Depth does the trick
Reece Pagel typified the day for the Geneva boys golf team at its conference tournament on Wednesday in Oswego.
The junior is the Vikings' eighth man, but his inspired even-par 36 on the back nine at Fox Bend was emblematic of the Geneva success at the Western Sun Conference tournament.
The Vikings entered the tournament in a first-place tie with Rochelle, but four scores in the 70s, anchored by the 74 from conference MVP Cole Oosthuizen, brought the squad its first league championship in three years with a 306 total.
Batavia, which had the low round of the day from sophomore Tim Schofield, turned back DeKalb (311) and Glenbard South (312) for second place with a 310.
Rochelle struggled to a fifth-place 319; Sycamore, Yorkville and Kaneland rounded out the eight-team field.
"(Pagel is) a kid who over the last few weeks has really been struggling," said Geneva coach Bill Koehn. "(His score) is a big one for us. It makes my decision for the regional (lineup Tuesday at Mill Creek) that much tougher."
The Vikings' No. 1 player Braden Dalton augmented the Oosthuizen effort with a 76, but it was Pagel and Mike Parola who created separation for the squad.
Pagel had a 41 on his other nine for a 77, and the Vikings' team total was completed when seventh-man Parola carded a 79.
"I've been working on my mental game," said Pagel. "I was able to relax, go out there and go low. Practicing your butt off doesn't always work out for your score."
Oosthuizen, meanwhile, had not only the team title to savor; the Vikings' No. 2 man edged DeKalb junior Trace Royer for player-of-the-year honors with his 2-over 74, which was third overall.
"It should have been a 72," said Oosthuizen. "It feels great (to win the team title and MVP). I definitely felt a lot of pressure today. I hit it great all day."
Oosthuizen had back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth holes to go out in 1-under 35, and a trio of bogeys on his inward nine could not spoil the day.
Batavia entered the tournament 2 points behind Geneva and Rochelle, but the Bulldogs' level-par 72 performance by Schofield was not enough to turn back the Vikings.
"I figured I would shoot pretty well today," said Schofield, who nipped Royer by a stroke for top honors. "I was medalist a couple of times the last few weeks."
Shawn Streurer had his customary solid round for Batavia with a 76, but none of the other Bulldogs duplicated the four sub-80 rounds by Geneva.
"When you have a 76 and 72, we should be better than 310 based on our averages," said Batavia coach Tim DeBruycker. "That's great for a sophomore (Schofield) to win an event like this."
Collin Huber (80), James Henkelman (82) and Tim Swanson (82) completed the Bulldogs' scorecard, and John Linden was the low man for Kaneland with an 81.
Glenbard South had its lowest collective round of the season to finish in a fourth-place tie with DeKalb.
Tony Scotellaro had a career-best 75, including a level-par 36 on the back nine, to lead the Raiders.
"I bogeyed the first hole (No. 10), had seven straight pars and birdied the last," said Scotellaro. "It was an interesting round."
The junior was playing as the Raiders' sixth man, and the squad had two additional players break 80.
Senior captain Nick Bava was at 6-over 78, and Mitch McNeily matched the number for the Raiders' third score.
Kevin Simek rounded out the scoring with an 81.
"That was a nice round for Tony," said Glenbard South coach Scott Iliff. "He's a good athlete, a baseball player. His baseball swing had been (interfering) with his golf swing. But I could tell he was in good balance today."
Glenbard South eclipsed its previous season-low score from Broken Arrow by a shot.
The Raiders could be a prime beneficiary of class expansion in boys golf, where the playoffs begin on Tuesday.
"We're the largest Class 2A school in the state," said Iliff. "At least that's what the Lemont coach told me, and he is usually right."