Scouting DuPage County boys golf
Top area teams: Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, Wheaton Academy, Benet, Neuqua Valley, Naperville North, Naperville Central, Wheaton Warrenville South, Wheaton North, Waubonsie Valley.
Top area athletes: Blake Biddle, Wheaton Academy, so.; David Flynn, Wheaton Academy, so.; Jake Tolliver, Glenbard West, sr.; Leo Karris, Glenbard West, sr.; Shane Bryant, Glenbard West, sr.; Steve Skurla, Wheaton Warrenville South, jr.; Matt Lohmeyer, Naperville North, sr.; Chris Collander, Naperville North, sr.; Dan Funkhouser, Naperville Central, sr.; Russell Katz, Downers Grove North, sr.; Brett Tomfohrde, Hinsdale Central, jr.; Theo Lederhausen, Hinsdale Central, soph.; Ryan Zeman, Glenbard North, sr.; Matt Pell, Neuqua Valley, jr.; Joe Jensen, Neuqua Valley, so.; Paul Asheim, Waubonsie Valley, sr.; Joe Young, York, jr.
Scouting report: Mark your calendars for Sept. 12 when the two top teams in the area — Glenbard West and Hinsdale Central — convene at Village Links in Glen Ellyn for their all-important dual meet.
The two are hardly the only storyline on the links this fall, however, as the conference races should once again go down to the wire. In the DuPage Valley, Wheaton Warrenville South finally shed its bridesmaid role, but the Tigers will have tough competition from the two Naperville schools as well as Wheaton North. The Tigers’ Skurla won five summer tournaments. Naperville North eclipsed the magical 300 barrier in winning at Naperville Central last week.
“It was like the old days again,” said Naperville North coach Ryan Hantak.
Glenbard North won the conference tournament a year ago, but the Panthers lost three all-conference members to graduation.
In the Upstate Eight Conference, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley and Lake Park will vie with the two St. Charles schools and Bartlett for league supremacy.
“It’s going to be a weird season,” said Neuqua Valley coach Spike Grosshuesch. “Teams are going to get hot at a certain time.”
The Glenbard South senior triumvirate of Nick Bava, Zach Polaski and Brad Morin looks to wrestle the Western Sun away from Batavia.
“No one is going to go undefeated (in league dual meets),” said Glenbard South coach Scott Illiff.
The area members of the Suburban Catholic will have a tall order to topple Marmion.
“(My players) will have to be one their ‘A’ game to compete with (Marmion),” St. Francis’ Brian King said.
Key dates: Fenton Invitational at White Pines (Sept. 1), Batavia Invitational (Sept. 8), conference tournaments (week of Sept. 24), Lake Park Invitational at Indian Lakes (Sept. 29).
Player with the best chance to play Augusta National some day: Biddle, the Wheaton Academy standout opened his first two 18-hole tournaments in 8-under-par.
Predicted team state champions: Class 1A, Waterloo, Class 2A, Normal U-High, Class 3A, St. Viator.