Scouting boys golf in the Northern Fox Valley

Fox Valley Area Boys Golf At A Glance

2008 sectional team qualifiers: Larkin, Burlington Central, Jacobs (regional champion)

2008 returning individual state qualifiers: Ryan Smith (Larkin), Michael Holevas (St. Edward), Grant Yoder (Hampshire), Matt Efflandt (Cary-Grove)

2009 Bits: In terms of local Upstate Eight Conference teams, Larkin is led by the likes of seniors Smith and Scott Harm, while juniors Cody Wahl, Cameron Ross and Chris Hurlbut will play key roles. South Elgin was fifth at the recent Larkin invitational where sophomore Xavier Owens shot a 76 and senior Jack Reagan was at 79. Seniors Drew Buddle, John Kuzelka, Nick Schweisthal and Brenden Barclay and junior Ryan Pondel give the Storm plenty of roster options. "We have a group of guys that have been here 3 years now," said South Elgin coach Jay Bartholomew. "We've got 8 returning seniors. It's hard to pick who plays from one day to the next." Bartlett was hurt by graduation, but returns standout senior Anthony Burdi. Junior Mike Marciniak and freshman Ryan Wolfe have looked strong for the Hawks in the early going. Elgin is led by senior Russell Clinton and juniors Dan Hegel and Zach Sprague. Senior Ryan Hamlin leads the way for Streamwood. Three-sport athlete Marcus Greene will also be a key contributor for the Sabres, along with Zach Visvadra, Matt Stillson, Aric Thompson and junior Alex Woodridge. In the Fox Valley Conference, Cary-Grove figures to be in the hunt for the league crown thanks to a strong returning group led by state qualifier Efflandt. Seniors Ryan Laughlin, Scott Brady and Mike Olszewski will also figure heavily into the equation. Laughlin has had a red-hot start to the season, going even-par at Prairie Isle, 2-under against Huntley at Cary Country Club and then medaling with a 76 at Chalet Hills. "I like our chances," said Cary-Grove coach Kelly Muzzy. "We've got a pretty strong team here. Our conference is good and as good as it is I think we've got a chance. We've got a chance to be in contention at the end of the season." Defending FVC champion Jacobs lost 6 seniors and one starter that moved out of district. Senior Josh Kopka and junior Scott Cahill will lead the way for the Golden Eagles. Huntley should see improvements this season. The Red Raiders are led by a trio of seniors in Brian Ackerman, Chris Krawczyk and Greg Scime. Ackerman shot a 39 earlier this week in a match. Dundee-Crown returns seniors Jarrett Wollenberg and Alex Campe. Sophomores Anthony Cardelli and Joe Aschacher have also shown promise. In the Big Northern Conference, Burlington Central suffered a big blow with the graduation of state qualifiers Peter Cappas and Sam Schmalz. The Rockets will be led by senior Drew Kissel and juniors Luke Fleming and Matt Allison. Hampshire returns state qualifier Grant Yoder and his sectional-qualifying brother, Jeremy. Senior Jeff Cohn joins Grant Yoder as 4-year varsity performers. Senior Chris Moquin is also a varsity veteran. "I think, to be quite frank, we can be in the hunt for the conference title," said Hampshire coach Jeff Howe. "It is going to take a lot of work and we'll have to have everybody firing on all cylinders, but that is what we're after this year." St. Edward is part of the new Suburban Christian Conference. Sophomore Holevas was a state qualifier as a freshman, while junior Eric Winters was a sectional qualifier. "We're looking forward to both of them continuing to play strong golf for us," said St. Edward coach Greg Winters. Junior Blake Poremba also returns. "The experience from last year will help us," said Winters. "We've got something to build on here." Elgin Academy is led by returning senior captain David Kaufman. Freshman Andrew Dykun made a splash at the Larkin invitational by shooting a 79. "If all goes well we should have a solid golf team," said Elgin Academy coach Bill Harris. "I think we have a chance to do pretty good in our conference."

Blast from the past: Westminster Christian graduate Brandon Siewert accepted a golf scholarship at Taylor University.

Home field: Streamwood is the only area boys golf school that will host a postseason tournament this year. The Sabres will host a Class 3A boys regional at Bartlett Hills. The Streamwood regional feeds into the St. Charles East sectional. Team assignments have not been released yet by the IHSA.