Waubonsie Valley repeats as champs

Updated: September 29, 2011 6:56PM

Waubonsie Valley’s boys golf team has been the favorites to repeat as Upstate Eight Valley champions all season.

Thursday at St. Andrews, the Warriors put the finishing touches on that effort.

The Warriors shot a 309 behind 76s from juniors Eric Copeland and Jeremy Weiland near the bottom of the lineup and a 77 from UEC Valley player of the year Alex Koulos to spring the repeat.

“I was just trying to help our team so we could lock up conference for the second year in a row,” Koulos said. “The bottom of the lineup really bailed us out today. I tried to tell the young guys that we want to play well so that the next generation of kids can go for the third in a row. I want to make the guys that just graduated proud that we were able to win conference without them. We can do it ourselves.”

Weiland and Copeland occupied the sixth and seventh spots in the Warriors’ lineup, respectively, Thursday. It was their scores that helped keep second-place Neuqua Valley at bay with a 318.

“There were no expectations on me,” Copeland said. “I had no pressure on myself. I just went out there and played my game. I just shows that we’re all solid players.”

Neuqua coach Spike Grossheusch had a simple goal in mind coming into the tournament.

“Yeah, one better than Waubonsie Valley,” Grossheusch quipped.

But he knew that was easier said than done. A 78 from Alec Sanderson and a 79 from No. 8 player Justin Farmer helped, but the Wildcats needed more help from the top of the lineup to catch the Warriors.

“From the very beginning, we knew that Waubonsie was going to be the team to beat,” Grossheusch said. “One tournament, we did beat them, but three others, we didn’t, and this is the one that counts. Luckily it’s not the regional. That’s the way we have to look at it.”

The medalist was South Elgin’s Xavier Owens, who shot a one-under 71 on the course that he works at. He had a pretty wild round, with five birdies and 33 putts, but still wound up around par, which is where he seems to wind up the majority of the time in 18-hole tournaments. The Storm shot a 320 as a team.

“It was kind of tricky out there,” Owens said. “The biggest thing was putting. I missed a couple of putts that I think I should have made. I hit the ball mostly right where I wanted it. There were a couple of bad shots, but I recovered nicely.”

Adam Kreiner had the second-best round of the day with a 75 for Metea Valley, who shot a 324 as a team.

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