Coming off two consecutive DuPage Valley Conference championships, Naperville Central’s boys golf has struggled through 2024. Their season came to an end after a seventh place finish in the Blackberry Oaks IHSA Sectional on Monday, Oct. 7.
The team’s top two golfers both graduated in the Class of 2024, leaving the team to face “rough spots” this year. They went 3-2 in conference play, and came fourth in the DVC championship where only one player scored in the top 10.
“We probably should have been closer to the lead, but none of us really had a good day,” senior and captain Alex Orzech said. “Everybody knows what they did wrong as a team. We’re trying to just pick each other up [and] get ready for the next round.”
In IHSA golf, eight members of each team compete in a match, and the lowest (best) four scores are counted. These scores are then added up, and the team with the lower total score wins.
“Our coach heavily leans on seniors being leaders for our team,” Orzech said. “I value being a leader for our team as a senior, keeping everybody in check.”
Head coach Barry Baldwin believes seniors contribute to the team’s culture and progress.
“[It’s a] highlight when kids just have a good time—they play relaxed, they stay relaxed,” Baldwin said. “If we’re having fun, they’re usually playing well.”
For Orzech, the team’s competitive success the previous two years—winning consecutive DVC titles—came at the expense of team culture. This year, he thinks their positivity outshone their struggles on the golf course.
“The past two years, it was kind of mixed around, not everybody got along,” Orzech said. “This year, we’re starting to see more of that freshman year spirit, where everybody’s together as a team and trying to push each other along.”
The positive team culture was echoed by sophomore Ryan Kong, who placed 11th at DVC and 12th at IHSA Regionals.
“It’s not like traditional golf where it’s every man for themselves; we support each other out there,” Kong said. “We help each other with what we’re doing when we’re playing together. We make sure that we’ll keep each other upbeat.”
That culture was able to help the team overcome difficulties throughout the season, according to Orzech.
“We did hit some rough spots in the year,” Orzech said. “We were able to work something out between the coaches and all the players to figure out how we can go along.”
