Boys golf: Cautious game plan lifts St. Francis to sectional title

Sometimes it's better to keep one's expectations low on the golf course. That way, a great day feels like an added plus.

Of course, plenty of confidence helps, too.

That was Nick Armbrust's strategy in a Class 2A boys golf sectional Monday at Broken Arrow Golf Club in Lockport. Armbrust shot a 1-over-par 73 (35-38) for 18 holes to tie with seniors Griffin Nyi of Pontiac and Anthony King of Nazareth. Nyi won a two-hole playoff to cop the individual sectional title, while Armbrust tied for second with King with a 74.

That performance, along with a 3-over-par 75, fourth-place finish from senior Michael Cascella, propelled the Spartans to the team title with a 303 total strokes, 6 better than Benet, the runner-up. St. Francis held the team lead for the majority of the tournament.

"I made sure not to have any expectations and just go out there, do my thing and have fun," said Armbrust, a senior. "I'm so proud of my team. We really kept it going and grinding out there, made our pars and played consistent."

Armbrust's coach, Greg Baresel, was beaming post-event, and for good reason. Not only did his team win, it survived a course that was rough thanks to all the rain Mother Nature dumped on Chicagoland over the weekend.

"I thought the course was going to play really long, with the rain and the wind, and so I thought scores were going to be pretty high, or higher than normal," Baresel said, "but once we got out there and playing, the course played really well and the guys hung in there all the way.

"We started out really solid with a bunch of pars, and we hung in there. I told them if we can make a bunch of pars and bogeys, we're going to play really well, and they did."

For about an hour, as final scores were trickling in, Benet coach Marty Gaughan was pacing, watching the team scores like a hawk. During that time he saw his crew leapfrog Nazareth to finish second with 309 points. The Redwings were led by senior Phil Heidkamp, who carded a 4-over 76 (37-39), good enough for a tie for fifth place. Not bad for a team in its first year at Class 2A after years in Class 3A.

"All year long we talked, the strength of our team was its depth, and it was really apparent when you look at our scores today," Gaughan said. "I'm just really proud of them."

Heidkamp and his teammates, including senior Jonah Snellng and junior Charlie Schuster, each of whom fired a 77 and tied for ninth place, got started early and thus had to wait, wait and wait for the final verdict. But it was worth it.

"Today we went out early and played pretty well, and we knew we had some scores, and we've probably been sitting here for an hour and a half," Heidkamp said. "It's definitely a wide range of emotions."

Among the individuals that qualified for state at Weibring Golf Club at Illinois State University, starting Friday morning, were senior Jack Dykema of Wheaton Academy, who tied for fifth with a 76. Also advancing was freshman Graham Head, who tied for 16th with a 78.

"I played OK … I left a lot out there," Dykema said. "Saved a few pars here and there, but keeping it in the fairway was the key today. That set me up well."

Montini junior Nick Renfro advanced by tying with Dykema, Heidkamp and St. Francis senior Ben Bougadis with a 76.

Just missing the state cut were Glenbard South sophomore Jack Michelon and junior Jacob Cyrus, who tied for 48th with a 83.