No. 17 was not particularly kind to West Aurora junior Cameron Smith on Wednesday afternoon at St. Andrews.

Approaching the tee box, 403 yards from the pin, Smith reminded himself not to go right, where a dense patch of trees lined the fairway. Instead, Smith rocketed his drive straight to the right, and the ball nestled itself in the small forest of greenery. The next shot, a punch-out attempt, smacked into a nearby tree.

Competing at what can be an incredibly inconsistent game, Smith relied on mental toughness and a next-shot mentality to finish the hole, and fifth individually.

“I think having faith in yourself and putting your faith in God is also important,” Smith said. “You’re going to face challenges, so you’ve got to overcome them.”

Adversity is far from new for this year’s West Aurora squad, who have lacked a home course all season with Orchard Valley closed for the summer for renovations. Yet, the Blackhawks took home the Upstate Eight West Division title with a team score of 324, also the low score for both UEC divisions.

Alongside Smith’s 79, senior Jake Anderson finished sixth (79), and junior Brady Heitzman placed eighth (81).

Varsity coach John Proczko praised his team’s toughness after the victory.

“It’s kind of like the game of golf itself,” Proczko said in reference to the challenge a nonexistent home course presented his squad this season. “You’re going to have different holes, different lies, different types of shots you’ve got to hit.

“You’re going to have all sorts of things that come and go your way.”

The Upstate Eight East Division crown went to Riverside-Brookfield, led by first-year coach Charlie Pozen and senior Connor Dominick, who finished third in the individual field with a 76.

Dominick, who noted struggles with putting, said he was “able to grind through it today.” The senior finished his day with seven consecutive pars.

“I think that’s something I’ve been telling a lot of my varsity players. Those last four or five holes, try to shoot an even par,’” Pozen said. “Finishing strong on both the season and on each round is really important to have.”

Fellow Bulldogs Gavin Sharenow and Oliver Fakhoury joined Dominick in the top 20, finishing tied at 11th (82) and tied at 16th (83), respectively.

To round out the top-five teams, Fenton earned third place with a score of 328, South Elgin finished just behind the Bison in fourth (329), and Glenbard South capped off the top five (332).

Fenton senior Peter Anagnos, who finished second with a 74, was all smiles as he recapped a sunny afternoon on the course. Salvatore Labarbera from Elmwood Park was the only golfer to beat him with an even-par 71.

“[My] shots were going straight, everything was going good,” Anagnos said. “[I was] playing with one of my buddies. It was a happy round.”

South Elgin’s Rocco Peters finished fourth with a 77.

For the Raiders of Glenbard South, sophomore Emmett Darbyshire (81) and junior Colin Wyka (81) earned top-10 finishes.

For Peters, a senior, the final round of the regular season sprung mixed emotions.

“It’s sad, and it’s a good feeling,” Peters said. “I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as I possibly can.”

Seventh place went to Bartlett’s Travis Kasuba (80).

Bartlett (338), West Chicago (342) and Glenbard East (349) wrapped up the top eight.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250924/boys-golf/boys-golf-west-aurora-overcomes-adversity-to-win-upstate-eight-tourney/