Riverside Brookfield High School senior Connor Dominick has higher hopes this boys’ golf season, beyond a third straight trip to sectionals.
“I am very excited for the postseason,” Dominick said. “I’ve been really close the last two years to go downstate and I’m hoping I can put it together and qualify.”
Dominick and seniors Ronnie Murray and Gavin Sharenow are the returning All-Upstate Eight Conference golfers for the Bulldogs, who won the one-division team championship in their conference debut.
Otherwise, it’s a fairly new varsity group under first-year coach Charlie Pozen, who takes over for longtime coach Jim Festle, who retired. Other varsity players include seniors Charlie Debutch, Aidan Diaz, Christian Rivera and Wyatt Hoffman and juniors Oliver Fakhoury, Eliot Kastle and Zac Milchhoefer.
“I am excited to work with the team and continue to build the golf program,” Pozen said.
The 2024 Bulldogs won the UEC Meet with a season-best 308. Sharenow (No. 11), Murray (No. 15) and Dominick (No. 23) were among the 26 all-conference players, based on UEC dual and conference meet results. The Bulldogs then finished third at the Maine South Regional (311) and advanced as a team to the Glenbrook North Sectional and finished 12th (322).
Dominick (78) missed the state cut playoff by four strokes. Sharenow and Murray shot 90s. In 2023, Dominick shot 81 at sectionals as an individual qualifier and earned All-Metro Suburban Conference honors. The Bulldogs won the four-team MSC for their first-ever conference title.
Fakhoury (38) and Dominick (39) had the Bulldogs’ top scores in Saturday’s opener at Indian Boundary.
“I really focused on my short game and putting this offseason. I played in a ton of tournaments over the summer and played as much as I could,” Dominick said. “The goal is always to make it to state as a team and win conference. But this year I just want to enjoy my last year on the team and see how far we can go.”
LTHS boys golf
The Lions return senior Finley Tyrrell and juniors Charlie Forrest, Garrett Pohl and Ben Hare from their 2024 lineup that finished fourth at the 3A Glenbrook North Sectional (301), four strokes from the third and final advancing team.
Add to that seniors Jack McKerr and Graham Denniston, juniors Grayson Lee and Braxton Bonnivier and sophomores Cohen Bloomfield and Adrian Rakvin and the Lions should again be in the mix for their first team state berth since 2021.
During tryouts at Prairie Bluff, six players shot under par.
“Our strength should be team depth. The competition should be awesome to stay in the top six and top eight,” LTHS coach Brian Kopecky said. “We have a great mix of seniors and underclassmen.”
As a sophomore, Tyrrell was the Lions’ lone individual 3A state qualifier and tied for 33rd with a 158 (84-74). At 2024 sectionals, Tyrrell, Pohl and Hare (76s) all were two strokes from the state-qualifying playoff cut and Hare shot 78. Graduated Anderson Palm was the Lions’ lone individual state qualifier. The Lions’ 299 had won the Elk Grove Regional by 14 strokes.
The Lions also are coming off winning their first West Suburban Conference Silver Division title since 2012, based on their 6-0 dual record because the Silver Meet was rained out. LTHS beat perennial power Hinsdale Central 146-149 in their dual.
The Lions opened this season taking third at the Edwardsville Invite at Atkins Golf Club (296) in Champaign and the Den (299) in Bloomington, site of the 3A state meet Oct. 10-11. Tyrrell (146), Pohl (147), Forrest (149) and Almond (156) played both rounds.