Neuqua nips St. Charles East by 1 stroke

Stephen Powers and Kyle Geist had what proved to be linchpin rounds in a historic Upstate Eight Conference tournament on Thursday afternoon.

The two Neuqua Valley seniors tamed the conditions and some nefarious pin positions to lead the Wildcats to their third consecutive boys golf league title at St. Andrews Golf & Country Club in West Chicago.

The seniors' matching 1-under-par 69s were enough to withstand a furious challenge from St. Charles East, which monopolized the third through fifth positions behind Jordan Wetsch, Jon Woods and Wes Apple.

Earlier in the morning, with representatives of future members Batavia and Geneva in attendance, the coaches voted to conduct separate tournaments next year for the 14-team twin-division conference.

Thus the Wildcats' thrilling 296-297 triumph over St. Charles East means Neuqua Valley captured the final single-division spoils in the storied golf conference.

Waubonsie Valley, which finished third behind four players in the 70s, and St. Charles East had a chance to unseat Neuqua Valley.

But the Wildcats' backed up their flawless dual-match conference record with the tournament title.

Powers, the Wildcats' Kentucky-bound star, and Geist, playing No. 3 in the lineup, took separate routes to lead Neuqua Valley.

Powers had 5 birdies, including back-to-back red numbers to close out his round, to negate a front-nine double bogey and consecutive inward-nine 3-putt bogeys.

"I didn't like some of the pins," said Powers. "It is the only way to defend the course. This isn't the U.S. Open. I was hitting my driver very well."

"I was pretty consistent, no mistakes," said Geist. "I drove it phenomenally, probably the best I have in a while. I made the putts that I had to, didn't roll in any long ones."

Powers was awarded the individual championship on a coin flip when deteriorating conditions canceled their sudden-death playoff.

"I don't want it to sound like I'm complaining," said Neuqua Valley coach Spike Grossheusch, "but the one thing that I would have liked to have shown was more depth."

Waubonsie Valley won its first nine league matches, only to have its bid for a title undermined by a triangular loss to Neuqua Valley and Bartlett last week.

"We knew that made winning conference slim to none," Waubonsie Valley coach Dave

Owles said.

Still, the Warriors fashioned a collective 309 behind top-player Thomas O'Bryan, who was seventh overall with a 76, a 77 from Brian Salerno and matching 78s by Josh Stefanski and Alex Koulos to place third in the tournament and final team standings.

"We apparently didn't play the back nine very well," said Owles. "I think we let one bad shot affect another shot. You have to have a short memory."

Metea Valley seemed to suffer the same collective inward-nine blues after three separate players fired front-side rounds in the 30s; Bill Finnerty led the first-year school with an 82.

Max Gordon paced Lake Park, which one spot ahead of Metea Valley in ninth, with an 84.

The twin 69s by Powers and Geist proved an insurmountable roadblock for Wetsch to overcome in his bid to repeat as individual medalist.

Wetsch came out blazing, playing his first six holes in 2-under by neutralizing St. Andrews' notoriously undulating greens.

"I didn't think about getting around the hole but in the hole," Wetsch said of his superlative lag putting.

Wetsch made the turn at level-par 34, and his solid play continued unabated after a pair of brilliant saves at Nos. 13 and 15.

But his putter deserted him at the worst possible moment, when two more critical par efforts failed in consecutive fashion at 16 and 17.

"Those were the two I wish I had back," Wetsch said. "The team really did well today."

Woods and Apple shot the only two 74s on the inclement afternoon as the Saints' front-side total nine - when Tom Laudadio had his 37 factored in - was a sizzling 139.

Woods was awarded third place on a score card playoff.

Ladadio completed the Saints' scoring with his 77, and all four players were awarded with all-conference honors.

"We've played (Neuqua Valley) three times and we're dead even," said St. Charles East coach John Stock. "They beat us on the fifth card at their place and we beat them by 16 at Coyote Creek (the Limestone Invitational). But they didn't have Powers (at Limestone), so that makes it pretty much even. It took two 69s to beat us."

St. Charles North junior Nate Clark was the lone North Stars' player to earn all-conference distinction after matching the level-par inward-nine 36s of Powers and Geist to flavor his team-best 75.

"I kept my focus to hit my next shot the best I could," said Clark, who overcame a double-bogey-bogey-bogey start with 5 birdies.

On the treacherous par-3 15th hole, Clark knocked down a 5-iron for a near ace.

"(The distance to the cup) was shorter than the length of my putter head," Clark said.

The North Stars' fifth-place 316 total was the product of Chris Thomas' 78, an 81 from Kyle DalDegan and identical 82s by Kris Davison and Pete Roschmann.

In his final league tournament, Bartlett four-year standout Anthony Burdi was staring at a long day when he came to the seventh hole at 6-over.

"I was over-thinking everything," Burdi said. "I was actually embarrassed (with my play)."

But the Hawks' senior and top player had three straight pars to close out his inward nine.

Burdi tapped in for a birdie at No. 10 after reaching the par-5 in two, and he added his second inward-nine birdie when his 7-iron from 160 yards on No. 16 nestled to within inches from the cup.

"After (the birdie at 10 and critical par save at No. 11) I had a chance to do well," Burdi said.

The sluggish start was a distant memory for Burdi, who played his final dozen holes in level par to fire a 76.

"I was letting everything fall where it may," said Burdi, who finished in fourth place among the 15 all-conference selections.

Unfortunately for Bartlett, the team finished in the middle of the pack with a 326 when none of its other five players could eclipse 80.

South Elgin had all four of its counting scores under the traditional bench mark as all-conference selections Xavier Owens and Drew Buddle fired 77 and 78, respectively.

The Storm finished in fourth place with a 312 when Jack Reagan and Nick Schweisthal carded a 78 and 79.

Larkin defeated Bartlett by a stroke for sixth behind Ryan Smith and fellow all-conference selection Scott Harm.

Harm was slightly off with composite nines of 40, but Smith had a 77 for top-10 honors and Austin Lodge posted a 78.

"We needed a fourth score," said Larkin coach Tim Jones.

"It wasn't bad, it wasn't good," Smith said of his round. "I struggled a little here and there. I wasn't too upset with what I ended up with."

Streamwood was eighth at 335; third-man Ryan Hamlin paced the Sabres with a 79.

Elgin, the host school, finished last behind East Aurora.

But Andy LaScala was not terrible demoralized.

"(The players) have made a commitment to turn the corner," the Elgin coach said. "We've got a commitment from Bartlett Hills (the Maroons' home course). The kids have made a commitment to get better starting this winter."

Russell Clinton had a 91 to lead Elgin.