Lake County boys golf preview

This has the potential to be a banner season for Carmel. The Corsairs' typical lineup of seniors Jack Watson, Billy White, John Krzmarzick, Alex Pabich and junior David Markowitz can match up with just about any team in the area. - Grant is coming off a second-place showing in the Prairie Division, and the Bulldogs should be a factor in the race once again. They return seniors Kyle Buckley, Brandon Magnuso and Dillon Peterson and juniors John Schenning and Sean Thandupurakal. - Grayslake Central senior Dylan Granquist started the season with a third-place finish at the Cary Grove Invitational, but that was only a prelude to his performance Monday at the Lake County Invitational. Granquist's 3-over-par 74 earned him medalist honors. Sophomore Colton Brunk is more than capable of posting scores in the 70s. Fellow sophomore Cody Stover also will be key. Juniors Eric Hogenkamp and Nick Wsocki are returning starters. Senior Jackson White should contribute as well. - For Grayslake North, seniors Sean Humphrey, Matt Romac and junior Matt Bergstrom all return from last year's sectional-qualifying team. In fact, the Knights only lost one player to graduation. As a junior, Humphrey averaged about 37 for nine holes. Bergstrom is one of the Knights' best ball strikers. Romac played golf this summer in Australia and Hawaii and his game is in fine form heading into the conference season. - Lakes senior David Riedel came up just one stroke shy of advancing to the state tournament. At the Lake County Invitational on Monday, he fired a 77. After Riedel, the Eagles will rely on four sophomores and a freshman. Freshman Jake Bathery has been quite impressive in the early going. - For Lake Zurich, Mike Nutter should lead the way at most tournaments. Nutter, Mark Hart and Blake Stezskai all shot 87 or better at the Lake County Invitational. - Libertyville will rely on an experienced senior class. Rocky Hudson, Paul Davidsen, Josh Ok, Bobby Wilson and Dylan Hoover were all varsity contributors last season. In Libertyville's first tournament of the season, excellent rounds from Hudson (75) and Davidsen (79) propelled the Wildcats to a second-place finish. - Mundelein played its best golf at the end of last season. The Mustangs placed second at the NSC Tournament and were within one stroke of qualifying for the sectional meet. The Mustangs return highly regarded juniors Sean Forsythe and Eric Nelson. Freshman Grant Heelan had a top 15 showing at the Lake County Invitational. Mundelein is one of the top young teams in the area. - Stevenson's golfers might not shoot as many low scores as last year, but the average score might still be better. That's because the Patriots should be more consistent, thanks in large part to improved accuracy off the tee. Juniors Landon Kowalski and Ryan Colbourn are established players, and freshman Reed Aren is a tough competitor who rarely gives strokes away. Vernon Hills, a perennial power in the Prairie Division, was inexperienced last year. This season, the Cougars return three sectional qualifiers in seniors Matt Alm, Erik Hencier and Alex Erchinger. The Cougars should be much improved. - Junior Zack Kim advanced to the sectional tournament last year, and this season he should have some company. Senior Adam Guthrie has improved his short game and senior Tyler McPherson's long game is more consistent.

Golfers to watch: Matt Alm, sr., Vernon Hills; Reed Aren, fr., Stevenson; Matt Bergstrom, jr., Grayslake North; Colton Brunk, soph., Grayslake Central; Ryan Colbourn, jr., Stevenson; Paul Davidsen, sr., Libertyville; Alex Erchinger, sr., Vernon Hills; Sean Forsythe, jr., Mundelein; Jon Frericks, sr., Warren; Dylan Granquist, sr., Grayslake Central; Adam Guthrie, sr., Warren; Mike Hart, Lake Zurich; Grant Heelan, fr., Mundelein; Erik Hencier, sr., Vernon Hills; Rocky Hudson, sr., Libertyville; Sean Humphrey, sr., Grayslake North; Zach Kim, jr., Warren; Landon Kowalski, jr., Stevenson; John Krzmarzick, sr., Carmel; Eric Nelson, jr., Mundelein; Mike Nutter, Lake Zurich; David Riedel, sr., Lakes; Sean Thandupurakal, jr., Grant; Jack Watson, sr., Carmel; Billy White, sr., Carmel.

- Bob Gosman