Boys Golfer of the Year: ‘He was a cut above’ Oklahoma State commit John Wild posted second top five state finish in leading Glenbard West

Distance in golf has principally come to essentially define the game since the dawn of this century.

“He has a really high swing speed that is comparable to the professional ranks,” Glenbard West boys golf coach Paul Hezlett said.

“He is in a different league when it comes to hitting the ball,” Hinsdale Central coach Jess Krueger said. “That is why Oklahoma State recruited him.”

The West Suburban Silver coaches, both of whom directed their programs to the Class 3A state tournament in Bloomington last month, were referring to John Wild.

A senior at Glenbard West, Wild, who signed with the perennial national-title-contending Cowboys last week, has repeated as the Suburban Life Boys Golfer of the Year.

Wild fired consecutive under-par rounds at the Den at Fox Creek to finish fourth at the state tournament.

In complementing a third-place showing as a sophomore two years ago, Wild finished with a 3-under 141 at the Arnold Palmer layout.

“It was more exciting than it was overwhelming,” Wild said of his recruitment. “[Oklahoma State] was hands down the best place I could go in order to develop my game.”

Wild said the only other program he seriously considered was the University of Michigan.

The Hilltoppers arrived in Bloomington after a whirlwind two-tournament postseason surge.

Glenbard West was collectively in the red to win the West Chicago Regional at St. Andrews and captured its third consecutive sectional the following week at its home course at Village Links of Glen Ellyn.

Despite a 74.5 stroke average for its four counting players at the state finals, Glenbard West had to settle for fourth place with its aggregate 596 total.

“It does sting a little bit,” Wild said of the Hilltoppers having their state-title aspirations dashed. “We understood as a team that the scores were going to be really low. But I really enjoyed every minute of it.”

“Paul [Hezlett] has done it right,” said Krueger, whose team was third, four strokes lower than Glenbard West. “I have always said, ‘You have to be ready when talent shows up.’ To state the obvious, [Wild] has a lot of talent. He can play golf, but he’s an athlete.”

A four-year varsity starter, Wild made an immediate impression on Hezlett.

“I think I knew it right away when he was a freshman,” Hezlett said of the special qualities Wild possessed. “I consider him to be one of the best players in school history. He was a cut above the others with his leadership qualities. Everybody looks up to him.”

Wild and the program have benefited greatly with brothers Griffin and Grant Roscich having a four-year age difference.

Wild has mentored the younger Roscich, who also was top 10 at the state finals, the past two years after the elder Roscich did likewise for Wild when he was an underclassman.

“Griffin and I had a really great relationship,” Wild said. “The same thing with Grant. He is such a great player. I am excited to see how [Grant] is going to develop.”

“It looks like [Grant] is going to be even better than his brother,” said Krueger, who once directed his program to a state-record-tying seven straight state championships.

Wild has come to underscore the new breed of players who have galvanized the sport in recent decades.

An imposing physical specimen at 6 feet, 5 inches, Wild made the difficult decision to focus exclusively on golf after playing competitive basketball and baseball through middle school.

Wild was a middle-school basketball teammate to several of the Hilltoppers’ team members that could very well be the Class 4A preseason No.1-ranked unit in the state.

One of those members, Princeton-bound forward Caden Pierce, also was a member of the Hilltoppers’ downstate golf team.

“I can’t wait to see them play,” Wild said of the ultra-talented basketball team. “We have played (basketball) together since fifth grade.”

Suburban Life all-area boys golf team

Jann Atendido, junior, IC Catholic Prep; Sam Dykema, senior, Wheaton Academy; Kory Carlson, senior, St. Francis; Will Coronchi senior, Lyons Township; Billy Gneiser, Hinsdale South, senior; Jack Inabnit, senior, Hinsdale Central; Wyatt Kartheiser, senior, Lyons Township; Alex Rasmussen, sophomore, Hinsdale Central; Emil Riegger, junior, Hinsdale Central; Grant Roscich, sophomore, Glenbard West; John Wild, senior, Glenbard West; Nick Zanoni, junior, IC Catholic Prep