The boys golf team says goodbye to the seniors after a year of improvement and success within the Regional competition.
Junior Adam Baker placed fifth in Regionals at Bittersweet Golf Course in Gurnee on October 6, and was the only North player to advance to the Sectional competition in Rockford on October 12. While he didn’t place high, he started off well and enjoyed the experience.
“I would say that the reason for my success in these competitions comes down to the practice and smart decision making. When I have a tough shot, I don’t just make my decision right away. I’ll take my time, find the best way to play the shot, and not try to make the most heroic play,” Baker said.
While none of the other athletes reached this level or qualified for All-Conference, they did improve throughout the course of the season.
“The varsity really improved during the season and lowered their team scoring average from the first half of the season by eight shots. We also played the same course for the Regional that we did earlier in the year and improved our score by eleven strokes [at that course],” said varsity head coach Tim Hough.
The team will be saying goodbye to four seniors: Jon Cesario, Brandon Kottmer, Brendan Mickiewicz and Josh Davis, all who played on the golf team for their four years in high school.
“Two of our seniors, Brandon and Brendan, were our most improved players from last year, so they will for sure be missed. As will Jon and Josh for their leadership and dedication,” Hough said.
While the team ended with a record of 3-8, they did perform well in Conference with a record of 3-1, and overall had an enjoyable season.
“Our season was successful because first and foremost we probably had the most fun out of any of the teams in our conference. We had some good wins against good teams, and the majority of our losses were by single digit strokes to extremely good teams,” Cesario said.
In order to achieve more next year, the returning golfers must find ways to work on their skills throughout the off-season.
“We need to have our players keep the momentum going this off-season and not regress over the winter and spring. We should be able to compete for the Conference championship next year if they are able to do this,” Hough said.