Boys golf: Joey Sluzas helps lead Lockport to regional title

TINLEY PARK – Joey Sluzas was so miffed at the quality, or lack thereof, of his golf game this summer that he almost quit the game.

Thankfully, wise words from his father and his brother Ben, a two-time IHSA individual champion, dissuaded him of that notion.

Wednesday, hard work paid off with a 2-over-par 74 and an individual title for Sluzas, the centerpiece of Lockport’s team title in the Class 3A Andrew Regional at Odyssey Golf Course.

That 74 included a triple-bogey 7 on the third hole.

“That was a nice start,” Sluzas said. “I just stayed patient, stayed in the present and played solid golf. I’ve got big shoes to fill, but I’m getting there.”

His patient rally included a pair of birdies on the back nine, including a near-ace on the 170-yard 17th, where he feathered a knockdown 4-iron to within 3 feet.

“It was going right at it,” Sluzas said.

The Porters had four players in the 70s, including Nathan Kwiatkowski (75), Nick Barry (76) and Kyle Kuhn (77). Their team score of 14-over 302 led runner-up Lincoln-Way East by eight strokes. Joliet Township also qualified as a team, advancing to sectional play for the first time in decades by taking third with 36-over 324. According to the IHSA website, Joliet West last advanced in 1979, while Joliet Central last did so in 1959.

Lockport, Lincoln-Way East and Joliet advance to the sectional at Stonewall Golf Course in Fairview Heights, nearly within sight of the Gateway Arch, next Monday.

For Joliet coach Ed Larson, advancing as a team was a career thrill.

“They came in freshman year, and I thought we were going to make some noise, but they kind of fizzled out,” said Larson, who retires after this academic year. “Last year, now they’re maturing, but not quite there. This is the year they did it.”

Joliet Township’s Lincoln Chizmark, who led the team, said most members of the team have been playing together since they were kids.

“We’ve been golfers since middle school,” Chizmark said. “We go after each other, but deep down, we all love each other.”

Chizmark came within a pair of lip-outs on the final two holes of winning the individual title, the one on the 18th from 10 feet. He settled for 3-over 75.

“The last three holes, I took a little peek [at the individual scoring], but I didn’t change how I played,” Chizmark said.

Joliet’s other counting scores came from Parker Sloan (81), Mitch Fulayter (83) and Alejandro Montes (85).

East’s Dylan Drogemuller led the Griffins with a 3-over 75 that could have been better.

“I started 3 under through five,” Drogemuller said. “Everything was falling. Then I got some bad breaks, shots into hazards. I kind of grinded it out the whole day.”

His birdies came on the second, fourth and fifth holes. Then he hung on to pace the Griffins, also aided by the 4-over 75 of Colin Jungels and the 2-over 78 of Jack Krstulovich. Tanner Leonard’s 81 was the last score to count for East.

Lincoln-Way Central’s 327 was three off the pace of Joliet Township, but five of the six Knights who teed it up advanced: Jack Herget (75), Jacob Stoetzel (81), Ben Howey (85), James Bozzi (86) and Nolan Vrabec (87).

Lincoln-Way West scored 329 and advanced four individuals: Logan Swedko (77), Carson Webb (81), Will Pluskota (84) and Nick Lange (87). Lange and Vrabec prevailed in a four-for-two-spot playoff to move on.