North Boys Golf Wins Regional Title

PLAINFIELD – Naperville North's boys golf team just wanted to advance to sectionals, no matter which of the top three spots it finished in at Tuesday's Class 3A Naperville Central Regional at the Links of Carillon.

To actually go in and win the tournament by shooting a 297, that was just gravy.

The Huskies continued their stellar season by edging Waubonsie Valley by a stroke for the regional title. They head to a familiar track, Naperbrook, for sectionals Monday with a state berth on the line.

"Honestly, that's all we cared about," North coach Ryan Hantak said of advancing. "Our kids felt a lot of internal pressure knowing that we were undefeated this year (in conference). Our kids wanted to get to the next level so much. We didn't care if we came in third. To do this well and advance, that's all we wanted. To do really well is just a bonus."

Low scores have become the norm for sophomore Raymond Knoll, and he did not disappoint Tuesday. His 73 tied with Jon Mengel for the team low, despite stumbling down the stretch. Knoll was actually 2-under-par with four holes to go, but had two bogeys and a double-bogey at the end to fall to 73.

"I think I was just mentally tired, to be honest," said Knoll, who won the DuPage Valley Conference tournament last week. "It was a rough finish, but I'm happy overall with how I played."

All year, North has relied on its depth to get through every tournament, and that depth showed again.  Mengel's 73 was a season low, and it helped offset an 83 from No. 1 golfer Nick Buege.

"That was great," Hantak said. "He's been low before in nine-hole matches, but to come up big in a pressure situation was awesome. I know Spencer (Tanaka) and Nick (Buege) put a lot of pressure on themselves, and it was nice to see that we didn't need them today. That's been the theme all year with this team. If a guy screws up, somebody is there to help them."

Mengel started slow, but a birdie on No. 9 helped him get back on track.

"I struggled on the first few holes and came back strong," Mengel said. "I just came out firing. Finishing the front nine with a birdie gave me some confidence that I could shoot even on the back."

The Considine brothers each had counting scores to help offset off days for Buege and Tanaka. Dave Considine shot a 74 and Dan Considine added a 77.