2025 Herald-News boys golf season preview capsules

Boys golf season is upon us once again. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how every team in the Herald-News area is expected to do.

East Suburban Catholic

Joliet Catholic

Coach: David Mondrella

Last season’s record: 5-2 (2-2)

Top returners: Zach Zabel, sr.; Andrew Baltz, sr; John Capalbo, sr.

Key newcomers: Quincy Korbar, jr.

Worth noting: There will be a lot of new faces for Joliet Catholic this season, though the talented trio of Zabel, Baltz and Capalbo are back to lead the youngersters. Korbar is the lone junior and the rest of the team will be made up of sophomores with no varsity experience. Mondrella enters year eight as the head coach with hopes for a strong season.

Southwest Prairie Conference

Joliet Township

Coach: Britt Charley

Last season’s record: 4-8

Top returners: Marcos Montes, so.; Leo Smith, sr.; Henry Young, sr.; Mitchell Widlak, sr.

Key newcomers: Ryan Cooling; jr.

Worth noting: The good news is there’s four returners for Joliet and Cooling was a staple at the top of the JV lineup last year. The bad news is they lost a state qualifier in Mitchell Fulayter from last year’s group. Charley said, “With a team of nice kids and plenty of inexperience, we’re focused on improving each week and enjoying the golf season.”

Minooka

Coach: Jeff Petrovic

Top returners: Gabe Ciesielski, jr.; Ethan Walsh, sr., Lucas Heap, sr.; Blake Middleton, sr.; Adam Cook, sr.

Key newcomers: Kyle Green, jr.; Derek Pryzabyla, so.; Gavin Toso, jr.

Worth noting: No area golfer in 3A did better last season than Minooka’s TJ Quinn. Now, the 2024 Herald-News Player of the Year is gone, along with Luke Purcell and Michael Kuchar. However, Ciesielski, Walsh, Heap and Middleton saw a ton of time last year while Cook has experience as well. Minooka went undefeated in conference and won the SPC along with their regional. The team finished second in sectionals and qualified for state for the second year in a row. The Indians will have to go through a soft rebuild this year, but the talent is there and Petrovic is one of the top coaches in the state.

Plainfield Central

Coach: Darren Kobliska (18th season)

Last season’s record: 6-5 (6-4)

Top returners: Anthony Bataglia, jr.; Eli Hoover, jr.; Padraig Reidy, sr.; Ayden LaPier, sr.

Key newcomers: Jacob Pacholski, jr.; Damian Maxwell, so.

Worth noting: Bataglia and Hoover played on varsity as sophomores, showing the talent they’ll bring to the Wildcats. Pacholski was an all-conference selection at the JV level last year while Maxwell is the only sophomore beginning the year on varsity. Kabliska said Maxwell is “a hard worker with a lot of natural ability who sets high expectations for himself. It’s year 19 for Kobliska at the helm and he told the Herald-News, ”This year we will have a young team with only two returning seniors. We have a lot of young players with a great deal of potential who are all capable of being our top scorer in any given event so I’m excited to see what all we are able to accomplish this season."

Plainfield East

Coach: Joe Young

Last season’s record: 5-5

Top returners: Charlie Madden, sr.; Evan Orlet, sr.; Ryan Laramie, sr.; Jett Utrata, jr.; Jake Czerniak, jr.

Key newcomers: Chase Buettner, jr.; Keegan Whittle, jr.; Drew Ferguson, sr.

Worth noting: There’s a lot of experience returning from last season for thee Bengals along with a trio of talented newcomers. Young says the promising freshmen and returning sophomores could potentially help Plainfield East set records. Young says the goal is to improve on last year’s record and qualify for sectionals.

Plainfield North

Coach: Mike Kneip

Last season’s record: 11-0, 10-0

Top returners: Evan Lee, jr; Sam Espinosa, so.; Patrick Cosgrove, sr.

Key newcomers: Ethan Waller, jr.; Marco Mazzuca, sr.

Worth noting: Casey Sanborn was one of the best golfers in the state last season, but now he’s gone. Along with him are Brad Ellinghaus, Jamie Mulder and Max Espinosa. Fret not Tiger fans, there’s still a ton of talent on this group. Lee and Sam Espinosa were All-SPC golfers last year while Cosgrove was a top six player. While Kneip acknowledged the experience is lacking, he expressed excitement for the talent of this group. The goal is for Plainfield North to contend for regional and sectional championships. The Tigers have won the conference five of the last eight seasons and have qualified for seven straight sectional tournaments, so those goals are well within reach.

Plainfield South

Coach: Tim Boe

Top returners: Jonah Powell, sr.; Gavin Baxa, sr.; Limmie Bailey III, sr.; Adam Tuck, sr.;

Key newcomers: Jacob Wills, fr.

Worth noting: While the Cougars didn’t advance out of regionals last year, there’s a lot of experience coming back for this season that could change that. Powell was a sectional qualified and All-Conference golfer last season. Boe noted it’s a senior heavy group that should contribute for a strong season.

Romeoville

Coach: Jeff Bambule

Top returners: Kendall King, so.

Key newcomers: Gavin Orrico, jr.; Ayden Gambal, jr.; Joey Milazzo, sr.; Sebastian DiPietro, sr.; Alejandro Bahena, sr.

Worth noting: King is the only returning starter for the Spartans, but what a starter he was. He was MVP of the team as a mere freshman and should only be better this season. It’s year 12 for Bambule, so he knows how to get the most out of his roster. He’ll have his work cut out for him, though, as the other players on the team are new to the sport, though they are multi-sport athletes. Bambule said, “I am excited to see how Kendall King will perform this year and the upcoming years. He has a lot of potential.”

SouthWest Suburban Conference

Bolingbrook

Coach: Jeff Allen

Top returners: Nate Stanek, jr.

Worth noting: It’s year 11 for Allen and he’ll have a talented returner to work with this year in Stanek. It’s all newbies otherwise as the Raiders look to stay competitive.

Lincoln-Way Central

Coach: Ryan Pohlmann

Last season’s record: 8-3

Top returners: Brody Wall, jr.; Connor Kelch, jr.; Aidan Blum, sr.; Matthew Preski, sr.

Key newcomers: Aiden Barker, jr.; Charlie Solomon, jr.

Worth noting: The Knights finished third in the SWSC conference tournament with quality performances all around. Wall was All-Conference and a sectional qualifier as was Kelch, who also qualified for state. Preski and Blum were all conference golfers as well. With Wall and Kelch as juniors, the team is well set up for next year as well, but this season should be special. Pohlmann said, “We are a team that has had Wall and Kelch up since freshman year and Barker and Solomon since sophomore year. We are looking forward to combining youth that has matured with a fantastic core group of seniors that is led by Blum and Preski.”

Lincoln-Way East

Coach: Jim Nair

Last season’s record: 7-2

Top returners: Nico Mancini, sr.; Carmine Moccio, sr.; Tyler Rea, sr.

Worth noting: The Griffins finished second in the conference last season, won the HF Co-ed Classic and had numerous runner up finishes as well. Moccio was the team leader last season while Mancini offers consistency. Nair says Rea has had a strong summer. Nair added, “We have several key returning golfers and expect to be in the mix for a SWSC golf conference title and (have) success in the state playoffs”

Lincoln-Way West

Coach: Daniel Szablewski (sixth season)

Top returners: Drake Been, sr.; EJ Dwyer, sr.; Colin Ladd, sr.; Liam Wills, sr.

Key newcomers: Logan Kelley, fr.; Jack Djulabic, so; Colton Gagan, so.

Worth noting: What a year it was for the Warriors and what a year it’s lining up to be for them. Been, Dwyer, Ladd and Wills were all on last year’s sectional qualifying team. The squad also won the Schuman Cup for the first time. Kelley may be a freshman, but he was the 2024 IESA individual state champion. Gagan is on the JV for now, but Szablewski expects him to contribute to the varsity at some point this year. Szablewski added, “We have aspirations of qualifying for the sectional as a team again this year with hopes of putting ourselves in position to get down (to) state as a team. Returning four of our top six golfers from last season, we are banking on their experience to lead the team, but we have an influx of younger talent that we hope can push us through to reach our team goals.”

Lockport

Coach: Matt Eber

Last season’s record: 11-2, 7-0

Top returners: Zachary Skrzypiec, sr.; Hayden Gusias, sr.; Sean Goacher, sr.; Joe Eaton, jr.; Kaden Downer, so.

Key newcomers: Jack Frampton sr.; Alec Frampton, jr.; Ryan Denk, jr.; Ben Likins jr.; Terrance “Jake” Sanford, jr.

Worth noting: Another year, another successful season for the Porters. They won the conference title for the fourth year in a row and finished fourth at regionals as a team. They had three individuals qualify for sectionals, two of whom are returning in Gusias and Skrzypiec. Skrzypiec also qualified for state. What should strike fear in the hearts of the Porter’s opponents? They considered it a disappointing season. It was the first time in six years they didn’t qualify for state as a team and the first time in eight years they didn’t qualify for sectionals. Eber said, “We have a great group of players returning with the addition of some much needed and valuable experience from last year. I am excited about the newcomers that are on the roster and the depth in the program overall. We are poised to produce some real quality play and be in position to do some great things late in the year.”

Chicago Catholic League

Providence

Coach: John Platt

Top returners: Alex Hartman, sr.; Johnny Schlender, sr; John Kelly, sr.; Ryan Kundys, sr.; Colton Phieffer, jr.

Key newcomers: Jackson Pintar, jr.; Caden Leddy, jr.

Worth noting: The Celtics return four players from last year’s sectional qualifying team that missed going to state by just two shots. Hartman qualified for state last year, making the cut and finishing in the top 40. Platt said, “I feel like we have a real good chance to qualify for state as a team. In my 24 years at Providence we have qualified as a team nine times, but have not been there for five years. In those 24 years, I have had a team or individual qualify for state 20 times.”

South Suburban Conference

Lemont

Coach: Justin Wiedler

Top returners: Joey Scott, sr.; Jack Noetzel, sr.

Worth noting: Lemont will be playing to honor the memory of longtime coach Mark Hollatz this season. After 30 years at the helm of the program, Hollatz sadly passed away earlier this year. Wiedler now enters year one in charge of the program, and while he’ll have some heavy shoes to fill, he couldn’t have asked for a better player at the top to guide the way. Lemont took home the bronze trophy as a team at sectionals last year and eighth place at the 2A state championship last year thanks in large part to Scott. He finished seventh at the state tournament and is back for one last round.

Illinois Central Eight Conference

Coal City

Coach: Harlan Kennell

Last season’s record: 4-9, 4-2

Top returners: Frankie Ponio, so.; Jaxon Duke, so.

Key newcomers: Kory Lovell, so.; Trevor Walker, so.; Cody Scheer, so.

Worth noting: Ponio was an All-Conference golfer last year and will return to lead the way for the Coalers. Lovell was Coal City’s top JV golfer last season. Kennell said Walker has improved every aspect of his game while Scheer has matured to become a very consistent player. Kennell added, “We are a young team this year with potentially all underclassmen on our varsity roster. Our sophomores show a lot of potential, and they are a very competitive group that is dedicated to getting better on the course everyday.”

Wilmington

Coach: Mike Wilson

Top returners: Caius Drown, sr.; Joey Lewsader, sr.; Ryker Feil, sr.; Parker Hazzard, sr.; Hank Lindsey, so.

Key newcomers: Sean Couch; Zander Van Duyne; Samuel Nunez

Worth noting: Drown is back after qualifying for sectionals last year. Wilson expressed excitement for this season, saying, “I have a good nucleus of players who help and compliment each other on the golf course.”

Peotone

Coach: David Church

Top returners: Gavin Costanzo, sr.; Andrew Barta, sr.; Billy Giese, sr.

Worth noting: This will be Church’s first year in charge after the departure of coach Bill Sander. The team finished fourth in conference last year and had one player advance to sectionals. Church acknowledged it will be a rebuilding year. He added, “We are hoping to develop some younger golfers to improve, play varsity and continue to grow the program and opportunities for both boys and girls teams. ... We are looking for continued improvement from our golfers and leadership from the seniors.”

Reed-Custer

Coach: Ryan Marketti

Top returners: Logan Bean, jr.; Josh Creger, so; Nathan Trucano, jr.; Cadeon Baumgartner, so.

Key newcomers: Tanner Gullquist, jr.; Corbin Stahl, fr.; Nick Mallany, fr.; John Buchanan, fr.; Robert Krakowski, fr.

Worth noting: It’s year three of the rebirth for Reed-Custer’s program. Four golfers return from last year’s squad with Bean and Baumgartner expected to lead the way. Gullquist is new to the sport and will join a robust freshmen group seeking time. Marketti said, “We look to improve on last years performance and hope to see more improvement through out the season. ... I expect the team to have its struggles this year due to their inexperience, but as the year goes I’m looking forward to helping the boys improve and lower scores to be more competitive.”

Interstate 8 Conference

Morris

Coach: Mike Muntz

Last season’s record: 7-6, 3-2

Top returners: Connor Barth, sr.; Braden Wickkiser, so.; Jace Scalf, sr.

Key newcomers: Wyatt Schultz, sr.; Brycen Johnson, jr.; Colin Bertino, jr.

Worth noting: Morris finished third in the conference last season and will look for continued success this year. Five golfers got experience last year with varsity playing time. Muntz said, “While we may lack extensive varsity experience, this group put in the work during the offseason to sharpen their skills and handle competitive pressure. Our younger golfers have plenty of talent, now it’s about developing consistency and confidence as the year unfolds. If we continue to move in the right direction, our youth could become a strength and give us the push we need to contend for a conference title and make a team push past regionals.”

Tri-County Conference

Dwight

Coach: Joe Bloxam

Last season’s record: 7-9

Top returners: Blake Thetard, jr.; Owen Vitko, sr.; Cash Carter, jr.; Jack Statler, sr.; Maddux Delong, sr.; Case Christensen, so.; Cason Christensen, so.

Key newcomers: Cason Johnson, so.; Dane Frobish, so.; Logan Rice, jr.; Kyler Delisle, so.; Sawer Kucera, so.; Wyatt McNally, so.

Worth noting: With seven golfers that consistently score between the 42-48 range, Dwight should be in for a solid year. The team lost sectional qualifiers Tracer Brown and Cole Boucher to graduation, but Bloxam said, “If the boys shoot to their ability they should have a successful year.

Seneca

Coach: Bryan Erickson (15th season)

Last’s season record: 15-4

Top returners: Cooper Thorson, jr.; Raiden Terry, jr.; Cody Malak, jr.

Key newcomers: Vinny Corrado, sr.; Zander Newberry, sr.; Daniel Isham, jr.; Ethan Hasselbring, jr.; Trent Powell, so.; Hudson Hartwig, so.

Worth noting: It was a great year for Seneca last season. They won the Irish Invitational Championship and won the IHSA 1A Dwight Regional Championship for the first time in program histoyr. All three returners have two years of varsity golf experience and are ready to lead the team this year after losing our top three players from last year to graduation. The six newcomers will compete for the final three spots. Erickson said, “Although we lost our top three players to graduation, I believe out team will not miss a beat and continue to have success this year. Cooper Thorson and Cody Malak have both had a great summer and are ready to lead this team and be very competitive against everyone on our schedule. One big goal for this year is to compete against the very solid Roanoke-Benson team for the TCC Title. Competing for a Regional Title and Sectional birth are also on our list of goals.”