Crystal Lake South earned its second consecutive trip to the Class 2A state tournament last season, going perfect in the Fox Valley Conference and winning regional and sectional titles.

The Gators figure to be among the toughest teams in the area once again, led by seniors Will Stewart and Ricky Falbo. Can South win the FVC championship for a third straight season?

In the Kishwaukee River Conference, Woodstock North co-op, which combines with Woodstock, won the conference championship by 16 shots over Richmond-Burton, with the team's No. 1 golfer and sectional qualifier, Brad Arnold, back for his senior year.

The 2019 KRC individual champion, Marengo's Tyler Nelsen, also is back.

Individually, Crystal Lake Central junior Eric Klutke and Prairie Ridge senior Eddie Winkelmann both look to improve after making their first state appearances.

Here's a closer look at the Northwest Herald-area boys golf teams for the 2020 season:

Fox Valley Conference

Burlington Central

Coach: Thomas Davies (sixth season)

Last season: Ninth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Tyson Malak, jr.; Tyler DiDomenico, sr.

Key newcomers: Matthew Lemon, so; Chaz Rutke, jr.

Worth noting: Malak qualified for the state tournament, missing the Day 1 cut by a shot. Malak tied for second at the Class 2A Sandwich Regional and DiDomenico tied for sixth. Both earned All-FVC honors. ... The Rockets, who went 4-5 in the FVC, finished sixth at regionals, 13 shots from the last qualifying spot. ... "We are definitely top heavy with our 1 and 2, but looking to fill out the rest of our roster," Davies said. "With Malak and DiDomenico, we have about as much talent and experience as we've had in several years."

Cary-Grove

Coach: Chris Gotsch (seventh season)

Last season: Fifth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Joey Vitullo, sr.; Nate Jablonski, sr.; Dylan Turner, sr.

Key newcomers: Ryan Weaver, sr.; Tom Fornelli, jr.; Maddux Tarasievich, so.

Worth noting: The Trojans tied Huntley at the Class 3A Dundee-Crown Regional with a 333, but missed the third and last sectional qualifying spot on a fifth-score tiebreaker. ... C-G graduated three sectional qualifiers: Trevor Beaugureau, Cole Seeger and Michael Greenhill. ... "We are looking forward to seeing our seniors step up and we are pretty excited to see how our young pups perform after a long quarantine," Gotsch said.

Crystal Lake Central

Coach: Matt LePage (second season)

Last season: Fourth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Eric Klutke, jr.; Bayden Hubacher, jr.; Quinn Hankins, sr.; Ethan Bass, jr.; Dominic Hooper, jr.

Key newcomers: Christian Wakeford, jr.; Jack Benoit, sr.; Matt Pinion, jr.

Worth noting: Klutke, a Northwest Herald All-Area first-team pick, made his state debut as a sophomore and tied for ninth at the Class 3A tournament with a 79-70-149. He earned medalist honors at regionals with a 68 and finished fourth in the end-of-season FVC points standings. ... The Tigers took runner-up at the Class 3A Dundee-Crown Regional, finishing seven shots ahead of Huntley and C-G. ... "We return most of our lineup and look to improve as a program," LePage said. "New additions should help create more depth in our lineup. Klutke is poised for a big junior year."

Crystal Lake South

Coach: Curt Wadlington (15th season)

Last season: First at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Will Stewart, sr.; Ricky Falbo, sr.; Tanner Coakley, sr.; Spencer Shireman, sr.

Key newcomers: Nate Stewart, so.; Bryce Sturm, jr.

Worth noting: The Gators won regional and sectional titles on their way to back-to-back Class 2A state tournament appearances. South finished perfect in the FVC and won the conference tournament for the second year in a row. ... South graduated 2019 Northwest Herald Boys Golfer of the Year, John Lishchynsky, who will play at Western Illinois. ... Stewart, an All-Area first-team pick, tied for 15th at the state tournament with a 72-80-152, and tied for fourth at regionals and sectionals. He had a 70 to earn medalist honors at conference. Stewart was runner-up this summer in the 40th Chick Evans Jr. Amateur and played in the 71st Illinois Open Championship. ... Falbo was an All-Area second-team pick and was fourth at the FVC Invite. He tied for 35th at state. ... "This team has all of the potential to be special," Wadlington said. "The senior leadership is exceptional. I expect them to set the tone for the year right out of the gate."

Dundee-Crown

Coach: Bob Sweeney (17th season)

Last season: Seventh at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Aidan Svec, sr.; Yash Dulla, jr.; Jake Russell, so.

Key newcomers: Chris Przybylak, jr.; Jason Huber, jr.; Vince Bono, jr.; Ryan Girard, sr.; Blake Hernandez, jr.

Worth noting: Dulla led the Chargers in scoring at the FVC Meet and was on the All-FVC team, along with graduate Matt McQuillen. McQuillen was an All-Area second-team pick and took third at regionals. ... "Right now, it looks like Aidan and Jake are going to fight for the top spot," Sweeney said. "The remaining five are up for grabs. We're going to have to look at the scoring averages daily to see who will fill each position."

Hampshire

Coach: Kevin O'Brien (second season)

Last season: 10th at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Payton Yee, sr.; Jacob Laube, so.; Connor McCreery, so.

Key newcomers: Ian Pawlak, so.; Jake Greenwald, so.; Brandon Kovanda, so.; Henry Birt, jr.

Worth noting: The Whip-Purs graduated four, including three of their four scorers at the FVC Meet. Laube also scored for Hampshire at conference. Graduate Bobby Stephenson was the team's lone sectional qualifier. ... Five of the Whips' seven varsity golfers are sophomores. ... "With a sophomore-heavy team, I am excited to see the improvements they have made from Year One to Year Two," O'Brien said. "They will look to follow the leadership of Payton Yee."

Huntley

Coach: Collin Kalamatas (fifth season)

Last season: Seventh at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Evan Bendis, sr.; Trevor Book, sr.; Josh Good, jr.; Cole Modrich, jr.; Danny Sheedy, jr.

Key newcomer: Cole Frederick, sr.

Worth noting: The Red Raiders return all four of their top scorers from last season: Sheedy, Good, Book, Modrich. ... Huntley took the third and final qualifying spot at the Class 3A Dundee-Crown Regional, beating C-G on a fifth-score tiebreaker. ... "Having an entire team play in a sectional last season was an incredible experience," Kalamatas said. "Our boys are extremely competitive, so they are eager to get out and challenge some of the FVC powers this season."

Jacobs

Coach: Gary Conrad (seventh season)

Last season: Third at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Ryan Frantik, sr.; Kyle Schutt, sr.; Jason Seaholm, jr.; Justin Cunningham, jr.

Worth noting: Jacobs took fifth at the Class 3A Dundee-Crown Regional but were only two shots back of third. ... Frantik and Schutt were two of four sectional qualifiers for the Golden Eagles, along with graduates Jordan Stone and Andrew Rechtsteiner. Stone and Rechtsteiner also earned All-FVC honors. ... "This season will really depend on what we are able to play in, or not," Conrad said. "We will need some of the younger players to step up for us on the back end of the team to make moves. If we do have a state series, we have a good chance of getting some players through."

McHenry

Coach: Ryan Ellison (14th season)

Last season: Sixth at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Ethan Jensen, jr.; Sam Huff, jr.

Key newcomer: Brody Glauser, fr.

Worth noting: McHenry won the Class 3A Harlem Regional title with a 328. The Warriors graduated six, including three-time state qualifier Truman Keppy, who is playing NCAA DI golf at Stetson in Deland, Florida. Keppy tied for sixth at the Class 3A state tournament with a 73-73-146. He was runner-up at sectionals and third at the FVC Invite. ... "This is going to be a unique year," Ellison said. "We're a very young team but I believe that will benefit us over the long term and I'm looking forward to competing in the FVC.

Prairie Ridge

Coach: Jonathan Powell (eighth season)

Last season: Second at FVC Tournament

Top returner: Eddie Winkelmann, sr.

Key newcomer: Charlie Pettrone, fr.

Worth noting: The Wolves went 6-3 in FVC duals last season, losing to Crystal Lake South, Huntley and McHenry. Prairie Ridge was runner-up to South at the FVC Tournament and Class 2A Crystal Lake South Regional, falling one shot short of the Gators at regionals with a 306. ... Winkelmann earned his first state berth, tying for 22nd overall with a 74-80-154, and was an All-Area second-team pick. ... Winkelmann and graduates Grant Klepitsch and Bailey Lazar earned All-FVC honors.

Kishwaukee River Conference

Harvard

Coach: Rich Petska (12th season)

Last season: Fourth at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Jake Chupich, sr.; Myles Brincks, so.; Caden Scott, jr.

Key newcomers: Nick Thurow, so.; Logan Garafol, fr.; Aedan Hobbs, fr.; Maddux Kriete, fr.; Justin Lehmann, fr.; Charlie Sargent, fr.; Aaron Saucedo, fr.

Worth noting: The Hornets are young, with only one senior back. Harvard's top two scorers at the KRC Tournament graduated. Harvard did not have a sectional qualifier for the second straight year. ... "With only one senior, Jake Chupich, much of our heavy lifting is going to be done by inexperienced underclassmen pressed into varsity roles," Petska said. "We are really excited about the seven new players we added and what the future has in store for us."

Johnsburg

Coach: Don Bentz (fourth season)

Last season: Fifth at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Mike Link, so.; Cody Clauson, sr.; Nick Thill, jr.

Key newcomers: Mike Preston, sr.; Nick Grons, fr.; Mason Diedrich, so.

Worth noting: Johnsburg graduated two, while Link led the Skyhawks in scoring at the KRC Invite as a freshman. The Skyhawks did not have any sectional qualifiers for the second straight year. ... "We are very young and improving. We had a good summer camp and they are carrying it over in practice," Bentz said.

Marengo

Coach: Rafael Martinez (fourth season)

Last season: Third at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Tyler Nelsen, sr.; Kyle Northcutt, so.

Key newcomers: Cody Stallings, fr.; Dylan Erbstoesser, fr.; Riley Weiss, jr.

Worth noting: Nelsen earned medalist honors at the KRC Meet, while teammate Brady Cannon, who graduated, was runner-up. Both were named to the All-Area honorable mention team. ... Nelsen earned his second sectional appearance last year. ... Weiss transferred from North Boone. ... "With the No. 1 golfer returning and a well-rounded group of golfers, Marengo has the expectation of placing high in the KRC and hoping to place at least two golfers to sectionals and one to state."

Richmond-Burton

Coach: Brad Tichenor (14th season)

Last season: Second at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Connor L'Esperance, so.; Ryan Eskuri, jr.; Alex Harrison, sr.; Jack DiPiero, sr.; Garasin Haley, sr.

Key newcomers: Jeff Lehn, fr.; Colten Miller, fr.

Worth noting: L'Esperance qualified for sectionals as a freshman. He earned medalist honors at R-B's opening-season dual win over Harvard on Thursday. ... R-B won the KRC title in 2017 and 2018 before last year's runner-up finish. ... "We have a very young team and are looking forward to being successful now and in the future," Tichenor said.

Woodstock North co-op

(with Woodstock)

Coach: Brent Filetti (fifth season)

Last season: First at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Brad Arnold, sr.; Luke Trewyn, jr.; Sam Berry, jr.; Jake Murray, jr.

Key newcomers: Aidan Sivore, so.; Brady Heeren, so.

Worth noting: Woodstock North co-op won the KRC championship by 16 shots over runner-up R-B. ... Arnold was the team's lone sectional qualifier, with the team taking sixth at the Class 3A Harlem Regional. ... "Our goal each year is to improve as a golfer and as a person," Filetti said.

East Suburban Catholic Conference

Marian Central

Coach: Kevin Smith (fifth season)

Last season: Eighth at ESCC Tournament

Top returners: Dylan Yegge, sr.; Joseph Louise, sr.; Owen Jager, jr.

Key newcomer: Mason Schwalbach, sr.

Worth noting: The Hurricanes went 2-2 in ESCC duals last year and took fourth at the Class 2A Crystal Lake South Regional. ... Yegge was one of four sectional qualifiers for Marian, along with graduates Brogan Pivnicka, Bennett Arza and Alex Gilmore. ... "With four core players on varsity, I am looking forward to competing in all of our events this season," Smith said. "We could and should be very solid."