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The boys golf season is getting underway. Here are previews of teams from the Herald-News coverage area.
East Suburban Catholic
Joliet Catholic
Coach: David Mondrella
Last season’s record: 4-4
Top returners: Connor Neville, sr.; Quinn Swienton, jr.
Key newcomers: Jake Gimbel, sr.; Connor Flanagan, sr.; Alex Nashas, sr; Mario Gonzalez, jr.
Worth noting: Outside of Neville and Swienton, the rest of the Hilltoppers’ lineup will be filled by varsity newcomers. Neville and Swienton both were sectional qualifiers last season, when the team got five players past regionals. “A very athletic group that excels in multiple sports can put together a nice run if they continue to put in the work,” Mondrella said.
Southwest Prairie Conference
Joliet Township
Coach: Britt Charley (first season)
Last season’s record: 7-3
Top returners: Lincoln Chizmark, sr.; Parker Sloan, sr.; Thomas Fellows, sr.; Zachary Taylor, sr.; Casey Tyrell, sr.; Mitchell Fulayter, jr.
Key newcomers: Christian Chignoli, sr.
Worth noting: Chizmark, Sloan, Fulyater, Fellows and Taylor all were in the lineup when Joliet finished second at the Andrew Regional last season, advancing to the O’Fallon Sectional, where it finished 10th. Chizmark earned all-conference honors. “We have many players with varsity experience and are hoping to build on the success of last year’s advancement as team,” Charley said.
Minooka
Coach: Jeff Petrovic (third season in current stint, 18th overall)
Last season’s record: 9-1
Top returners: TJ Quinn, jr.; Carter Stephenson, sr.; Grant Gould, sr.; Brett Widlowski, sr.; Luke Purcell, jr.; Michael Kuchar, jr.
Key newcomers: Keegan Reily, jr.; Cam Swanson, jr.; Luan Osmani, sr.
Worth noting: All six starters are returners who contributed to last season’s team, which missed out on a conference title by only one shot. Stephenson and Gould both were sectional qualifiers in 2022 and will be looked on to lead the way after the graduation of state qualifier Brydon North. Team goals are to win conference and regional titles and advance to state as a team. “This is a really talented group of guys,” Petrovic said. “There’s a lot of expectation put on them, but I know they can live up to it.”
Plainfield Central
Coach: Darren Kobliska (17th season)
Last season’s record: 3-8
Top returners: Ayden Thongphadith, sr.; Nolan O’Brien, jr.
Key newcomers: Micah Arushanyan, jr.; Maddox Conner, jr.
Worth noting: Thongphadith was the team’s top golfer last season and earned all-conference honors, while O’Brien was one of three sectional qualifiers. Arushanyan has been golfing competitively for just two years, but is expected to be one of the Wildcats’ top performers. Conner led the JV team last season and will be counted on to step up on varsity. “I’m really excited about this season because we have several guys who love to compete and can shoot low numbers,” Kobliska said. “We also have one of the deepest squads we’ve had in a while.”
Plainfield East
Coach: Joe Young (10th season)
Last season’s record: 2-10, 1-9
Top returners: Griffin Mailhiot, sr.; Cole Buettner, sr.; Josh Winterroth, jr.
Key newcomers: Evan Orlet, so.; Charlie Madden, so.; Jacob Czerniak, fr.; Jett Utrata, fr.
Worth noting: Mailhiot and Winterroth were sectional qualifiers last season and Young is optimistic Madden and Orlet will be big additions. “Look for the Bengals to have success late in the season as a potential sectional-qualifying team,” Young said.
Plainfield North
Coach: Mike Kneip (ninth season)
Last season’s record: 10-1, 10-0
Top returners: Casey Sanborn, jr.; Evan Czarnik, sr.; Jackson Floros, sr.; Luke Harmon, sr.; Brian Leigh, sr.; Colin Doyle, sr.; Jordan Smith, sr; Ethan Clark, sr.
Key newcomers: Max Espinosa, jr.; Jamie Mulder, jr.; Brad Ellinghaus, jr.; Evan Lee, fr.
Worth noting: After winning conference and regional titles last season the Tigers have some reloading to do following the graduation of SPC MVP and regional champion Drew Czarnik, along with two other all-conference golfers. Sanborn is a returning all-conference honoree who is ready to lead the way, with Evan Czarnik and Floros also bringing plenty of experience to the table. “The faces have changed but expectations remain the same: compete for SPC and IHSA regional championships,” Kneip said.
Plainfield South
Coach: Tim Boe
Last season’s record: 3-7
Top returners: Aiden O’Sullivan, sr.; Jonah Powell, so.
Key newcomers: Kyle Gryzbowski, sr.; Henry Thies, jr.; Adam Tuck, so.; Gavin Baxa, so.; Noah Nuttens, so.
Worth noting: O’Sullivan was a sectional qualifier and all-conference performer last season, while Boe expects Powell to be a state qualifier this year. Gryzbowski and Thies add experience, while the trio of sophomores will look to fill out the lineup.
Romeoville
Coach: Jeff Bambule (11th season)
Top returners: Danny Myers, sr.; Harrison Kolze, sr.; Tyler Noe, sr.
Worth noting: Bambule felt the Spartans were more competitive last season than in several years. Now, the team looks to rebuild behind a senior trio, with the rest of the lineup a question mark. “Going into this year, we have to build our program back up as far as numbers go,” Bambule said. “We lost a lot of seniors and a few other kids.”
SouthWest Suburban Conference
Lincoln-Way Central
Coach: Ryan Pohlmann (eighth season)
Top returners: Ben Howey, sr.
Key newcomers: Brody Wall, fr.; Connor Kelch, fr.
Worth noting: The Knights won the SouthWest Suburban Red last season and are attempting to rebuild with an inexperienced team. Howey is the proven commodity, having earned all-conference honors last season, while Pohlmann expects big immediate contributions from Wall and Kelch. “We will be a young and fairly inexperienced team this year, but it will be exciting to see the growth and possibilities that the season can bring,” Pohlmann said.
Lincoln-Way East
Coach: Jim Nair (eighth season)
Last season’s record: 8-0
Top returners: Tanner Leonard, sr.; Liam Shannon, sr.
Key newcomers: Carmine Moccio, so.
Worth noting: The Griffins took seventh in Class 3A last season for the best finish in program history. Eight seniors graduated from that team, but Leonard and Shannon return with experience. Leonard earned all-state honors as a sophomore and was all-sectional last season, when he was the medalist in five tournaments. Nair says the key will be developing depth beyond the top three. “We have several young athletes who have the talent,” Nair said. “We need to get them positive experience and put them in the best situations to succeed.”
Lincoln-Way West
Coach: Daniel Szablewski (fifth season)
Top returners: Max Mzhickteno, sr.
Key newcomers: EJ Dwyer, so.; Colin Ladd, so.; Drake Been, so.
Worth noting: Mzhickteno earned all-conference accolades last season as the Warriors finished second in the SouthWest Suburban Red. Dwyer is the younger brother of Kaylee, who earned all-state honors in girls golf last year. “This is the most unified group I have coached at West off the golf course,” Szablewski said. “They are all friends with each other and are a joy to be around every day so far.”
Lockport
Coach: Matt Eber (12th season)
Last season’s record: 11-2, 3-2
Top returners: Nate Kwiatkowski, sr.; Joey Sluzas, sr.; Braeden DeBlecourt, sr.
Key newcomers: Matt Pawyza, sr.; Drew Piper, sr.; Dominic White, sr., Alex Hareza, jr., Hayden Gusias, so., Zack Skrzypiec, So.
Worth noting: The Porters finished 10th in Class 3A last season and hope to contend at state again with Kwiatkowski, Sluzas and DeBlecourt all back after contributing heavily to last year’s success. Kwiatkowski finished 30th in the state individually. DeBlecourt suffered an injury that kept him out of the 2022 state series and is eager to make his mark this year. Pawyza, Piper and White are new to varsity as seniors, but are experienced golfers who add to a veteran lineup. “We should be very competitive in our conference and have a good shot to repeat as conference champs,” Eber said. “Our schedule of tournaments is loaded, and we look to be in contention to take home some titles and compete again for a spot at the state tournament and improve on last year’s finish.”
Chicago Catholic League
Providence
Coach: John Platt (21st season)
Top returners: Dylan Mott, sr.; Joe Brasky, sr.; Tyler Mott, sr.; Jonathan Schendler, so.; Alex Hartman, so.; Cullen Parker, sr.
Worth noting: The Celtics return their entire starting lineup from last season, with the Mott twins – Dylan and Tyler – and Brasky set to lead the way. Schendler and Hartman are looking to build off solid freshmen seasons as they were consistent contributors last year. “We didn’t send the team or any individual to state last year, and I put it out there that I want to see us represented down there this year or I’m going to be disappointed,” Platt said.
South Suburban Conference
Lemont
Coach: Mark Hollatz (29th season)
Last season’s record: 14-1
Top returners: Eddie Scott, sr.; Robby Politza, sr.; Joey Scott, so.
Key newcomers: Matt Devoy, jr.; Aiden Peonard, jr.
Worth noting: Lemont has finished fourth in Class 2A each of the past two seasons and would like to break through for a state trophy this time. Eddie Scott, who finished 26th at state in 2022, and Politza are strong veteran leaders and Joey Scott impressed as a freshman on varsity. Lemont won its 19th straight conference title in 2022 and finished in the top three in all nine of its regular-season tournaments. “Our players have played many tournaments throughout the country this past spring and summer and are excited to do something special at Lemont this fall,” Hollatz said.
Illinois Central Eight Conference
Coal City
Coach: Harlan Kennell (seventh season)
Last season’s record: 5-5, 4-2
Top returners: Ryland Megyeri, sr.; Jack Varnak, sr.; Will McArdle, sr.
Key newcomers: Griffin Winke, jr.; Jerry Carlson, jr.
Worth noting: Megyeri was a sectional qualifier last season and is one of a few seniors heading into a fourth year in the program. Winke and Carlson are two of five juniors who have played since freshman year, adding to an experienced group. After falling short last year, the Coalers hope to advance to sectionals as a team. “Our keys to success are to improve our short game as the season progresses and stay consistent as a team,” Kennell said.
Peotone
Coach: Bill Sander (fifth season)
Top returners: Joe Hasse, jr.; Jake Eahart, sr.; Michael Bettenhausen, sr.; Mason Early, jr.; Travis Bush, sr.
Worth noting: Hasse qualified for sectionals last season and missed state by five strokes. Eahart, Bettenhausen, Early and Bush are all experienced starters who make up a veteran lineup. After finishing third in the ICE8 last season, the Blue Devils are aiming high this year. “Our goal this year is to compete for the conference championship and maybe qualify the team for sectionals,” Sander said.
Reed-Custer
Coach: Ryan Marketti (first season)
Top returners: Kyle Highland, jr.; Hunter Baxter, sr.; Chandler Lowe, jr.
Worth noting: Marketti, who coached eight seasons at Plainfield North, takes over and looks to rebuild the program. Highland is expected to lead the way, with Baxter and Lowe also having experience. “Even though we don’t have many experienced golfers on the team, we look to improve throughout the season, stay positive and build the program,” Marketti said.
Interstate 8 Conference
Morris
Coach: Mike Muntz (fifth season)
Last season’s record: 11-5, 5-2
Top returners: Joey Lanahan, sr.; Aden Delahera, sr.; Liam Eber, jr.
Key newcomers: Ella McDonnell, sr.; Lucas Munsell, sr.; Connor Barth, so.; Colin Voss, jr.
Worth noting: Lanahan and Eber advanced to sectionals last season and lead a veteran trio that also includes Delahera. McDonnell will golf on the boys team during the season before competing in the girls state series. With an inexperienced roster overall, Morris hopes Munsell, Barth and Voss can step up in their first varsity season. “I am excited to see our more veteran golfers set the tone for our younger group and hopefully, that can translate into some on-the-course success,” Muntz said.
Tri County Conference
Seneca
Coach: Bryan Erickson (14th season)
Last’s season record: 9-10, 5-2
Top returners: Grant Siegel, jr.; Keegan Murphy, jr.; Ryker Terry, jr.
Key newcomers: Cooper Thorson, fr.; Cody Clennon, so.; Raiden Terry, fr.
Worth noting: With just three returning golfers in the program, the Fighting Irish reloaded with 10 new golfers this season. Siegel was a sectional qualifier last season who will be expected to lead the way. Thorson is a freshman to watch and should make an immediate impact. “If this team progresses through the season as I think they will, we should compete for the TCC title and also have a good shot at getting out of our own regional,” Erickson said.