Boys golf season preview: Scouting Cook and Lake County

It's going to take a tough act to match how the 2023 boys golf season ended with Conant's Nicolas Simon winning the Class 3A state championship by one stroke, and Marmion's Regan Konen doing the same in 2A.

Fortunately, there's no shortage of talented players and teams looking forward to a similar moment.

Antioch

Senior Rylan Frazer, who was one strike away from state last year, is back after an all-conference season. He won an IJGA event at Bonnie Brook this summer.

Coach Trey Hickey also expects contributions from several freshmen.

Barrington

Georgetown recruit Drew Schauenberg, an all-stater as a junior who shot a 145 to tie for third at the Class 3A state tournament, headlines the lineup for a Broncos team coming off an MSL championship before taking fourth in state.

Fellow seniors William Lange and Isaiah Thomas also are returning all-conference players as is junior Sam Uutala.

Buffalo Grove

Junior Cori Lee, all-conference last year and a sectional qualifier, is back along with senior Connor Kummerow and juniors Harrison Metropoulos and Noah Meyer at the top of the lineup. Coach Pete Duffer is hoping for a top three or four finish in the MSL, and he'll also need contributions from newcomers: Tyler Campbell, a junior, and seniors Brady Horvath and Mike Morrison.

Carmel

After winning its regional and sectional last year, Carmel comes back with a ton of parity this season. A group of sophomores, juniors, and seniors will battle for spots this year in tournaments and dual matches. With no clear cut distinction between its varsity and junior varsity, third-year coach Dave Silbar expects to see upwards of 15 players competing for varsity playing time this year. Leading the Corsairs will be junior Ryan McNett, the only Carmel golfer to post scores in the 70s in both sectionals and the IHSA state finals last year. McNett earned an IJGA victory at Midlane over the summer and, along with fellow junior Aidan Soukup and seniors Peter Kosobucki and Josh Braus, will be a key component to this team getting back to state this season.

Conant

Defending Class 3A state champion Nicolas Simon is now at Michigan, but coach Scott Cieplik has several key returnees as he begins his 10th season. Senior Antonio Gutierrez finished 35th at state last year and senior Ahilan Nayani was 79th. Gutierrez is a fourth year varsity player who has played well this summer. Cieplik expects him to lead the team with his experience and insight.

Conant also brings back junior Peyton Kittivat and seniors Daniyal Syed, Joshua Lee and Jacob Bernstein. Cieplik is hoping for some early success in invites to build momentum into another state berth.

Elk Grove

Coach Michael Radakovitz has been impressed with seniors Nick Jasinski, Jake McLane and Patrick Mylnek and the work they have put in during the offseason. Jasinski has refined his swing and short game along with focusing on physical conditioning and mental toughness. McLane has improved his consistency and brings a positive attitude, according to Radakovitz, who said Mylnek has worked tirelessly to perfect his technique.

Fremd

Coach Ryan Moreau said the Vikings are focused on qualifying for state behind a pair of returning all-conference players, junior Ray Den Tee and senior Nathan Delaney.

Grant

Entering his 25th season, coach John Eiduke has six returning players to solidify his lineup: seniors Evan Ahlgren, Jayse Hartmann and Riley Lyons, juniors Paul Gravedoni and Eros Rabor, and sophomore Ben Martin. Junior newcomers Conner Altergott and Doren Lundberg also will be in the mix as the Bulldogs try to win the NLCC title.

Grayslake Central

While the Rams do have big shoes to fill in Dominic Lucchesi, now at DePaul, they have the majority of their roster back including seniors Cal Hanson, Ian McGowan, Cody Grabnik, Jack Mudd and Henry Sanborn along with junior Derek Caldwell. There's also several emerging underclassmen looking to crack the lineup.

Grayslake North

Seniors Ryan Porter, Owen Foley, Noah Murray and Braden Kubik, and juniors Timmy Schaap and Ethan Miller are all back for a team with limited varsity experience, but one that has really been working hard to improve their games this summer, according to coach Tim Hough.

Hoffman Estates

Junior Jayden Lim has high expectations for the Hawks, a two-time sectional qualifier who earned MSL all-conference last year.

Hersey

Veteran Huskies coach Dan Caporusso is excited about this year's squad that went 8-3 in the MSL last year to take third overall despite having a young roster with only two seniors.

Now the majority of that roster returns with both last year's experience and several good finishes in summer tournaments. Junior Owen Spokas, all-conference last year and an IJGA medalist in multiple events this summer, will be a key contributor along with senior Yuki Nishizaka, junior Kyle Carlson, sophomore all-conference performer Henry Esposito and senior Danny DiCola — all of whom Caporusso said medaled in several IJGA tournaments this summer.

Seniors Danny Kim and Derek Mysza and juniors Tucker Hemminger and Nate Ortman also have potential to crack the lineup.

Lakes

Sophomore Brady Cross made quite a debut last season, taking ninth at the Class 2A state tournament. He made the NLCC all-conference team, as did senior teammate Henry Samulak. Coach Kyle Baker said sophomore Collin Deatherage has made great progress during the off-season. Baker added several freshmen have been shooting strong scores.

Lake Zurich

Senior Landon Marini and junior Michael Drozdzynski headline an otherwise inexperienced Bears squad that graduated five key seniors.

Leyden

The Eagles, second in the West Suburban Gold last year, return a pair of all-conference players, seniors Jack Swiontek and Nick Swiontek. Leyden also is counting on seniors Sean Stavins and Antonio Petrucci, and juniors Kacper Kasprzyk and Joey O'Neill.

Libertyville

Ryan Andrews averaged a 73.25 in tournament play this summer with several top 10 finishes in regional tournaments. He's one of five seniors along with Quin Adams, Parker Johnson, Evan Raffin and Cole Eisermann who have had strong summers. Adams won an AJGA qualifier in Detroit, shooting a 69. Both Andrews and Adams earned all-conference selections last season.

Coach Kevin Wall said having four or more golfers who can medal in any match will be key for his team as they aim for a conference championship and first state trip in over 30 years.

Maine East

Matt Miller's Blue Demons have dropped their team averages the last three seasons. Jiro Yamat, a three-time CSL all-conference selection, hopes to challenge for an individual spot at state. Others to watch include juniors Andrew Greene, Jackson Slamowitz and Douglas Meyer.

Maine South

All-conference and state qualifier Adam Drabek, a senior, leads the way for a Hawks team expecting to qualify for sectionals.

Maine West

Senior Tommy Kuleza is having a strong summer and hopes to play in college next year according to coach Kelly Voigt who also is counting on seniors Robert Young and Logan Amar at the top of the Hawks lineup.

Mundelein

Senior Dylan Trahan, junior Ryan Wolverton and sophomore Carson Koenigsknecht are the top three returnees for the Mustangs. Seniors Jack Finerty and Adon Simos are battling for lineup spots along with juniors Thomas Schoo, Robert Lenzini, Ryan Phelan, Denver Russell and Matt Zizzo.

Palatine

Coach Mark Johnson knows what awaits in the MSL, a conference that had three of the top 12 teams at state last year and five of the 10 individual all-staters.

Senior Kasey May is coming off an all-conference season, and had a big summer season that included winning the MAJGT Ravisloe Open by shooting 68-71 to win by a stroke. He also made the Chick Evans while drawing interest from Drake and several Division III schools.

Sectional qualifiers Will Slatkay, a senior, and junior Darrin Dick also are back; Slatkay has shot several summer rounds in the mid or low 70s while Dick, who missed qualifying for state in a playoff last year, has been shooting in the low 70s. Bryson Landerman has made significant progress and will be another key contributor for a Palatine team hoping to build on last year's sectional qualification — its first since 2008.

Prospect

Yet another MSL school coming off a sensational season, the Knights won regional and sectional champions last year before taking third in the Class 3A state tournament, the second state trophy in school history. The sectional crown was their first since 1976.

Senior Cole Bielecki is back after firing a 68 at Mount Prospect Golf Club to win last year's sectional. Sophomore Ryan Murray also was on the state team, as was senior Matthew Mundt whose great summer included a 70 in an IJGA tournament — one of the best off-seasons coach Jim Hamann has seen. Hamann is excited to see what his seniors can do this year in a bigger role, their time to shine as he put it. Harmann called Bielecki one of the top players in the state, and he said both Bielecki and Murray have the ability to make a ton of birdies.

Rolling Meadows

Senior Nico Haber, all-conference and a sectional qualifier last year, and senior sectional qualifier Jack Duffer lead an experienced Mustangs squad. Andrew Tysl, Tyler Ubert and Connor Towle also return for coach Joe Szabo, who said all three have made big strides this summer.

Schaumburg

Juniors Dylan Ogawa and Jake Caruso and sophomores Brody Hinkle and Kavin Shah lead the way for Chris Zickert's Saxons, who will have to replace Gavin Hinkle's leadership.

Stevenson

Junior Trenton Kurtz is back for the Patriots, currently No. 9 in the IJGA rankings. Incoming freshman Nathan Guo, who is No. 1 in the IJGA boys 14-15 division, can contend for varsity according to coach John Rueth.

Returning Junior Tyson Daube and senior Issac Sommerfeld will also be key to the team's success, which will depend a lot on newcomers with only two players back from last year's lineup.

Vernon Hills

Five varsity golfers return for the defending CSL North Conference champions. The Cougars, who moved up to Class 3A for the first time last season and took third at the Lake Forest regional, third at the Prospect sectional and 11th at the 3A state tournament, bring back seniors Conor Fayard and Lundaa Hayanhirvaa, and juniors Brendan Handoko, Jake Levitan and Henrik Lundberg.

Lundberg won last year's conference tourney, Hayanhirvaa, Handoko and Levitan all tied for fourth, and Levitan was 55th at state.

Coach Shawn Healey said this year's goal is to return to Bloomington for another run at the state tournament.

Warren

After advancing to sectionals the past two seasons, Briggs Templeton returns for his senior season to lead the Blue Dveils, along with junior Ryan DeSagun, fresh off a full summer of tournament play.

Wheeling

Coach Dan Urban is excited to have all his top contributors back, starting with juniors Hogan Kang and Evan Fischer. He's expecting significant improvement from seniors Frank Ban, Cesar Delgado and Brady Hachmeister.