By Jeff Vorva
Beecher junior Peyton Serafin was a model of consistency as he fired a pair of 73s to take third in the Illinois High School Association Class 1A State Golf Tournament October 18-19 at Prairie Vista in Bloomington.
In the first round, Serafin vaulted up the ladder quickly thanks to four birdies and a 73 to tie Kaden Brown of Forreston for third.
In the second round, he fired off three more birdies and finished with another 73 to stay in the top three to finish behind Riverdale’s Aidan Dorathy (143) and Quincy Notre Dame’s Beau Eftink (145).
It’s the highest finish in school history.
As a team, the Bobcats finished ninth on the first day and missed the cut for the second round.
Senior Jackson Reese, however, was able to join Serafin in the second round and finished with a two-round total of 167, which placed him in a tie for 56th.
Noah Berry fired a 91, Ben Anacierio had a 93, Charlie Nowak a 102, and Danny Vallos a 110 in the first round.
Monroe leads area in IESA state meet
Manteno eighth grader Delanie Monroe finished in 14th place with a time of 12 minutes, 24.34 seconds, while sixth grader Maddyx McLain was 107th with a 13:35.76. Seventh grader Emma Froeschle was 181st with a 14:25.81 in the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 3A meet on October 19 at Maxwell Park in Normal.
In Class 4A, University Park Crete-Monee’s Julia Stolzenbach took 52nd with a 12:45.39.
In Class 2A, Beecher eighth grader Rachel Imig finished 55th with a 13:10.81.
In Class 3A boys, Manteno’s Noah Nevel finished 93rd with a 12:03.99.
Warming up for sectionals
Cross country sectionals are coming on October 26, and area stars warmed up with their conference meets on October 19.
Manteno freshman Klarke Goranson continued her red-hot season with a championship in the Illinois Central Eight meet on October 19 at Eastwood Golf Course in Streator.
She ran the course in 17:15.79 (a course and school record), more than a minute ahead of second-place Brooklyn Flores of Wilmington (18:28.83).
Manteno Freshman Lyla Nevel took fifth with a 19:48.60.
Peotone’s Celeste Richards finished fourth with a 19:41.26.
Evelyn Stolzenbach won the Southland Athletic Conference meet in Dolton with a time of 21 minutes, 06.82 seconds to help the Warriors finish fourth.
Manteno’s Seth McHugh placed seventh in the ICE boys championship with a 17:03.49, while Peotone’s top finisher was Aidan Siegel with a 17:37.10.
In the Southland meet, Crete-Monee took sixth place with Jojo Poku leading the way with a sixth-place finish in 18:22.73.
Soccer stunner
Top-seeded Beecher was shocked, losing a 7-6 shootout to eighth-seeded Momence after the teams tied at 2-2 in regulation and two overtimes on October 19 in the semifinals of the Class 1A Momence Regional.
Beecher finished the season 20-6, while Momence improved to 8-10.
Second seeded Manteno was able to hold off Peotone, 1-0, in the Coal City Regional, as Kash Goranson scored.