ALTHOFF: Freshmen, sophomores key for boys golf
 |
| Boys varsity golfers for Althoff are front row, from left, Clay Lewis, Alex Vartanian, Patrick Orlet, Austin Von Alst and Sam Lidisky; back row, Austin Schmidt, James Leopold, Sam Carey, Brennan Wilde and Mason Wetzel. Scott Marion photo |
"Our top players last year were Brian Westerheide, James Leopold, Dan Polites (Dan's son) and Patrick Orlet," said Polites, in his seventh season with the Crusaders. "James Leopold as a freshman made it to state and played really well in the sectional. We made it out of the regional as a team, but didn't make it out of the sectional.
"It was not a bad year, but sports goes in waves and we're going to ride a pretty good wave now. We have a couple really good freshmen, three really good sophomores and a good group of seniors. Typically you hope that the underclassmen help out the juniors and seniors, but this year I'm hoping that the juniors and seniors can help out the underclassmen."Leopold and freshman Sam Lidisky earned the top two spots in qualifying.
"Sam won the Gateway (Junior) PGA all-points title this summer and he's a good all-around athlete," Polites said. "He shot 77 in our first tournament, the Alton Tee Off Classic (Aug. 19) at Spencer T. Olin. Austin Von Alst is a freshman and he too played well in the Gateway PGA. He shot 78 at Spencer T. Olin.
"Mason Wetzel is a sophomore and he's really turned his game around. He went to some camps this summer and worked very hard every day. He qualified fifth and he shot 77 at Spencer T. Olin. Patrick Orlet, who is a sophomore, had a rough start in qualifying but shot 75 on his third day.
"Brennan Wilde is a senior and he's our co-captain along with James Leopold. Brennan qualified fourth for us."
Rounding out the varsity roster are seniors Sam Carey, Austin Schmidt and Alex Vartanian and sophomore Clay Lewis.
"Sam Carey also happens to be an exceptional tennis player," Polites said. "Alex Vartanian struggled during qualifying, but I except him to regain his form from last year.
"It looks to be a competitive team, so we're excited. We finished sixth at Spencer out of 21 teams. Edwardsville and Centralia tied for first at 302 and Edwardsville won in a playoff. We played 315 and I was happy with that. We played five (golfers) and counted four (scores) and beat quite a few good teams.
"James Leopold has worked hard this summer and I think you can see the maturity level. The taste of state really enticed him and it was a great learning experience."
The Crusaders' schedule includes the Alton All-Catholic Tournament (Sept. 13), the O'Fallon Panther Classic (Sept. 20) and the Mascoutah Invitational (Oct. 4).
"I would like to see us try and compete against Centralia for the South Seven Conference title, but they're going to be tough to beat," Polites said. "We want to make it out of the regional and hopefully make it out of the sectional as well.
"This team has a chance to go to state. Of the 10 players we've got on the varsity, we've got some depth. Many times in high school golf you fight for a good fourth score, but I think it's going to be better this year."
