2025 Northwest Herald boys golf preview capsules

Fox Valley Conference

Burlington Central

Coach: Thomas Davies (11th season)

Last season: FVC Tournament champion

Top returners: Tyler Samaan, sr.; Tommy Wyse, jr.; Matthew Zierk, jr.

Key newcomers: Colin Gritzman, jr.; Colin Kurz, so.

Worth noting: The Rockets made it to the Class 2A state tournament for the second year in a row and placed third for the best finish in school history. Samaan tied for 11th overall with an 80-70-150, Cam Sarallo tied for 33rd (80-76-156), Matthew Kowalik tied for 36th (76-81-157), Wyse tied for 54th (84-78-162), Ben Chesney tied for 57th (79-84-163), and Zierk tied for 84th (81-93-174). Sarallo, Kowalik and Chesney graduated. ... Central will compete in 3A this year. ... The Rockets won a sectional title on a fifth-score tiebreaker over Ottawa. ... Central won the FVC Tournament with a 299, three shots ahead of runner-up Jacobs. Samaan was first with a 68 and Wyse (78) was 16th. ... At the Class 2A La Salle-Peru Regional, Central had six of the top 11 scores, led by Samaan (73) in second and Zierk (74) in third. Wyse (78) tied for eighth. ... At the Kaneland Sectional, Samaan took fifth with a 75, and Zierk (77) tied for eighth. ... “We make the jump to 3A after back-to-back state final runs, so we’re excited to see how we measure up against some very talented competition,” Davies said.

Cary-Grove

Coach: Chris Gotsch (12th season)

Last season: Tied for 6th at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Conner Lentz, sr.; Jack Matras, sr.

Key newcomers: Aleks Kulans, so.; Wyatt McKinney, so.

Worth noting: The Trojans graduated five from last year’s FVC sixth-place finisher, including an All-Area honorable mention selection in Joey Boldt. ... C-G finished fifth at the Class 3A Dundee-Crown Regional, only six shots from third. Lentz tied for sixth with a 78 and was one of two sectional qualifiers for the Trojans, along with Boldt. ... “Our squad is a great group ... and our varsity lineup is going to be pretty fluid with quite a few new faces,” Gotsch said. “With five seniors graduating, it is going to be exciting to watch which young pups join Conner and Jack in the lineup.”

Crystal Lake Central

Coach: Matt LePage (seventh season)

Last season: 3rd at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Asher Johnson, jr.; Tommy Laird, jr.; Max Sinha, jr.; Rylan McKnight, jr.

Key newcomers: Johnny Geisser, sr.; Joseph Etten, sr.; Orion Carlson, jr.; Liam Korreck, so.; Sam Sterzik, fr.; Bryce Bott, fr.

Worth noting: The Tigers were among the top FVC teams last year with graduate Jack Bice, Johnson and Laird earning All-FVC honors. Bice advanced to the Class 3A state meet for the second time and tied for 27th. Johnson joined Bice as an All-Area first-team pick and made his state debut, tying for 40th (79-77-156). He tied for 10th at the FVC Meet with a 76 and took one of the last spots for state at sectionals with a 75. ... Laird was All-Area honorable mention and tied for seventh at conference with a 74. ... Central won the Class 3A D-C Regional championship, with Sinha (77, tied for fourth) and Laird (81) both contributing. ... “We return a solid core with Asher, Max and Tommy,” LePage said. “Looking forward to seeing how our newcomers compete from Day 1. I’m most excited to watch each golfer grow in confidence and consistency.”

Crystal Lake South

Coach: Curt Wadlington (20th season)

Last season: 10th at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Jack Wilcox, jr.; AJ Mitchell, jr.

Key newcomers: Reed Mitchell, fr.; Yaden Useni, fr.

Worth noting: Jack Wilcox earned All-FVC honors in his sophomore season for the Gators, who placed 10th at the FVC Tournament for the second year in a row. ... South finished fourth at the Class 2A Freeport Regional, with three sectional qualifiers: Mason Zimmerman (88, tied for eighth), Mitchell (93) and Wilcox (93). ... Zimmerman is now at Prairie Ridge. … “We had an excellent turnout this year for tryouts,” Wadlingston said. “Competition for varsity spots will drive the early part of our season, as we have some young talent that will change the dynamic of the program moving forward.”

Dundee-Crown

Coach: Bob Sweeney (22nd season)

Last season: 9th at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Will Sutherland, sr.; Adrian Mastalerz, jr.; Max Wasz, jr.

Key newcomers: Brian Kittner, sr.; Trace Moldenhauer, so.; Parker Buck, sr.

Worth noting: The Chargers lost nine to graduation, and the majority of their returners saw limited varsity action in 2024. Among those who graduated were All-FVC picks in Ethan Ward and Jared Russell. Russell was named the 2024 Northwest Herald Male Athlete of the Year, also excelling in basketball and baseball. Russell, Ward and Kai Klancnik were Class 3A sectional qualifiers. ... “The loss of key seniors has created a pretty big void, making this a rebuilding year, with a goal of making daily individual improvements,” Sweeney said. “I’m excited to help the golfers get better.”

Hampshire

Coach: Jeremy Bauer (third season)

Last season: 5th at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Nolan Adamczyk, sr.; Riley Kagel, sr.; Jason Horton, sr.; Will Harkin, so.

Key newcomers: Nic Iverson, jr.; Patrick Byrne, fr.

Worth noting: The Whip-Purs won the FVC Meet in 2023, but took fifth last year. However, only 11 shots separated first from fifth. Hampshire tied for third at the Class 3A D-C Regional but lost on a fifth-score tiebreaker. Despite that, the Whips had four advance to sectionals (Adamczyk, Seth Gillie, Harkin and Kagel). Horton was one shot away from qualifying. ... Adamczyk, an All-Area first-team choice, was runner-up at the FVC Tournament with a 68 and was the conference’s individual points champion. He won a regional title with a 70 but missed qualifying for state by one shot with a 76. ... Gillie took ninth at the FVC Meet and made it to state for the second time.

Huntley

Coach: Brian O’Neill (first season)

Last season: Tied for 6th at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Austin Matich, sr. Jack Policheri, sr.

Worth noting: The Red Raiders finished second at the Class 3A D-C Regional to advance to sectionals as a team, finishing two shots behind champ Crystal Lake Central. ... Matich tied graduate Taig Bhathal with a team-best 78 at regionals. Nathan Haisch, Carson Elder and Policheri also scored. ... Huntley placed ninth at a loaded Jacobs Sectional, with Bhathal three shots from state. ... Bhathal and Matich were named All-FVC. ... “We have a number of seniors this year that we expect to be regular starters and put up scores,” said O’Neill, who takes over for Collin Kalamatas. “There’s a lot of young talent behind them, so it should be good competition within the program to see who earns the starting spots each match.”

Jacobs

Coach: Gary Conrad (12th season)

Last season: FVC Tournament runner-up

Top returners: Logan Henning, so.; Chase Garden, jr.; Cam Olson, sr.

Key newcomers: Brayden Grummer, fr.; Trevor Hudson, fr.; Andrew Karczewski, fr.

Worth noting: The Golden Eagles went from sixth in 2023 to runner-up at the FVC Tournament in 2024, three shots behind conference champion Burlington Central. ... Henning was All-Area honorable mention and All-FVC. He took sixth at the FVC Meet with a 73. ... Jacobs was third at the Class 3A D-C Regional, taking the third spot over Hampshire on a fifth-score tiebreaker. Garden tied for 10th at regionals with an 80. Henning missed state by three shots with a 78. ... “This year’s tryout was great with over 30 kids,” Conrad said. “We have some strong individuals with Logan Henning coming off a couple of tournament wins this summer. I believe we will have a strong showing in the FVC conference this season, and we’ll be looking to progress to the state series hopefully after a dry period the last couple seasons.”

McHenry

Coach: Ryan Ellison (19th season)

Last season: 8th at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Alex LaShelle, sr.; Dane Currie, jr.

Worth noting: The Warriors won their second consecutive regional title, claiming the Class 3A Harlem Regional by six shots over Hononegah and Woodstock North co-op. Dane Currie (80, tied for third) and LaShelle (81, fifth) were the team’s leading scorers. McHenry was 10th at sectionals and eighth at the FVC Meet for the second year in a row. Graduate Noah Than was named to the All-FVC team. ... “We’ll be competitive again after coming off back-to-back regional titles,” Ellison said.

Prairie Ridge

Coach: Jonathan Powell (13th season)

Last season: 4th at FVC Tournament

Top returners: Jack Dahlem, sr.; Anthony Pettrone, jr.

Key newcomers: Andrew Daman, jr.; Mason Zimmerman, so.

Worth noting: The Wolves graduated six, including three All-Area honorable mention selections in Payton Harlow, Austin Klauser and JJ Lee. ... Prairie Ridge was the FVC Tournament runner-up in 2023, dropping two spots to fourth last year, but only seven shots behind champion Burlington Central. ... Dahlem was All-FVC, ninth in the final league points standings, as was Pettrone (11th). ... Prairie Ridge took second at the Class 2A Carmel Regional, two shots behind champion Carmel. Dahlem tied for fourth with an 80. The Wolves then took fifth at the Kaneland Sectional, six shots behind third place, with Harlow advancing to state. Pettrone was a shot away from state and Dahlem was two shy. ... Zimmerman transferred from Crystal Lake South and was two shots off the state cut last year with an 81 at sectionals. .... “After graduating six seniors, I’m looking forward to seeing who will step up and lead our team both on and off the course,” Powell said.

Kishwaukee River Conference

Harvard

Coach: Matt Yarc (first season)

Last season: 7th at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Zach Dacy, sr.; Logan Nulle, sr.; John Witt, sr.; Cole Coffer, jr.; Nathan Allman, jr.; Wyatt Stott, jr.

Key newcomer: Eltan Powles, sr.

Worth noting: The Hornets finished 11 shots behind Plano at the KRC Tournament to take seventh out of eight teams. Yarc believes Harvard’s returning experience will help them improve in the standings. ... Stott and Koffer had the lowest scores for the Hornets at the Class 2A Freeport Regional. Stott was one shot away from moving on to sectionals. ... “We’re improved and more experienced than last year,” said Yarc, who takes over for Evan Bridges. “How low we score will depend on how well our course management and short game are than how consistent our ball striking is.”

Johnsburg

Coach: Don Bentz (ninth season)

Last season: KRC Tournament champion

Top returners: Nathan Frost, jr.; Jacob Smith, jr.; Ashton Stern, sr.; Ethan Smith, jr.

Key newcomers: John Cygan, sr.; Shane Conlon, sr.; Nicco Hansen, so.; Evan Bate, sr.; Brady Fisher, sr.

Worth noting: A year after placing fourth in the conference, the Skyhawks beat Sandwich by eight shots for the KRC title, led by graduate Riley Johnson with a tournament-best 79. Frost carded an 85 to tie for fourth and Jacob Smith had an 88 to tie for 11th. ... Frost was a Class 2A sectional qualifier, posting an 83 at the Carmel Regional. ... “After winning the KRC conference, expectations are very high for the Skyhawks,” Bentz said. “Losing Riley is big, but the team had a great summer. We’re looking forward to defending the conference title.”

Marengo

Coach: Rafael Martinez (ninth season)

Last season: 4th at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Alex Johnson, sr.; Max Broughton, sr.; Michael Gieseke, jr.

Worth noting: The Indians have plenty of experience back as Johnson and Broughton enter their fourth varsity season and Gieseke enters his third. All three were Class 2A sectional qualifiers a year ago. ... Johnson carded an 85 at the KRC Tournament to tie for fourth. ... “This year our motto is, ‘The strength of the team is each individual member, and the strength of each member is the team,’ ” Martinez said.

Richmond-Burton

Coach: Brad Tichenor (19th season)

Last season: 5th at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Ryan Scholberg, sr.; Caleb Rodenkirch, so.

Key newcomers: Johnny Portera, so.; Nathan Mann, so.; Herbert Hoover, fr.

Worth noting: The Rockets were unable to defend their KRC championship last season, dropping to fifth place, after graduating half of their team. ... Graduate Tucker Lowry was third at the KRC Tournament with an 82, which was only three shots behind the individual champ. Scholberg was one of the team’s top scorers at the Class 2A Carmel Regional, although no Rockets advanced to sectionals. ... “We have a younger team and are looking forward to growing while still being highly competitive,” Tichenor said.

Woodstock

Coach: Derek Lee (first season)

Last season: 8th at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Ryan Murray, jr.; Collin Stock, jr.; Russell Baughman, sr.; Nick Erickson, sr.; Colin Karner, sr.; Sonny Marsalla, sr.

Key newcomers: Simon Baker, so.; Braedon Schwanke, sr.; Max Haggerty, sr.

Worth noting: The Blue Streaks took third at the KRC Tournament last year and are no longer operating as a co-op with crosstown rival Woodstock North. Woodstock totaled 354, trailing only Johnsburg (338) and Sandwich (346) at conference. Graduate Brett Neuhart took fourth with an 85 and Weir was 10th with an 87. The two advanced to sectionals last year as part of the Woodstock North co-op, which finished third at the Class 3A Harlem Regional. ... “We are looking forward to competing for the first time as a Woodstock North golf team,” Filetti said. “I always tell the players to stay positive and remember that par is a good score.”

Woodstock North

Coach: Brent Filetti (10th season)

Last season: 3rd at KRC Tournament

Top returners: Ben Weir, jr.; Max Simpson, sr.

Key newcomer: Ryan Lalor, sr.

Worth noting: The Thunder finished three shots behind Harvard at last year’s KRC Tournament. North played as a co-op with Woodstock throughout the regular season and postseason tournaments, but not at last year’s conference meet in anticipation of breaking the co-op this season. As a co-op last year, North took third at the Class 3A Harlem Regional to qualify for sectionals as a team. Stock shot an 85 at regionals and Karner a 90. ... “I’m excited for the opportunity it gives our players to compete, especially our seniors,” Lee said. “We will see a lot of growth as the season unfolds and players get more chances to play. We’ll be working to build our identity as a program, cultivating a competitive mindset in playing the game of golf.”

Chicagoland Christian Conference

Marian Central

Coach: Matt Jones (second season)

Last season: CCC Tournament runner-up

Top returner: Luca Kittel, jr.; Jacob Timpe, sr.

Key newcomer: Marc Cheng, sr.

Worth noting: The Hurricanes finished 16 shots behind Wheaton Academy at the CCC Tournament to take second place. Timpe tied for sixth, Finn Pivnicka tied for ninth, and Mason Graf and Kittel tied for 12th. ... All-Area second-team selection Peter Louise graduated after making three Class 1A state meet appearances. He tied for 30th last year. Graf advanced to state as well, tying for 41st. ... Marian missed qualifying for sectionals as a team on a fifth-score tiebreaker. Timpe was one shot away from qualifying individually. ... “We continue to set a very high expectation for the players in our program,” Jones said. “Everything we do is to prepare for the state tournament.”