Boys golf: Scouting DuPage County and the Fox area

Aurora Central Catholic’s boys golf team is looking to make some waves this fall due to a strong group of returnees, led by seniors Brenden Hager, Bryan Novack, Adam Bartlett and talented junior Jackson Michels.

“Jackson is surrounded by a group of four seniors who are ever improving and constantly looking to better our team’s performance from a year ago,” ACC coach Robb Wallers said.

A few miles away, Aurora Christian is slated to be among one of the top teams due to the talent on the team, namely senior Wil McCracken and sophomores Jacob Baumann, Niko Kaplanis and James Rapinchuk.

“We have five of our top six returning from last season and we should be competitive in our new Chicagoland Christian Conference,” AC coach Andy Zorger said.

Bartlett is led by seniors Jayden Patel, Mitch Davis, Nick Villarin and Ryan Gura, while juniors Robby Coyne and Daniel Ryniec are also golfers to watch.

Batavia is a talented team with four returnees from last season’s regional championship back, including seniors Drew Freedlund, Jimmy Haug, Ian Steelglove and Adam Warner and newcomer, sophomore Ryan Augustine.

Benet, which placed third in Class 2A last season, is riding the twosome of junior Charlie Davenport and Finn Reilly.

“We’re hoping for a fifth straight conference championship and to qualify for the IHSA tournament,” Benet coach Martin Gaughan said.

Burlington Central is junior heavy this spring, as Matthew Kowalik, Cam Sarallo, Luke Semyck and Ben Chesney are part of a strong group.

“This season has the potential to be truly special with some fantastic returning players mixed in with some exceptional newcomers,” Burlington Central coach Thomas Davies said.

After winning the Fox Valley Conference championship last season for the first time since 2009, Cary-Grove enters the fall with optimism for another prolific run. Seniors Kyle Kotlarczyk, Erik Pietrzyk and Brock Iverson join junior Joey Boldt to comprise a solid team.

“We have a great group of guys back who have been competing in several tournaments and the back end of lineup has really improved,” Cary-Grove coach Chris Gotsch said. “I think we have a great opportunity to compete for another conference championship.”

Downers Grove North is headlined by Colton Presson, Connor Hurst, Rollie Sporor and Joe Calderone.

“This is one of the deepest lineups we’ve had in many years and we hope to be a part of the conversation in a very strong conference,” Downers Grove North coach Anthony Calderone said.

Dundee-Crown is led by seniors Jared Russell, Camden Schmeiser and Jack Sundstedt, while junior Grant Meyer and sophomore Kai Klancnik are showing potential.

“We’re counting on our three returning senior golfers who gained valuable experience last year,” Dundee-Crown coach Bob Sweeney said. “We’re counting on each of them to post consistent scores that will improve as their season progresses.”

Elgin is bolstered by the return of senior Ben Heinrich to go with juniors David Govea and Aarev Patel and sophomore Ryan Steckbeck. Fenton is hopeful to build off a strong season from senior Sean DiCosola, sophomore Peter Anagnos and senior Brandon Block.

Geneva is young, but hopeful for a solid season due to the emergence of seniors Laksh Patel and Liam Kelleghan and junior Ryan O’Rourke and sophomore Matt Trimble.

“Overall, we have a very young team but some good talent that has been developing,” Geneva coach Eric Hatczel said.

Glenbard East’s senior group of Peter Ahern, Josh Petkus and Chris Ludwig form a solid lineup from top to bottom, according to coach Chris Wienke.

“We’re looking to compete for a conference championship,” Wienke said.

Glenbard South is a youthful squad with senior Nick Windeler and juniors Ethan Noellsch and Frankie Abate the main golfers.

Glenbard North lost six of its top eight golfers, but junior Gio Barghini and senior Dominick Muzi are both back.

Glenbard West is coming off a memorable season — 2022 West Suburban Silver champions and seventh place Class 3A state finish. The Hilltoppers bring back star senior Grant Roscich, a North Carolina recruit, and sophomore Ivan Blood.

“We have a young team, but behind the leadership and play of Grant, we’re looking to compete in the always tough Silver division,” Glenbard West coach Paul Hezlett said.

Harvest Christian sophomore Liam Lodding, an all-stater last season, is back to raise hope for another solid season for the Lions.

Hinsdale South is aided by the return of senior standout Tommy Gneiser, raising hopes for a run at the West Suburban Gold title this fall.

Huntley is primed for another big season with the return of five of its top six golfers from last season’s sectional qualifying team, namely Nathan Elm, Nooa Hakala, Sam Locascio and Taig Bhathal.

“Nathan and Nooa will anchor the top of our lineup, while Sam and Taig have really elevated their games this offseason,” Huntley coach Collin Kalamatas said.

IC Catholic Prep is also undergoing a slight changeover following consecutive third-place finishes at state, as all-state senior Zazz Atendido is among the top returnees.

Jacobs returns seniors Owen Zaja and Zach Allen and juniors Barrett Rennell, Braden Behrens and Luke Johnson this fall.

“We’re looking to keep improving from last year, especially with so many players being in the varsity lineup last season, we should be in better form,” Jacobs coach Gary Conrad said.

Helped by strong chemistry, Lisle is another promising team. Senior Lucas Heidenry, sophomore Ethan Hsu, to go with senior Matthew Kane and Nathan Hiar headline the team.

Kaneland is among the teams brimming with confidence, partly because of the “Fab Five” all coming back in Brian Davoust, Wesley Hollis, Zach Ramos, Ryan Babich and Bradley Franck.

Lake Park seniors Sonni Lomeli and Dane Ellis, along with sophomores Abhi Patel and Adin Patel, comprise a solid mix of players with talent.

Metea Valley has plenty of returning talent in seniors Kyle Bucher, Patrick Davis and Charlie Flaherty to go with juniors Armaan Shah, Rahil Shah, Caleb Hoskins.

“With a challenging schedule, we’re excited to combine the senior leadership and experience with our significantly improved junior class,” Metea Valley coach Patrick Brusveen said.

Montini is another team to watch this fall, especially with senior Danny Peterson, sophomore Liam Odea, junior Jack Barret and senior Anjay Dhir showing promise.

“Our goal this year is to win regionals and place top three in sectionals,” Montini coach Ben Michelon said. “We have a very young team but I feel with the talent we have that we should be able to achieve that goal.”

Naperville Central is led by seniors Joey Cerney and Matt Simms, while Naperville North is looking for a bounce-back season behind a talented crew of seniors and juniors. Seniors James Driscoll and Johnny Hodges are both back.

“We’re excited to work hard, compete and get some great experience for our players,” Naperville North coach Ryan Hantak said.

Neuqua Valley is hoping to ride a strong top four of junior Ryan Watson and seniors Parth Vora, Vetri Anand and Emerson Zhang to a memorable season.

“Our top four players have put in a lot of hard work in the offseason and are all playing some really good golf right now,” Neuqua Valley coach Bart Carbonneau said. “If they continue to play like this, we can make a solid run at the DuPage Valley Conference title and even qualify for state as a team.”

South Elgin is one of the more experienced teams in Chicagoland. The Storm have seven seniors returning, including standouts Nic Heinrich and Nick Martinez.

“We have a nice blend of seasoned seniors, as well as a handful of budding upperclassmen,” South Elgin coach Tom Bozikis said.

St. Francis sophomore Beckett Jones, an all-stater last season, is a rising star slated to be a leader this fall.

“We have very good senior leadership coming back, but also some promising juniors and sophomores to round out the team,” St. Francis coach Tony Perez said.

Waubonsie Valley’s top returnee, Salil Khunduja, is one of the top golfers in the state who will be aiming to top last season’s Class 3A third-place finish.

West Aurora sophomore Jake Anderson and senior AJ Blaskovich are set to lead the team this fall. “Jake will look to continue a strong summer season, while AJ will try and build upon a strong debut last year as a junior,” West Aurora coach John Proczko said.

Wheaton Academy is bringing back a wealth of experience, most notably with seniors Freddie Chan, Joe Luchtenburg and Henry Eldersveld leading the team.

“With strong leadership and the addition of excellent freshman Owen Conniaris, we’re looking forward to a great season with our eyes on a trip to the state finals,” Wheaton Academy coach Bob Broman said.

Wheaton North endured a senior-less team last year, but now features seniors Mason Oleniczak and Henry Brock along with talented junior Trey Hubner.

Wheaton Warrenville South is relying on returnees Charlie Gilligan, Luke Webber, Callan Fahey and Christopher Myers this season.

Willowbrook is another area team with a strong group of seniors but untested players. Seniors Carson Stefani, Victor Voskresenski and Alex Calderson will be asked to carry the load for the team this season.