Hinsdale Central wins at Batavia

There is plenty of evidence to support Hinsdale Central being the two-time defending Class 3A boys golf state champions.

"Hinsdale has six guys who can break 75 consistently," St. Charles East coach John Stock said.

Saturday at Fox Valley Golf Club in North Aurora, York junior Jordan Less was the individual star of the Batavia Invitational with a masterful 5-under par 67.

But he and his counterparts from 26 other schools were powerless in halting the Devils' express.

Brendan O'Reilly and Grant Labedz collectively matched Less' medalist total for Hinsdale Central with a 69 and 70, respectively, as Hinsdale Central remained perfect on the season with its fourth major tournament title.

Kenneth Li added a level-par 72 for Hinsdale Central, which finished the day with a sizzling 2-under 286 team total.

Lyons Twp. was second at 300, followed by St. Charles East, which had five players break 80 in its round of 302.

York was the third West Suburban Silver member in the top four with its 304.

Benet and Wheaton Warrenville South, both reigning team state finalists, were fifth and sixth.

"The golf course sets up to make (the players) think about their shots," Hinsdale Central coach Jess Krueger said of the Devils' remarkable team success at the tournament in the past decade. "That's why I like the setup here."

Less, meanwhile, more than canceled out a pair of bogeys with 7 birdies during his career round.

"My driver was great," the Dukes' junior said. "I drove two of the par-4s and had 2 putts for simple birdies. I had 3 birdies in my first 6 holes, so that jump-started my tournament."

Benet had three players shoot 77 or better to flavor its day at the par-72 layout.

Alex Bassetto led the Redwings with a 75, followed closely by the 76 and 77 turned in by Nick Sahanzer and Ben Johnson.

Will Kelly was once against featured prominently in the WW South lineup as the defending DuPage Valley Conference champion finished with a team-low 77.

Christopher Dufort and Kevin Uvodich had the same score to lead Glenbard South, coming off its first championship at the storied Fenton Invitational last week.

Tyler Vincent was the low man for Naperville North, which finished at 315.

"I just tried to take one shot at a time," said Vincent, who finished in a large group at 76. "I had a good putting day, so that definitely helped."

Kevin Nelson was on the outside looking in for top-10 status after leading Glenbard West with a 75.

Stock was very pleased with the consistency of his St. Charles East squad.

"That's a good day for the Saints," Stock said after recording five scores 79 or better. "No one wants to peak Sept. 6. We're trying to move forward. There's lot of good golfers out there."

Colin Johnson is making the most of his first year in the Saints' varsity lineup.

The junior recorded a career-low 1-under 71 to put his stamp on the St. Charles East six-man crew.

Johnson hit a hybrid to the easily reachable par-5 third and converted the 10-footer for eagle to frame his day.

"I felt really confident after that," Johnson said. "I was draining putts all day. It was the driver and putting for sure (that carried my round)."

Ronnie Griggs' 76 was the Saints' second-lowest round; Daniel Haugen, Mike Bertke and Jake Meiss were a shot apart at 77, 78 and 79 for St. Charles East.

Marmon dropped a fifth-card tiebreaker with WW South after the schools tied for sixth with a 311.

But the Cadets' Jackson Clark was fifth overall with his 72 after edging two other players on a scorecard playoff with his level-par day.

"I would say it was among the best rounds (of my career)," Clark said. "I found my driver today. I had been struggling with my driver all year. A lot of things came together, but I still left a few shots out there."

Junior Luke Hoss, the Cadets' top-rated player, augmented Clark with a 77.

Andrew Nelson fired a 74 to earn ninth place - via a crowded scorecard tiebreaker - to lead the host Bulldogs.

"He has been playing well," Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker said of Nelson. "I'm a little disappointed in our other five (scores), but Andrew picked us up today."

Batavia was in the middle of the pack with its 326.

Kaneland was a team stroke better than St. Charles North with its 331 total.

The Knights' Jesse Denton and Jake Hed were the team leaders with matching rounds of 80.

Hank Zimmer had the same score to pace the North Stars.

West Aurora coach Jay Bauer has been the annual festivities at Fox Valley for two-plus decades.

"It's a six-hour round," Bauer said of an inescapable theme. "The mental toughness to stay in the round is tough."

Aurora Christian was a pair lower than West Aurora to round out the local programs.

Brett Seward had a 75 for Aurora Christian.

Adam Spooner and Sam Lawless had 83s to carry West Aurora.