Back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes allowed Rochelle’s Connor Lewis to remain in contention for a state-qualifying spot throughout the IHSA 2A Boys Golf Sectional at the Mauh-Nah-Tee-See Club on Monday.

Even through his first six holes, Lewis overcame a triple bogey on the 16th hole with a birdie on the par-4 second hole. It was the first and only birdie on the front nine for Lewis, who parred three straight holes and overcame four consecutive bogeys down the stretch to tie for 17th with a 6-over-par 77.

“I hit my driver really well today and that’s what helped me stay low and not blow up,” Lewis said. “My irons were rough, but my chipping and putting made up for that. There were a lot of blind shots where I couldn’t see the hole and the greens were fast from the back to the front. To go from not being very good last year to being a state qualifier means a lot to me.”

Lewis clinched one of the 10 available at-large qualifying bids for the IHSA 2A state tournament, which will begin this Friday at Weibring Golf Club in Normal. A state qualifier for the first time, Lewis led Rochelle to eighth place during Monday’s sectional tournament. The Hubs, who took third in the 2A regional at RedTail, totaled 324 to take eighth out of 12 teams on Monday.

“I’ve been practicing on my short game a lot since last season,” said Lewis, who didn’t start playing golf at Rochelle until his sophomore year. “My short game was really rough to start the season, but I’ve worked on it a lot and it’s been a lot better. I made a lot of putts today and my driver has been good.”

Alex Dyer posted a 1-over-par 36 on the back nine and finished with an 81. Johnny Chadwick made one birdie and scored an 82, while Ian Metzger, who won the regional championship last week, posted an 84 at the sectional. Trenton Cunningham (85) and Owen Carmichael (95) rounded out the lineup for the Hubs, who played their final sectional under coach Glen Mehrings.

“They came ready to play,” said Mehrings, who’s retiring after the 2025-26 school year. “It was a good all-around effort. The greens were cut real tight and close and when putts slid by, it carried mental scar tissue into the next hole. We had some of that today, but every team deals with that and you just have to get through the first six holes without too many battle scars.”

Dixon and Sterling each had players competing in Monday’s sectional meet. Max Kitzman and Brody Nicklaus each carded 81 for the Dukes, while Kye Dieterle recorded a 97. Noah Stephenson and Carson Leigh shot 95 and 97, respectively, for the Golden Warriors.