Prospect produces against Fremd

It's getting to be that time of year in the Mid-Suburban League boys golf campaign.

The teams are in the late stages of the season, the matches are becoming more meaningful, and the pressure is building.

That made Prospect's victory over host Fremd on Thursday at Hilldale Golf Course all the more impressive.

With Knights senior Johnny Bruno curling in a 25-foot par putt on the final hole to put an exclamation point on the dual, Prospect improved to 9-1 in the MSL regular season race with a 153-157 win.

Knights coach Tom Martindale has been watching his team compete for a while now and says their success this year is not a big surprise.

"I've been very pleased with the way the kids have played," said Martindale, "and I've been especially happy with their consistency.

"We've also got great leadership with guys like Grant (Gavin) and Jack (Kavanagh)."

Gavin led the way for the visitors by taking medalist honors with an outstanding score of 35 as Prospect won a battle of teams that came in to the match with only 1 league loss apiece.

And even though it was a crucial meet for both teams, Bruno said his squad didn't approach it any differently.

"It was no different than any other match," said Bruno. "We came out and tried to play the best golf we could."

Junior Payton Kim led Fremd (6-2) with a 37. He says it's been an up and down season so far for the Vikings despite their lofty conference record.

"Our coach (Ryan Moreau) put us through a good, tough practice yesterday," said Kim, "and we needed that.

"We've been pretty solid, but when you go up against teams like Barrington and Prospect, you always want to come out and play well against those kids."

Another outstanding Vikings junior, James Feng, agreed that his team has some work to do.

"I was all over the place today," said Feng. "I alternated between one good hole and one bad hole.

"This course (Hilldale) is kind of short but not that forgiving, and it's not a course that you want to be all over the place."

John Branch (40) also counted a score for Prospect, and Knights senior TJ Swan said the Knights are playing well heading into the upcoming MSL championship meet, and the postseason beyond.

"There's definitely more pressure now (in the latter part of the season)," said Swan, "but I've been trying just to go out and have fun, and not put too much pressure on myself."

"We try to relax out there," added Gavin, "and not get too anxious."

Matt Doherty, Eric Schaeffer, Tommy Peterson and Jason Doering each had 40 for Fremd.

First year Vikings coach Ryan Moreau confirmed the hard practice Wednesday, saying that was in the hope of "turning things around." Moreau also said his first year as head coach has been a rewarding experience.

"It's so diferent from being a volunteer (coach) as I was for the last few years," said Moreau, "but I inherited a very talented team, there's no doubt about that."

Kavanagh pitched in with a 38 for Prospect. He said that no matter who the opponent is, the Knights come out every time with the same mindset.

"We know," said Kavanagh, "when you play a good team your going up against better golfers, but to be honest it doesn't really matter who you're competing against.

"You've got to come out and play well no matter what."