Jacobs claims crown at Geneva regional
With heavyweight boys golf programs like Geneva, St. Charles East and St. Charles North in the field, Jacobs felt overlooked as a potential favorite to win Tuesday's Class 3A Geneva regional.
But the person whose opinion mattered most to Jacobs' players certainly liked the Golden Eagles' title chances.
"Our goal was to win the regional," Jacobs coach Gary Conrad said. "I just knew these guys had the ability to do it."
Conrad's confidence in the Golden Eagles was rewarded when Jacobs edged Geneva by five strokes to capture the regional championship at Mill Creek Golf Club in Geneva.
Jacobs finished at 307, while Geneva took second at 312 and St. Charles East grabbed third place with a 315 to earn the three available team tickets to Monday's loaded Lake Forest sectional, where 12 schools will vie for three team spots in the state meet.
The Golden Eagles claimed the Palatine regional crown last fall en route to sending two players to state. This year's regional, though, was a new experience for some of Jacobs' players.
Jacobs featured a senior-laden squad in 2013, but the first-year coach Conrad liked how this year's varsity newcomers stepped up, particularly Tyler Barrett. The senior first-year varsity starter finished in second place with a 5-over-par 75 in his first appearance in a regional and the first time he's ever played at Mill Creek.
"Hard work pays off. He really put the time in during the off-season," Conrad said of Barrett. "He played solid all around today. I'm very proud of him."
Barrett was an unlikely leader coming off one of his worst rounds of the season, when he shot an 87 and didn't place at last week's Fox Valley Conference meet, when Huntley beat out Jacobs for the conference title. But, aside from a triple bogey on the 16th hole, Barrett played his most consistent round of the fall, even tearing up the Mill Creek course with a 1-under-par 34 on the front nine holes.
"Last week my body felt tight during the conference meet. I couldn't get loose," Barrett said. "Today I felt a lot looser. I was consistently getting the ball on the green and two-putting today."
Barrett had plenty of help from teammates Billy Walker (76, fifth-place tie), Justin Lenzini (77, seventh-place tie) and Joe Addante (79, 11th place). Jacobs was the only school in the 10-team field to place four players under 80.
"As a whole, this was our best performance of the season," Conrad said. "To come here and do what we wanted to do, to win the regional, was very exciting."
Barrett's triple bogey prevented him from catching Geneva's Spencer Monroe for medalist honors. Monroe, a sophomore in his first year on the varsity, used his familiarity with Mill Creek to maximum "home-course" advantage in firing a 4-over-par 74. Monroe was steady from start to finish, shooting a 36 on the front nine and a 38 on the back nine.
"I live right off this course, so I know this course and play this course well," Monroe said. "I play this course once or twice a week during the summer. I shot a 72 here once playing with my friends. This is the best score I've shot all season. I shot a 77 here during our home invitational. I just kept the ball in the fairway today."
Monroe said the main difference in his game from his freshman year to today is his increased distance off the tees and in the fairways.
"I've also improved my short game, especially my putting," he said. "My mental game is also better. I just focused today on every shot I hit and didn't think about the next shot till I finished my current shot."
Andrew Abel (78, ninth place), Matt Fisher (80, 13th) and Spencer Sharpe (80, 13th) joined Monroe in helping the Vikings hold off Upstate Eight River champion St. Charles East for second place at the regional.
The Saints entered the regional with high hopes for a team championship but weren't quite able to overtake Geneva on its home course, in spite of perhaps the gutsiest performance of the tournament from Ronnie Griggs.
The East senior fell ill the night before the regional and battled flu-like symptoms even the morning of the meet. But Griggs refused to let sickness keep him from performing in his first-ever regional in his final year at East.
Griggs overcame not only illness but a double bogey and two more bogeys on the fifth, sixth and seventh holes and a triple bogey on the 12th hole to score a 7-over-par 77. His score was good for seventh place and secured the third and final team ticket to sectionals for the Saints.
"This tournament has special meaning for me as a senior in my first time in a regional and all I went through today," Griggs said. "I knew I had to forget about (the triple bogey and series of bogeys) and say what was past was past. I knew I had to bounce back, and I was able to finish with five pars and a bogey on the last six holes."
Griggs received plenty of support from East teammates Daniel Haugen (78, ninth), Colin Johnson (80, 13th) and Mike Bertke (80, 13th) in earning a team berth to sectionals.
Several other local players qualified individually for the sectional. Larkin's Dan Lenz and Huntley's Trent Craig each carded 75s to tie Barrett for second place, and Huntley's Danny Spoeth placed fifth with a 76.
"It was nice to see Danny have his best score of the season today," Huntley coach Jim Rolando said. "Danny shot double bogeys the first two holes but then shot birdies on the next two holes and really played a great round from there. He hit his fairways and got the ball to where he needed it throughout the day."
Larkin also qualified Jon Lenz (79, 11th) and Cy Kerber (84, 23rd) to the sectional. Joining Craig and Spoeth at Lake Forest will be Huntley teammate Jake Grabner (82, 20th). Huntley finished three strokes behind St. Charles East in fourth place with a 318.
St. Charles North took fifth place in the team standings with a 336 but was still able to advance Jake Muehlschlegel (81, 17th) and Michael Stasczuk (84, 23rd) to the sectional. Josh Fougerousse (81, 17th) will represent Dundee-Crown at Lake Forest, and Chase Pantle (82, 20th) kept Streamwood's season alive by earning a sectional berth. South Elgin will send Erik Dauksavage (83, 22nd) to the sectional.
The Lake Forest sectional, which will tee off at Lake Bluff Golf Course in suburban Lake Bluff, features a strong field led by Barrington, which shot a 299 to win the McHenry regional, as well as Warren regional champion Mundelein (311) and Rockford East regional winner Rockford Boylan (309).