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DeKalb
Coach: Brad Kerkman (fourth season)
Last season: Sixth place DuPage Valley Conference
Top returners: Jonah Keck, jr.; J.T. Duffy, sr.; Aidan Lang, jr.; Brodie Farrell, jr.
Top newcomers: Bryce Olson, sr.; Tyler Brackemyer, so.
Worth noting: Last year’s DeKalb boys golf team was extremely young and took its lumps. In summer camp, Kerkman was impressed by a group of juniors – Jonah Keck, Aidan Lang and Brodie Farrell. Kerkman is counting on their scores getting lower and lower as the season goes on. Kerkman is focused on growing the mental skills of his team, not just the physical skills.
“A lot of my coaching isn’t the technical stuff with the kids, it is about managing golf courses,” Kerkman said. “A lot of the growth with the kids is about staying within themselves and playing against the golf course and not your opponent. Getting that mentality into the kids’ heads is where the growth starts, and we’ve seen a lot of growth with our kids and a change in their attitudes, especially when it comes to overcoming adversity.”
Sycamore
Coach: Dan Wheeler (fifth season)
Last season’s record: Fifth place Interstate 8 Conference
Top returners: Luther Swedberg, sr.; Matthew Loos, sr.
Top newcomers: Andrew Swedberg, fr.; Gavin Sedevie, fr.
Worth noting: This year’s group will be a mix of experienced and exciting new players, which Wheeler attributes to Sycamore’s park district and Kishwaukee Country Club. In fact, golf is so popular at Sycamore High School that they have 32 players rostered so far for the 2023-24 season. “Any kid who wants to play, can play,” Wheeler said. “[Rick Davis] had the same philosophy before me, and I played at Sycamore. If you want to learn how to play the game, we’ll keep you.”
Last season, Sycamore qualified Swedberg and Loos for sectionals. This year, Wheeler hopes his squad’s work on its short game over the summer can put Sycamore over the top.
“If we can eliminate the one blow-up hole a round, I think we can compete for a conference championship,” Wheeler said. “We spent a lot of time over the summer working on chipping and putting, and so far during the first few days of tryouts, it seems to be panning out.”
Kaneland
Coach: Mark Davoust (first season)
Top returners: Ryan Babich, sr.; Brian Davoust, sr.; Bradley Franck, sr.; Wesley Hollis, sr.; Zach Ramos, sr.
Top newcomers: Brayden Seaton, jr.
Worth noting: Kaneland’s lineup is stacked with seniors and experience, bringing back five from last year’s lineup. Davoust, one of the Knights’ top performers and team MVP, headlines with following a season that saw second at regionals and tied for 14th in sectionals. It’s also a special season for Mark Davoust, who is in his first season coaching and gets to coach his grandson. Add in the program depth, Kaneland is poised for a strong season ahead.
“This is a truly special group of boys,” Davoust said. “Any of these five could start and play No. 1. What makes them remarkable is how they play as a group. They elevate each other.”
Hinckley-Big Rock
Coach: Matt Olsen (fifth season)
Last season: 8-6, 2nd place in Little Ten Conference.
Top returners: Saje Beane, sr.; Max Hintzsche, jr.; Matthew Badal, so.; Logan Pawlik-Dolen, jr.
Top newcomers: Justin Wentzlaff, sr.; Martin Ledbetter, jr.
Worth noting: This is a Royals team that can drive the ball. Junior Martin Ledbetter stands 6-foot-5, 245 pounds and can hit monster tee shots. But in a region full of tight fairways with heavy slopes, Olsen placed an emphasis on control and setting up for competitive golf.
“One of our goals is to continue refining our shot selection,” Olsen said. “The student-[athlete] that worked the hardest at his game this summer was sophomore Matthew Badal. He has love for the game and is always trying to get better at his skills. If my team can continue to play competitive golf every day, we can achieve another conference championship.”
Olsen also said winning the Little Ten Conference Invitational and advancing golfers out of regionals and into sectionals as top priorities for this season.
Genoa-Kingston
Coach: Kyle Carbone (first season)
Last season: 1-9 Big Northern
Top returners: Landen Ritchie, sr.; Brycen Lavender, sr.; Ethan Egler, sr.
Top newcomers: John Krueger, sr.; Gavin Havener, sr.; Sean Peterson, fr.; Beau Botterman, fr.
Worth noting: Carbone switched places with the previous boys golf coach, Mike Lauer, so that Lauer could coach his daughter, a senior on the G-K girls golf team. Carbone has high expectations for a Cogs team that struggled last year. Carbone believes he has several golfers who can make some noise at state this year.
“Ever since our first summer workout, the improvements several of the boys have made this offseason have been evident,” Carbone said. “Landen Ritchie’s game looks refined and ready to compete at the state level. Colton McDowell and Harrison Zorica have both seen massive improvements to their games, going from shooting in the 50s to 60s to high 40s. Brycen Lavender has really taken his game to the next level with his work over the summer. Last year was his first year playing, and he’s already showing flashes of being a low-to-mid-40s golfer. Ethan Egler has been hitting the weight room this offseason and has the quickest, strongest hands in the BNC. It’s going to be an exciting year for the Cogs. We are going to sneak up on a lot of teams if we put it all together.”
Indian Creek
Coach: Matt Davis (first season)
Top returners: Dylan White, sr.; Cooper Rissman, so.
Top newcomers: Dom Nelson, fr.; Aiden Mickler, fr,; Elliot Kupp, fr.
Worth noting: This is Davis’ first year coaching at any level. Davis, the course superintendent at Indian Oaks Country Club in Shabbona, said he was approached by a school board member to gauge his interest in coaching the Timberwolves.
“I’m here 70 hours a week anyway, so it made sense to coach the team while I worked,” Davis said.
Davis is interested in growing the game of golf in southern DeKalb County. Out of Indian Oaks’ 75 or so members, Davis estimated that fewer than 10 of them are under the age of 30. Davis hopes that by providing a welcoming atmosphere to all of those who want to golf, his team not only can compete at a high level, but have a lot of fun doing it.
“If we can keep it simple and do the little things, we can achieve whatever we set our minds to,” Davis said. “When we have practice, I am not going to step in and help unless you ask. I was always taught to make your mistakes and then come for help. I don’t let them horse around, but I try to make it fun for them. If you’re satisfied shooting 50, then I will let you shoot 50. But if you want to be in the 40s and you come to me for help, we will work on some things.”
• Shaw Media reporter Jacob Bartelson contributed to this report