Boys state ti(e)tle goes to Red Devils

After back-to-back heartbreaking runner-up finishes at the IHSA state final the last two years, the Hinsdale Central boys golfers thought they'd come up just short again.

Tied with Evanston for top honors at 12-over par 588 after the final hole Saturday of the two-day state tournament in Bloomington, the Red Devils knew their opponents' fifth-best score of the round - the typical tiebreaking protocol - was better than theirs. But state final rules call for a combination of day one and day two scores. The result was a two-stroke Central triumph.

"I was convinced we lost, but then there were rumblings in the crowd," said head coach Serge Penksik of the unfolding realization. "We were pretty ecstatic to get that done."

New Trier, the two-time defending champion, finished just one stroke behind for third.

Central had bagged the program's first state championship since 2018 and its eighth in the last 12 years. Senior stalwart Dru Devata led the way with a 3-under 141, for third place individually, followed by freshman Michael Jorski's 1-over 145 for seventh and senior Isaac Schloegel's 6-over 150 to notch 19th. Senior Kevin Wesolowski was 38th at 155, sophomore Mitchell Ghaben was 59th at 162, and sophomore Constantine Verros was 70th at 164.

Devata, playing in his third state final, said the blend of perfect weather conditions and his previous experience navigating The Den at Fox Creek were key factors.

"I had a game plan for each hole. I'm pretty familiar with that course now," he said. "I think I played very well, and I stayed patient. You've got to stay patient out there."

Penksik said he was delighted for Devata and praised his strong leadership on a team with four state final newbies.

"He's such a tenacious competitor," Penksik remarked. "He knew that he had to put up a really good score for us and he did. I was so happy to see him win one. He's a remarkable golfer and a kid."

Central had taken a six-stroke lead on day one, but the talented Evanston and New Trier squads came out firing on Saturday. With just a few holes to play, the three teams found themselves all square. Jorski, who had eagled the first hole of the second round, stumbled on 17. But the first-year player exhibited the mettle of a veteran with a birdie on 18.

"He's a very clutch player," Penksik remarked.

Devata saved his best for last with a leaderboard-topping 68 in Saturday's round, his last as a Red Devil. Then attention turned to Schloegel, another state final rookie. His 1-under score on Friday had paced the team, but Saturday had not started out as promising. Grouped with the premier players for Evanston and New Trier, Schloegel said he knew the contest was tight but tried to focus on his game, not everyone else's scores.

"I had no clue that the last couple of holes were really going to matter that much," he said, recounting the growing gallery down the stretch. "Playing with that many people watching was pretty high pressure."

Despite the tension, Schloegel parred each of his last four holes, including a tough chip and putt on 16 and a nervy 10-foot putt on 17 that proved crucial to the outcome.

"I tried to keep reminding myself that we worked so hard to get here, why not take advantage of it? Just focus on the next shot and not think about what's happened in the past," he related.

"That was probably one of the most clutch performances I've seen," Penksik said of Schloegel's effort.

Jorski said waiting for the final result prolonged the emotional strain, before giving way to celebration.

"It was a very nerve-wracking experience waiting to see (the result). When we realized we'd won the scorecard playoff, it was a great feeling," he said.

Usually four of a team's six competitors' scores are used for the final tally. For Central, all six players contributed the championship over the course of the two days.

"We try to preach to our kids that you never know when your score is going to count in the state tournament. You always have to stay present and continue going forward," Penksik said. "Our freshman and two sophomores came up huge, and our three seniors did what they were supposed to do.

"It's very hard to close out a tournament," he added. "The pressure mounts and there's a lot of emotion happening on every green at that point."

Penksik lauded the work of assistant coach Evan Haase and expressed gratitude for the mentorship of his predecessor, Jess Krueger.

Schloegel was elated with the group victory.

"It's pretty cool. I've always wanted to be part of a state-wining team," he said. "I'm just really proud of the team overall because everybody contributed in their own way."

Devata echoed that sentiment and acknowledged he's still adjusting to post-high school golf life.

"It's more a weird feeling. It's odd thinking I'm not going to play for Central again," he said. "It's great to go out on a high note."

Girls place third

Hinsdale Central girls golf placed third at the IHSA state final in beautiful conditions Friday and Saturday in Decatur.

The girls 44-over par score of 620 earned them the program's 11th top-five finish in the last 13 years. Senior Elyssa Abdullah captured sixth place with a 1-over 145 over the two days, earning all-state honors for the fourth time in her sparkling Central career. Fellow senior Toral Bhatt shot 149 for 11th place and all-state recognition.

Sophomore Sara Han was 39th at 161, sophomore Anika Danda was 55th at 166, junior Olivia Zhang was 68th at 171 and freshman Amelia Gambla was 79th at 181.

Glenbrook North took the title with 585 followed by Stevenson at 608. Abdullah, a self-admitted perfectionist, gave a mixed assessment of her play.

"I was overall pretty happy, but it wasn't the best finish that I wanted to have," said the University of Wisconsin-Madison commit. "I just wanted to play my best, and that's what I did. I had good focus and good course management. I had a good attitude.

"Each year I've been more relaxed at state, and I've definitely applied things I've learned from past years," she added.

Abdullah praised head coach Nick Latorre for his stewardship of the team, which won the state title two years ago during her sophomore season.

"Everyone on the team I've become really close to. We kind of uplift each other and try to motivate each other," said Abdullah, admitting to being overcome with emotion Saturday after her final round as a Red Devil. "I'm just excited to move on, but I've had such a good time playing high school golf."

Latorre said he was proud of his team's performance.

"I was really proud of my girls. They prepared well and they played well," Latorre said, noting the poise of the underclassmen in a high-stress contest. "They get a lot of good experience playing in that environment."

He is thankful to have been able to coach Abdullah and Bhatt the last four years.

"They're both just tremendous individuals as well as players," Latorre remarked

Bhatt, who registered her best state final result, was satisfied with her effort.

"I definitely feel a lot more confident with the course," she said. "I just wanted to put up a good score for my team and stay focused while I was out playing."

The bittersweet feeling of closing out her Central career set in on the second day, she related.

"I'm really proud of being able to compete for Hinsdale Central," Bhatt said.