Schiavi, Barrington sizzle to win at Ivanhoe
Usually a red number on a golf tournament leaderboard means a great score - and Monday was no exception at the Ivanhoe Classic in Mundelein.
Anything in crimson on the board stood for a round under 80 - and if you looked at the Barrington scorecard it glowed like a neon sign.
That's because five of six golfers, led by senior tourney medalist Nick Schiavi with a 71, shot in the 70's to propel the Broncos to the team trophy with a torrid score of 302.
Carmel finished second with 308, while Stevenson's Nick Geissler and Libertyville's Alex Quenan shared individual runner-up honors by firing 73's.
"This is a great bunch of guys - they support each other and they're good friends," said Broncos coach Mike Kallenbach.
Broncos senior Marc Ackermann shot 75, Mike Stathakis fired a 77 and Greg Conrad and J.P. Talbot both carded 79's.
Schiavi's medal-winning round of 1-under par 71, just a stroke off the tournament record on a course that Kallenbach called a "PGA Tour-caliber course" in Ivanhoe Country Club, included 4 birdies.
"Me and (Stevenson golfer) Landon Kowalski were dueling it out for a while," said Schiavi, "but after I got a couple of consecutive birdies at eight and nine I started to pull away a little."
"It's a awesome feeling. This is such a tough course, so winning here definitely boosts our confidence as a team."
Kowalski shot 74 to earn the fourth-place medal.
Libertvyille's Quenan called his score "unbelievable" after shooting a 2-under 34 on the front nine en route to second place, the junior's best-ever 18-hole score.
"I didn't expect this," said Quenan. "I got a little lucky. I chipped in on two holes early for a birdie and a par, but overall everything was working for me today."
Kowalski took home the fourth0place individual medal, while Corsairs junior Mike Wilkenson (75) tied for fifth, matching Ackermann's score.
"This is my home course, so I better show up," said Wilkenson, a Mundelein resident.
Wilkenson, who said he changed his swing over the summer by flattening it out a little, parred the final 15 holes in a model of consistency.
"I had a double-bogey and a bogey in the first three holes," said Wilkenson. "Then I just rode the par train all the way home."
Stevenson finished third with a 309.
Fremd scored 312, as the Vikings' Jacksown Tworek took home the eighth-place individual medal with a 76. He was matched by Carmel's Tommy Schofield and Lake Zurich's Mike Nutter, each of whom won medals.
Mundelein's Grant Heelan shot 78, while Zach Nauert of Wheeling was best for the Wildcats with a 78 on a windless, sunny day that featured temperatures in the 80's.
"This tournament - and this season - has been a lot of fun," said Ackermann, as the Broncos won their fourth tourney of the year to go with two second-place finishes in seven attempts. "We've got a great cast this year. Our top six golfers are all solid, of course, but we've got another six who are great players also and are just waiting in the wings.
"Last year was a little disapponting for us. Our season ended at sectionals, so we want go farther this year and I think we've got the potential to do it."