2024 Northwest Herald boys golf team preview

Fox Valley Conference

Burlington Central

Coach: Thomas Davies (10th season)

Last season: Seventh at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Tyler Samaan, jr.; Matthew Kowalik, sr.; Cam Sarallo, sr.; Luke Semyck, sr.; Ben Chesney, sr.; Tommy Wyse, so.

Key newcomers: Matthew Zierk, so.; David Lederman, so.

Worth noting: The Rockets were the only local team – boys or girls – to qualify for state last year. Central earned its third state appearance in program history, taking ninth in Class 2A. Samaan tied for 39th, Kowalik tied for 43rd, Sarallo tied for 52nd, Wyse tied for 74th, Chesney tied for 84th and Semyck tied for 87th. ... Kowalik was a Northwest Herald All-Area second-team pick, and Samaan earned honorable mention. Samaan had the team’s best finish at regionals and sectionals. ... The Rockets placed seventh at the FVC Tournament without any top-10 finishers individually. ... “With the entire state-qualifying team returning, we’re ecstatic for another opportunity to compete as a team,” Davies said. “In addition to making another postseason run, we’d love a chance to finally hold the FVC trophy.”

Cary-Grove

Coach: Chris Gotsch (11th season)

Last season: Fifth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Joey Boldt, sr.; Brock Iverson, sr.; Conner Lentz, jr.

Key newcomers: Kevin Gossman, sr.; Matthew Nagaj, sr.; Thomas Miranda, sr.

Worth noting: Boldt, an All-Area honorable mention pick, qualified for the Class 3A state tournament but did not make the Day 2 cut. He shot a 79 at regionals and was among the top finishers at sectionals with a 73 to make it to state. ... C-G was fifth at regionals behind Hampshire, Jacobs, Huntley and Crystal Lake Central, but was only four shots back of third. ... Lentz was a sectional qualifier. ... Iverson took sixth at the conference meet. ... “We have a great group of seniors returning for one last chance at an FVC championship,” Gotsch said. “We are looking forward to seeing Brock Iverson build on his all-conference regular season, Conner Lentz build on his sectional appearance, as well as Joey Boldt’s first state appearance. Kevin Gossman and Matthew Nagaj are positioned to step up and fill the shoes that our previous seniors left.”

Crystal Lake Central

Coach: Matt LePage (sixth season)

Last season: Fourth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Jack Bice, sr.; Charles Polash, sr.; Conor Naughton, sr.; Carter Blum, sr.; Asher Johnson, so.; Tommy Laird, so.; Max Sinha, so.

Worth noting: The Tigers bring back seven of their top eight from last season. Bice had the best local finish at the Class 3A state tournament, tying for 33rd with an 80-78-158, and earned All-Area first-team honors. He tied for fifth at regionals (77), 12th at sectionals (75) and was fifth at the FVC Tournament with a 77. ... Polash also qualified for state and shot an 87 on Day 1 but did not advance to the second round. He was ninth at the FVC Tournament with a 78 and an All-Area honorable mention selection. ... Johnson and Naughton qualified for sectionals. Central was fourth at the Class 3A Hampshire Regional, three shots behind third-place Huntley. ... Bice, Polash, and Johnson earned All-FVC honors.

Crystal Lake South

Coach: Curt Wadlington (19th season)

Last season: 10th at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Jack Wilcox, so.; AJ Mitchell, so.

Key newcomers: Mason Zimmerman, fr.; JJ Semradek, sr.

Worth noting: The Gators placed 10th at the FVC Tournament for the second season in a row. Jackson Bowers, who graduated, and Wilcox were the team’s top two scorers at conference. ... Wilcox advanced to sectionals as a freshman, recording an 88 at the Class 2A Marengo Regional. The team placed eighth. ... “We are young and full of potential,” Wadlington said. “The anticipation is that we’ll be more competitive as the season progresses. The dynamics of this group are that they want to learn and get better, and I anticipate that getting better will happen.”

Dundee-Crown

Coach: Bob Sweeney (21st season)

Last season: Ninth at FVC Tournament

Top returner: Jared Russell, sr.; Grant Meyer, sr.; Ethan Ward, sr.; Kai Klancnik, sr.

Worth noting: The Chargers took a step back in the FVC standings last year, going from sixth to ninth place. They shot a 355 and finished 17 shots behind McHenry for eighth but had a much better performance in the postseason. D-C was sixth with a 326 at the Class 3A Hampshire Regional, which was only seven shots behind third-place Crystal Lake Central. ... Russell posted a 79 (tied for ninth) at regionals to qualify for sectionals. ... “We will lean on Jared Russell’s experience to consistently post a top-four score,” Sweeney said. “Ethan Ward has committed to improving his game over the summer, and we are hoping he can make his hard work pay off in conference and tournament meets. The challenge will be finding two more scores from our returners and newcomers.”

Hampshire

Coach: Jeremy Bauer (second season)

Last season: FVC Tournament champion

Top returners: Seth Gillie, sr.; Nolan Adamczyk, jr.

Key newcomers: Justin Brown, sr.; Riley Kagel, jr.

Worth noting: The Whip-Purs won the FVC Tournament with a 313, one shot better than Prairie Ridge and two better than Huntley. Adamczyk was the FVC runner-up, shooting a 73, while grad Eric Brown took eighth. ... Brown was the medalist at the Class 3A Hampshire Regional in which the Whips won with a 304 for the program’s first regional title since 2014. Adamzcyk was an All-Area first-team pick, firing a 79 at regionals and sectionals. Gillie was an All-Area second-team pick. Gillie qualified for state, shooting a 76 at regionals and finishing third with a 72 at sectionals. At the state tournament, he tied for 56th. ... Hampshire tied for fourth at sectionals, two shots from the last qualifying spot. ... “We are returning a few players from our 2023 conference and regional championship team,” Bauer said. “We’ll need a few of the new players to contribute if we want to repeat.”

Huntley

Coach: Collin Kalamatas (ninth season)

Last season: Third at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Taig Bhathal, sr.

Key newcomers: Grayson Birkmeier, jr.; Austin Matich, jr.; Jack Policheri, jr.

Worth noting: Bhathal was third at the FVC Tournament, followed by teammate Natham Elm in fourth. Elm, an All-Area second-team selection, graduated. ... The Red Raiders, who won the FVC Tournament in 2022, took third at conference with a 315 but were only two shots behind champion Hampshire. ... Huntley took the last qualifying spot at the Class 3A Hampshire Regional with a 322. Elm tied for second. ... “We graduated a lot of players from last year, with Taig being the only returning varsity player,” Kalamatas said. “I’m excited to see how our guys compete for spots in the rotation throughout the season. We could have a new lineup every week with the amount of depth and parity in our program.”

Jacobs

Coach: Gary Conrad (11th season)

Last season: Sixth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Barrett Rennell, sr.; Chase Garden, so.; Braden Behrens, sr.; Noah Deremo, sr.; Luke Johnson, sr.

Key newcomers: Logan Henning, fr.

Worth noting: Jacobs qualified for sectionals as a team after placing runner-up at the Class 3A Hampshire Regional with a 312. The Golden Eagles were led by Behrens (77), Garden (77) and Rennell (78), who had top-eight finishes. ... Rennell, who earned All-Area honorable mention, took 10th at the FVC Tournament, while Behrens was only a few shots behind his teammate. ... Owen Ziaja, who graduated, was one shot away from qualifying for state with a 77. ... “This year’s team is senior heavy with lots of experience at the varsity level,” Conrad said. “After having a very surprising season last year, we come in with high expectations. With this being Jacobs’ best team in five years, we are aiming to make the state series this year and compete at the top of the FVC.”

McHenry

Coach: Ryan Ellison (18th season)

Last season: Eighth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Alex LaShelle, jr.; Dane Currie, so.

Key newcomers: Henry Collette, so.

Worth noting: The Warriors captured their first regional championship since 2019, posting a 333 at the Class 3A Harlem Regional. LaShelle won the individual title with a 76. McHenry’s other top four golfers all graduated. ... McHenry took 11th at sectionals, and LaShelle was one shot away from qualifying to state with a 77. He also had the Warriors’ best finish at the FVC Tournament. ... “We’re very young this year, but we’re also more talented than we were last year,” Ellison said. “A lot of the younger guys have put in a lot of time into their games over the summer.”

Prairie Ridge

Coach: John Powell (12th season)

Last season: FVC Tournament runner-up

Top returners: JJ Lee, sr.; Austin Klauser, sr.; Jimmy Berg, sr.; Jack Dahlem, jr.

Key newcomer: Anthony Pettrone, so.

Worth noting: The Wolves will miss the scoring and leadership of Charlie Pettrone, the 2023 Northwest Herald Boys Golfer of the Year. He won the FVC Tournament championship with a 70, while the Wolves were one shot back of Hampshire for the team title. JJ Lee, an All-Area honorable mention choice, placed fifth with a 77. ... Prairie Ridge took second at the Class 2A Grayslake Central Regional. Charlie Pettrone took third overall. Klauser (84), Dahlem (84) and Lee (86) rounded out the scoring. ... The Wolves finished one shot back of qualifying for state with a 323 at the Freeport Sectional. Klauser missed going to state in a playoff.

Kishwaukee River Conference

Harvard

Coach: Evan Bridges (first season)

Last season: Sixth at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Jacob Finfrock, sr.; Wyatt Stott, so.; Cole Coffer, so.; Zach Dacy, jr.

Worth noting: The Hornets were led at last year’s KRC Tournament by graduate Logan Garafol, who placed 10th. Only eight shots separated Harvard (369), Marengo (367), Johnsburg (362) and Woodstock North co-op (361), which took third, at the conference meet. Both of Harvard’s All-KRC selections (Garafol and Aaron Saucedo) graduated. … Harvard shot a 352 and was only one shot behind third-place finisher Marengo at the Class 2A Marengo Regional. Garafol, Saucedo and Stott qualified for sectionals. … “I’m looking forward to coaching and teaching more about the game of golf day in and day out,” Bridges said. “We’ve got a great group of kids who are eager to improve.”

Johnsburg

Coach: Don Bentz (eighth season)

Last season: Fourth at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Riley Johnson, sr.; Mason Salamoun, sr.; Nathan Frost, so.; Jacob Smith, so.

Key newcomers: Sawyer Perry, sr.; Ashton Stern, jr.; Jonathon Cygan, fr.

Worth noting: Johnson was named to the All-KRC team. The Skyhawks’ other all-conference selection (Nick Grons) graduated. ... Johnson was third at the KRC Tournament with an 82. Johnsburg was one shot back of Woodstock North for third place. The Skyhawks took eighth at the Class 2A Grayslake Central Regional, with Johnson advancing to sectionals. He was only two shots away from state with an 82. ... “This is one of the deeper teams the Skyhawks have had,” Bentz said. “We are looking to compete for the KRC championship.”

Marengo

Coach: Rafael Martinez (eighth season)

Last season: Fifth at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Sean Ettner, sr.; Alex Johnson, jr.; Max Broughton, jr.; Michael Gieseke, so.

Worth noting: The Indians finished third at the Class 2A Marengo Regional to advance as a team to sectionals. Johnson and Gieseke were among the top four scorers. The other two top scorers – Leo Bankel and Andrew Johnson – graduated. ... Bankel had the lowest score at the KRC Tournament with a 90, which tied for 12th. ... Ettner was an All-KRC member. ... “Building on last year’s team qualifying for sectionals,” Martinez said about this year’s goals. “Sean Ettner is playing his best golf and hoping to close his high school career with a cherry on top.”

Richmond-Burton

Coach: Brad Tichenor (18th season)

Last season: KRC Tournament champion

Top returners: Danny DeZanek, sr.; Ryan Scholberg, jr.

Key newcomers: Tucker Lowry, sr.; Caleb Rodenkirch, fr.; Nathan McGlothlin, so.; Aiden Welch, sr.

Worth noting: The Rockets captured the KRC Tournament championship after taking third in 2022. Graduate Colten Miller won the individual title at conference with a 76 and was named KRC Boys Player of the Year. The other top scorers for the Rockets – Jeff Lehn, Jacob Olson and Aiden Wicinski – graduated. In all, the team graduated six. ... R-B took seventh at the Class 2A Grayslake Central Regional. Lehn advanced to sectionals. ... “We graduated half of our team from last season, and I’m looking forward to seeing this new group growing and achieving,” Tichenor said.

Woodstock North co-op

(with Woodstock)

Coach: Brent Filetti (ninth season)

Last season: Third at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Brady Yergens, sr.; Jack Wollpert, sr.; Colin Karner, jr.

Key newcomers: Collin Stock, so.; Ben Weir, so.; Ryan Murray, so.

Worth noting: Yergens and Wollpert qualified for sectionals, with Yergens tying for eighth. ... Yergens was second at the KRC Tournament and earned All-KRC honors, along with graduate Alex Treadway. ... Woodstock North co-op was 11 shots back of Sandwich for second at the KRC Tournament. The team won the previous four KRC titles. ... “The team is looking to continue the traditions of hard work, positivity and sportsmanship,” Filetti said. “Golf is a challenging game, but I always say, ‘Par is a good score.’ ”

Chicagoland Christian Conference

Marian Central

Coach: Matt Jones (first season)

Last season: Third at CCC Tournament

Top returners: Peter Louise, sr.; Finn Pivnicka, sr.; Mason Graf, sr.

Key newcomer: Luca Kittel, so.

Worth noting: Louise advanced to his second straight state tournament, tying for 20th in Class 1A with an 81-76-157. Louise posted a 79 at regionals and 77 at sectionals. The Hurricanes junior took sixth at the inaugural Chicagoland Christian Conference Tournament with an 85. Pivnicka also shot an 85 and was eighth on scorecard tiebreakers. Both made the All-CCC team. ... “Expectations could not be any higher,” Jones said. “I believe with the combination of Bull Valley Golf Club as our site, our talent and work ethic, we can compete at the highest level.”