Kowalski paces Stevenson's victory

Landon Kowalski couldn't have asked for a better start to the boys golf season.

The Stevenson senior, teeing off in perfect weather at the year's inaugural tourney, the Rolling Green Invitational, shot a sparkling one-under 71 to take medalist honors.

Kowalski's exceptional round led the Patriots to a third-place team finish, 10 strokes behind winners Glenbrook North.

The Spartans had four players score top-10 finishes in shooting 302, while three-time defending state champion St. Viator was second at 308.

"I was hitting the ball solid all day," said Kowalski, the only golfer to break par at the Arlington Heights course. "I hit a lot of greens, and made a couple of big birdie putts early on."

The senior, who played in "about 20" tournaments over the summer (including some as far away as Texas and Arizona), birdied holes 8, 9 and 14 in the shotgun start in firing a 34 on the front nine.

"One of our goals is to win some of these invitationals," added Kowalski. "I want to help the team by consistently shooting in the low 70's."

Kenny Wienckowski helped the new-look Lions claim the runner-up trophy by carding a 75, tying him for the third-place individual medal. He said Viator will still be a force to be reckoned with despite the graduation of stellar players such as Danny Stringfellow, last season's Class 3A state medalist.

Wienckowski finished 17th overall at last year's state meet and thinks this year's group of Lions, including some seniors finally getting a chance to shine, will be hungry for more.

"We'll be consistent," said the senior. "We've got a lot more guys this year who can shoot in the 70s. We're going to be good."

Junior Pat Schuetz (79) scored for Viator, while sophomore Luke DeTrempe, a big contributor in 2009, medaled with a 76 (tied for 6th)

"I'm glad we're back - I really enjoy the school (golf) season," said DeTrempe. "It's so much better to play with your teammates and have team support. You can rely on these guys in good times and bad."

DeTrempe says this year's squad will be looking to make a name for themselves with a return to state.

"We're really not trying to fill the shoes (of the players who graduated)," said the sophomore. "We're looking to build a legacy in our own right."

Stevenson senior Ryan Prince fired a 78 to help the Patriots' cause, while Fremd senior Brad Peterson carded a 77, good for a medal and a tie for eighth position overall.

"This course was playing very tough today," said Peterson. " The greens were exceptionally fast. It was a great experience to play this course the first time out this year, and we've got a lot of younger guys on the team so it was a good experience for them as well."

The Vikings are another squad that lost some stars, including Sean Jones (fourth in state in 2009) to graduation, so Peterson knows that he'll be counted on in a leadership capacity this year.

"I may try to take control a little bit," said the senior. "I want to use my experience to help out and teach the younger guys."

Ryan Starkman and Ryan Krebs led Hersey with 79s; Jack Ferguson shot 78 for Wheeling; Nick Brandt led Schaumburg with an 81; while sophomore Dan Wojtowicz finished at 79 for Rolling Meadows.

Jeff Blethen led Prospect with a 79, while Viator's Nick Van Stedum contributed to the Lions' attack with a 78.

"I was only 1-2 over after 12 holes," said Van Stedum, "but I struggled at the the end. This is a tight course. It's short, but you've got to hit your spots."

Van Stedum is another Lion looking forward to the 2010 season with high expectations.

"We're going to miss the guys who graduated," sad the senior, "but this is going to give us a chance to form a new team. I'm excited about it."