After nearly winning the West Suburban Conference Silver Division individual title Sept. 22, Lyons Township High School senior Grayson Lee achieved an even bigger golf prize Monday. Once again shooting 69, Lee enjoyed his greatest victory as medalist and also qualified for his first Class 3A state meet at the par-70 Lincoln-Way Central Sectional at Ravisloe Country Club in Flossmoor. LTHS seniors Charlie Forrest and Ben Hare and junior Cohen Bloomfield also qualified for state individually after the Lions just missed advancing to sectionals as a team.
“(Winning sectionals) means a lot. It also means a lot that three of the other guys also made it,” said Lee, who was second at the Silver Meet after a one-hole playoff. “Absolutely (my best victory). We were a little bummed out after the regionals but we still kind of get the team effect at state.”
Bloomfield (72, tied for 7th overall) and Forrest and Hare (73s, tied for 12th) also advanced to The Den in Bloomington by being among the top 10 individuals not among the three advancing teams. Lee and Bloomfield were all-sectional with top-seven finishes.
LTHS senior Braxton Bonnevier (77) and Riverside Brookfield senior Oliver Fakhoury (88) also competed as individual sectional qualifiers. Senior Danny O’Donoghue of Riverside shot 88 for eighth-place Fenwick (315).
While advancing four, the Lions had hopes of qualifying as a team but their season of one-shot frustration continued, Sept. 30, when they finished fourth at the Benet Regional at Naperbrook (296), one stroke behind third-place Downers Grove South for the final advancing team berth.
On Monday, the Lions’ top four scores combined for 297, which would have tied for second as a team, three strokes behind champion Benet Academy.
“The game plan coming in was to validate our season. Just one shot (at regionals). I think we had (that happen) three or four times this season,” LTHS coach Brian Kopecky said. “But we’re right there and the kids came through. If we can finish strong down there, that’ll be special.”
In 2025, Forrest was among three Lions who advanced to state individually after the team was fourth at sectionals behind the eventual three state trophy teams. Forrest tied for 34th with a two-round 155. This season, Forrest overcame a wrist injury that sidelined him the first couple of weeks.
“(Monday) was a tough day but I was able to just play well enough to get through,” Forrest said. “Four (Lions advancing) is even better.”
Last season, Lee just missed making the postseason lineup. This year, Kopecky said he’s “been money down the stretch.”
“I didn’t have that chance (at state) last year so it feels good to complete that this year,” Lee said.
At last year’s sectional, Hare missed the individual state cut by one shot.
“It feels good to finally get down there,” Hare said. “It still felt like our whole team was here and if five could make it down, that would be awesome. Sadly, only four made it but that’s still pretty good.”
The individual state cut of 73 did not require a playoff. Toward the end of their rounds, Forrest pointed to following a bogey with a birdie to help him stay on qualifying pace. Hare and Bloomfield both pointed to birdies on their 17th hole.
“First birdie of the day. I was right there (to qualifying) so I knew I needed to have something,” Bloomfield said.
After a solid start, Bloomfield overcame back issues at the halfway point of the season with help from Ruth Lake Country Club pro Dan Sheldon.
“(State) means a lot. It’s kind of what I wanted to do the whole year and the past two years,” Bloomfield said.
At the Benet Regional, Lee (par-72) was fourth, followed by Bloomfield (74), Forrest and Hare (75s), Bonnevier (76) and junior Henry Niemiec (82).
RBHS was sixth (329). Fakhoury (75) was followed by junior Paul Byrne (83), senior Zak Milchhoefer (85), sophomore Bryce Sherman (86), junior Michael Sloger (87) and sophomore Leo Fakhoury (93).
The individual sectional cut was 77 and required a playoff.
In 2A, Nazareth was fourth (321) at the Deerfield Sectional, two strokes from third, but junior Max Dwyer’s 5-over-par 77 advanced to state individually by tying for 11th.
Also playing for the Roadrunners were junior Axel Perez (80) and seniors Mark Johannes (81), Mason Simpson (83), Ben Schneider (87) and Luke Krema (90). The individual state cut was 78.
Girls golf
Lyons Township senior Mekayla Genovesi (3-over-par 76) and Nazareth Academy junior Gabriella Giangrande (78) advanced to the Class 2A state meet individually at the Sandburg Sectional Monday at Silver Lake Country Club.
Genovesi (3-over-par 76, place overall) and Giangrande (78) were among the 10 top-scoring individuals not among the three advancing teams. The individual state cut was 80 and required a playoff. Both continued their momentum from the Reavis Regional, Sept. 29, at Ruffled Feathers. Genovesi won with a 5-over-par 77 for the first-place Lions (342) and Giangrande tied for second (80).
“Winning regionals as a senior feels incredibly special and rewarding. Since it’s my last year, it’s very gratifying to have accomplished such an incredible milestone with my team,” said Genovesi. “This (victory) absolutely ranks the highest. The pressure and stakes are much higher at regionals, especially as a senior. To be able to pull off this win, along with our team also pulling off the win, it’s much more meaningful than my past victories.”
Riverside Brookfield junior Harper Jesswein shot a 19-over-par 89 to tie for 49th at the Prospect Sectional Monday at the Mt. Prospect Golf Club. The individual state cut of 81 required a playoff. Jesswein was the lone individual sectional qualifier for the Bulldogs, who finished seventh (386) at the St. Ignatius Regional Sept. 29 at Cog Hill.
“Sectionals was a good learning experience and I think it was good to play against competition that I won’t normally play during the season,” Jesswein said. “I think being the only one (from my team) was a little hard. I felt more pressure to do better. Even though it didn’t go how I wanted, I’m still proud of how far I made it and I’m excited for next year.”
At the Sandburg Sectional, LTHS and Nazareth tied for seventh at 359 with the Roadrunners awarded seventh on a fifth-score tiebreaker.
The Lions’ other scorers were junior Caroline McNaughton (91), sophomores Kate Carlstead (95) and Molly Collins (97) and Lucy Newton (104) and junior Dagny Stromborg (105).
Nazareth’s other scorers were junior Megan Brost (90), sophomore Layla Rucinski (93), senior Elizabeth Salerno (98) and juniors Sophia Brost (99) and Miya Ramirez (128).
Jesswein’s 17-over-par 89 at the St. Ignatius Regional tied for 10th. Also playing for the Bulldogs were juniors Fiona Lombardi (94) and Lily Martin (101), sophomore Nicole Robertson (102), senior Nikki Ritacca (103) and junior Ana Bacik (110). The last individual sectional qualifier shot 92.
LTHS won the Reavis Regional by 15 strokes over Mother McAuley. Nazareth (365) was third.
McNaughton (85, 4th), Rucinski (87, 5th) and Stromborg and Newton (90s, tied for 8th) also were top-10 regional finishers, followed by the Lions’ Collins (93) and Carlstead (96) and the Roadrunners’ Sophia Brost and Megan Brost (99s), Salerno (101) and junior Eleanor Shorey (114).