2024 NewsTribune boys golf preview capsules: Hall, BV looking for success with veteran rosters

With the 2024 season underway, here is a look at boys golf teams in the NewsTribune area:

La Salle-Peru

Coach: Randy Gunia

Top returners: Riley Cetwinski, sr.; Michael Milota, sr.; Adan Chiu, so.; Ben Nicholson, jr.

Worth noting: The Cavaliers have 15 golfers on the roster with 11 of them being new faces. Cetwinski averaged 42 last season and Milota averaged 44 and was All-Interstate 8 Conference honorable mention. Both were sectional qualifiers. “Mike and Riley are trying to repeat going to sectional while improving on last year’s results,” Gunia said. “Adan and Ben have played heavily through the summer and are looking to post consistent, stronger varsity scores.” L-P, which placed sixth at the Class 2A Sycamore Regional last year, is looking for team success in the postseason. “The team goal is to qualify for sectional,” Gunia said. “Last year we missed by only a couple strokes, so with slight improvement and effort, our golfers are expecting to make a strong showing.” Sophomore Geno Argubright was honorable mention all-conference on the freshman/sophomore level last fall.

St. Bede

Coach: Rich Cummings

Top returners: Abe Wiesbrock, jr.; Zach Husser, so.; Chris Gedraitis, so.

Key newcomers: Kaden Nauman, sr., Dominic Fonderelli, sr.; Caden Carls, jr.; Noah Buck, jr.

Worth noting: Wiesbrock is a returning sectional qualifier who averaged 45.5 last fall. Husser (47.3) and Gedraitis (49.5) also return for the Bruins. Cummings said Nauman was hampered by injuries last year and he is hoping for a breakout season from him and classmate Fonderelli. Carls and Buck also are expected to contribute. “We are hoping to avoid sunburns and three-putts,” Cummings said. “We hope for a quality rebuilding year in that the juniors and sophomores improve and contribute.”

Hall

Coach: Mason Kimberley

Top returners: Landen Plym, sr.; Jake Diaz, sr.; Noah Plym, so.; Lukas Manrriquez, sr.; Joe Perez, so.; Johnni Escatel, jr.; Cody Orlandi, jr.; Clayton Fusinetti, jr.; Vance Pienta, jr.

Worth noting: The Red Devils did not have any seniors on the roster last fall, so they bring back an experienced group for 2024, led by two-time NewsTribune Boys Golfer of the Year Landen Plym, who had a 37.7 average last year. “Landen has built up quite the impressive resumé through his first three years and really wants to cap off his final year with a couple more invitational wins and hopefully another state berth,” Kimberley said. Kimberley said Noah Plym (44 average in 2023), Landen’s cousin, has been working hard on the course and in the weight room, while Diaz (44) is “perhaps the most improved golfer from freshman to senior year that I’ve had in my 10 years of coaching.” Perez, Escatel, Manrriquez, Orlandi and Fusinetti all have varsity experience and will compete for the final three spots. “This could be a very exciting season for Hall golf,” Kimberley said. “We have the talent and depth to be able to contend for hardware throughout the season, and perhaps even make a deep postseason run. We’ve added a couple events with bigger schools in order to test the kids against tougher competition. The kids have all put in a lot work this summer into being more well-rounded golfers, and they all can’t wait to compete this fall.”

Putnam County

Coach: Brandi LeQuia

Top returners: Jacob Edens, sr.; AJ Furer, sr.; Jake Dove, jr.;

Key newcomers: Ian Walder, fr.

Worth noting: The Panthers return six golfers from last year’s team, including three upperclassmen. Edens led Putnam County at the regional last fall, finishing one stroke shy of advancing to the sectional. “We look forward to them competing and turning in low scores,” LeQuia said about her two seniors. “Jake Dove continues to improve his game and will play some competitive rounds this fall.” Sophomores Zachary LeQuia and Kannon Tune also return, while Ian Walder, one of five freshmen on the team, is a newcomer to watch. “We have some up and coming players to watch in Zac, Kannon and Ian Walder who all hit the ball well and will get some varsity experience this season,” Brandi LeQuia said. LeQuia said she’s looking for the veteran players to provide leadership. “We would like our team and especially our upperclassmen to have a successful season and help some of our younger players get a feel for competing at a high level,” she said.

Mendota

Coach: David Ross

Top returners: Dane Doyle, jr.; Brody Hartt, jr.; Evan McPheeters, sr.

Key newcomer: Tayven Orosco, jr.

Worth noting: Doyle and Hartt, both sectional qualifiers last fall, will lead the Trojans. Doyle averaged a 44 last season and Hartt finished with a 43 average. McPheeters, the team’s lone senior, also will play a key role for the Trojans after averaging 47 last year. Orosco switched to golf from football and Ross said “he has a lot of potential and I am excited to see what he can do in competition.” The Trojans are hoping for more postseason success this season. “We have had players get eliminated in the sectional round the last two years and we hope to make it past that stage this year,” Ross said. Mendota has nine freshmen entering the program. “It will be interesting to see how they develop over the year,” Ross said.

Princeton

Coach: Brandon Crawford

Top returners: Jayden Fulkerson, sr.; Jackson Mason, jr.; Luke Smith, sr.

Top newcomer: Tyler Forristall, jr.

Worth noting: Mason came over from soccer last year and became the Tigers’ co-leader with a 44 average with senior Tyson Phillips. Smith was an all-conference selection, placing 12th (85) in the Three Rivers meet. He averaged 45 on the year. Other returning starters from last year are seniors Kaiden Coomer, Fulkerson and Nolan Kloepping with senior Zeke Klingenberg and juniors Cayden Benavidez and Andre Boughton and sophomores Brody Ross and Eli Coomer also returning. “We bring back 5 of 6 from last year, so the goal is to compete not just against the other schools in the conference but, more importantly, against ourselves,” Crawford said. “We are going to approach each day with a one swing at a time approach. We can’t be playing for just a number. We have to play at a level that represents ourselves, our teammates and for Princeton golf.” Crawford is looking forward to watching Forristall come out for the first time and “use his experience and composure facing adversity on the baseball diamond transfer to the course.”

Bureau Valley

Coach: Jack Gustafson

Top returners: Landen Birdsley, sr.; Drake Michlig, sr.; Atticus Middleton, sr.; Wyatt Novotny, jr.; Logan Philhower, jr., Colin Stabler, sr.; Landon Smith, sr.

Worth noting: The Storm return all six golfers from last year’s sectional qualifier with Birdsley, Middleton, Novotny, Philhower, Smith and Stabler. Novotny, who averaged 39.4, went on to make state for the first time. He was a top four finisher in three invites and placed fifth in the Three Rivers Conference tournament. He was sixth at regional (76) and sectional (79). Birdsley averaged 43.3 as the Storm’s No. 2 man with an 82 (ninth overall) at the Riverdale Regional. He placed 16th in the Three Rivers Meet, earning second-team all-conference honors. “We will be returning with four seniors this fall. Looking forward to a lot of senior leadership,” Gustafson said.

DePue

Coach: Kieran Trevier

Worth noting: Trevier takes over the Little Giants program and has a roster that’s entirely new to the sport. Senior Vance Hayes, sophomore Pablo Escobar and freshman Jayden Le make up the team. Le has shown promise early. “He has shown great improvement in practices,” Trevier said. With an inexperienced roster, Trevier said he hopes the Little Giants learn the game this fall and develop a love for the sport. “Golf is still so new to Depue High School that not many students regularly golfed outside of our team,” Trevier said. “I really hope to show them a lifelong hobby/sport they can play till they are 80 years old.”

Earlville

Coach: Dillon Reel

Top returners: Aaden Browder, so.; Grady Harp, sr.; Easton Fruit, sr.

Key newcomers: Hunter Schubbe, so.; JP Anderson, so.; Virgil Ackley, sr.

Worth noting: The Red Raiders return a strong core of players from last year’s squad that placed second in the Little Ten Conference Tournament. Browder is back after a strong freshman season as he finished second on the team with a 43 average and placed sixth at the LTC Tournament. Fruit (46 average) and Harp (48 average) also were contributors last fall. “We’re looking to make a run at the LTC Tournament and sectional this year after the second-place finish last year,” Reel said. “We’re using that as a building block for how successful we can me. The future of Earlville golf is bright.”

Henry-Senachwine

Coach: Max Kirbach

Top returners: Carson Rowe, jr.; Jacob Miller, jr.; Landon Harbison, so.; Ben Meachum, jr.

Worth noting: The Mallards don’t have any seniors on the roster but do have an experienced top four. Rowe averaged 40 last season and Miller averaged 43. Both were sectional qualifiers as freshmen and sophomores. Harbison and Meachum were the team’s Nos. 5-6 golfers last fall and will move up to Nos. 3-4. “Our goal as a team this year is to average a 180 or better by season’s end,” Kirbach said. “We would like to finish top half of our conference and have a shot at advancing out of the regional as a team. For our top few guys, I know they would like to advance to sectional again and have a shot at going to state this year as upperclassmen now.”