happy this gets me into the sectional."
The Blackhawks jettisoned their early-season tournament struggles in peaking for the postseason.
"We finished strong at the conference tournament," West Aurora coach John Proczko said of the Blackhawks' third-place Southwest Prairie result. "I thought it was an advantage for us to finish on the front nine. We did what we always do (on the side dual matches are conducted). It was a good day to be a Blackhawk."