Boys golf: Gorzak, Wheaton North plead the fifth at regional
Drew Gorzak has come a long way to take the Wheaton North boys golf team a little further.
The Falcons junior has only been playing golf "three or four years, max, and I really only got serious about it freshman year," said Gorzak, a JV player as a sophomore.
Yet Gorzak played a pivotal role for Wheaton North at Tuesday's Class 3A Glenbard East regional at Glendale Lakes Golf Club.
Gorzak shot an 84, fifth among the Falcons and ordinarily not a counting score. But when the Falcons' top four totaled a 319 and the Downers Grove North top four added up to a 319, the fifth cards decided the third and final team to advance to next week's sectionals.
Hello, Drew Gorzak. Congratulations, Wheaton North.
"It means a lot because when you come in and see that you don't score," Gorzak said, "you kinda get down a little bit. But when I found out that my score kind of put us through, it feels really good."
It also feels good because of how much he has improved to put himself and his team in this position.
"All year I was playing eighth," Gorzak said, "so I was the last guy on the team all year. And then (at the DuKane Conference tournament) I shot first on our whole team and placed and so that kind of bumped me up for the regionals to fifth.
"It happened to me last year too. I felt like I improved a lot during the season. I think that's just playing every day and being able to practice every day. I think that's really important in improving your game because I haven't been playing golf very long and so I think the more I play the more I improve."
Downers Grove North's Aidan Lafferty earned medalist honors with an even-par 71. He was followed by four Hinsdale Central golfers: Jack Bartuch, Gabe Larson and Thomas Clark, each of whom shot a 73, plus Josh Lundmark with a 74.
Hinsdale Central put together a first-place 293 team score. Glenbard West placed second with a 313 to also advance to Monday's South Elgin sectional at Bartlett Hills.
Glenbard West was led by Nathan Zimner's 76.
"Being a senior this is really meaningful," Zimner said. "This hasn't really happened for us, and I wouldn't pick another group of guys to do it with. This is a really fun team, and I really enjoy playing with them."
Griffin Roscich shot a 77, Adam Klimala carded a 79 and John Wild an 81 for the rest of the Hilltoppers' counting scores. Zimner likes the Hilltoppers' chances at the sectional.
"I think we've got as good of a chance as any to move on," he said.
Matt Guthrie of Glenbard East was the second advancing individual with a 79. Lucas Neilson and Tyler Schenk of Downers Grove North went through as individuals, as did Willowbrook's Taylor Sarovich. Downers Grove South advanced Tommy Staruck, Jake Pileggi, Gavin Fister, Matthew Garcia and Michael Wronkiewicz individually.