Grayslake Central senior Gianni Lucchesi wanted to extend his competitive golf career.
Teammate Thomas Bolin hoped to continue his rapid rise in the sport.
Lucchesi and Bolin both achieved their desired results on Tuesday as the Rams won the Class 2A Grayslake Central Regional title at Stonewall Orchard Golf Club in Grayslake.
The Rams shot a 332, edging Vernon Hills by a stroke. Both teams advance to the Freeport Sectional on Monday. Carmel was third with 339, followed by Lakes with 361, Wauconda with 377, Antioch with 389, Richmond-Burton with 400 and Johnsburg with 420.
Carmel’s Clint Bailes shot a 4-over 76 to win the individual title. Lucchesi and Bolin each carded a 79 to lead the Rams, and they tied Vernon Hills’ AJ Kaprosy for second place.
Bailes, Antioch’s Donald Barnett and Carmel’s Alex Streit and Luke Zimmer were the four sectional qualifiers from nonqualifying teams.
Grayslake Central coach Jim Mazzetta won the first regional title of his tenure, which started in 2010. The Rams qualified for the sectional for the first time since 2009.
“The kids played good and were building for a good finish,” Mazzetta said. “The kids know the course and executed well today. It was a special day and took a group effort.”
Lucchesi, a four-year varsity player, said he realized Tuesday was potentially his final time playing competitive golf. His main sport is hockey, which he hopes to pursue in college. Lucchesi said he’s been playing hockey for 11 years but could swing a golf club “before I could walk.”
“Me and Thomas were going back and forth in conference,” Lucchesi said. “We both played good today. I struggled on the back nine. I came out with a good mindset. I was gone the last week because I was in Colorado for hockey, so I didn’t get to practice much this weekend. I was making sure not to get upset about bad shots.”
After shooting a 37 on the front nine, Bolin was in contention for a regional title but shot a 42 on the back nine.
“I hung with it after a good first nine,” Bolin said. “It was a lot of nerves. I’ve come a long way. I just started taking golf seriously in my freshman year. I only played every once in a while before my freshman year.
“I wanted to do a fall sport, so I went out for golf my freshman year. It’s kind of funny how far I’ve come. I’ve gotten a lot of help and a lot of work with my swing coaches. My grandpa (Fred) was a big inspiration for me in golf. I always wanted to go out and play with him.”
Barnett finished earlier than some of the other top golfers, forcing him to wait out the results. He shot a 43 on the front nine and finished with an 86. Barnett said he’s aiming to make a splash at the sectional.
“It was stressful for me coming down to the end because I got off to a slow start before heating up,” he said. “I limped in a bit. With no state, this was the state for me. I have to work hard toward next week and perform better.”
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Wauconda, which lost all 10 of its Northern Lake County Conference dual meets, saved its best team outing for the regional. Mike Herbst led the Bulldogs with a 90.
“This was a big jump for us,” Wauconda coach Tim Bartusch said. “We beat three teams in our conference today. I was real pleased. We came out and played really well. After the year we had, this was a great way to end the season.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.