Neuqua Valley earns regional crown

Updated: October 4, 2011 7:28PM

On a near perfect day, it was a near perfect tournament for local players entered in the Oswego Regional on Tuesday at Blackberry Oaks Golf Course in Bristol.

Plainfield North and Plainfield South, along with seven other Joliet-area individuals, earned spots at Monday’s Joliet Sectional.

Neuqua Valley shot a 309 to win the regional plaque. Plainfield North came in second with a 319, and Plainfield South shot a 326 to take third.

The Tigers and Cougars both were elated to earn their first trips to the sectional tournament.

“This is the first time we’ve made it and that was one of our goals coming in,” Plainfield South senior Matt Ward said. “One of our goals for the season was to advance as a team and we got that done.”

“It’s outstanding for us,” Plainfield South coach Tim Boe said. “We’ve never advanced, so it’s exciting for the kids and for the program.”

“This is great and we’re so happy as a team to advance,” Plainfield North coach Brad Shinovich said.

“We won conference this year, which was a first. Now we qualified for the first time for the sectional,” Plainfield North senior Caleb Kissel said. “It was a good tournament. We’ve been playing well lately. It’s nice we came out here and played like we were capable of. It was a fun day.”

Ward and Kissel earned All-Regional medals, which went to the top five, by shooting 3-over-par 75s. Kissel took third via a scorecard tiebreaker.

“I was glad he bounced back and played well,” Boe said of Ward, who struggled at the Southwest Prairie Conference meet.

Plainfield Central junior Mitch Young fired a 1-over-par 73 to take second and earn his third trip to the sectional meet.

Plainfield North freshman Taylor Hollingshaus and Plainfield East sophomore Jake Kaufmann tied for sixth with 79s.

Other local individual qualifiers were Bolingbrook’s Adam D’Virgilio (83) and Plainfield Central’s John Michalik (83).

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