Marian, H-F to clash at Coyote Run

Updated: October 4, 2011 7:16PM

The dominance of Homewood-Flossmoor and Marian Catholic in the girls golf regional they inhabit doesn’t go all the way back to the days of hickory-shafted clubs. It just seems that way.

Either the Vikings or Spartans have captured the regional every year since 2004. Homewood-Flossmoor’s won the last four years, with Marian winning the three years previous.

Wednesday at Coyote Run Golf Course in Flossmoor could be Marian’s turn.

The Spartans have been out front all season in Class AA. They took the East Suburban Catholic Conference title, beating St. Viator by 17 strokes on a blustery day at River Bend Golf Course. While nobody broke 80 thanks to the wind, Marian, led by Sylvie Brick, had three of the top seven finishers, and four of the first 12.

“They hung in there,” Marian coach Linda Gilley said of her team.

Gilley’s crew has evolved into a five-deep team thanks to the emergence of Nina Nicpon and Alexandra Palmer.

“Both really worked on their games over the summer,” Gilley said. “Nina could score (in the top four) for us last year, but she’s become more consistent. And Alexandra is down a good 10 strokes this year.”

With Brick, Bree Veazey and Samantha Barlage the top three, the Spartans have a good chance to regain the regional crown they last claimed in 2006.

Homewood-Flossmoor and Lincoln-Way East will try to argue the point. The Vikings won the SouthWest Suburban Blue title, its fifth straight, through the quartet of Katelyn Hoag, Elizabeth Hassett, Sarah Armstrong and Taylor King. But Lincoln-Way East, third in last year’s regional and second the year before, has a standout freshman in Kelly Sterling, who beat Armstrong in a sudden-death playoff for the individual title.

“I’m more confident going into regionals, because I know we can beat Lincoln-Way East,” Hoag said.

The top three teams from each regional advance to sectional competition.

Host Stagg, Sandburg and Lockport are the favorites to advance from a nine-team regional at Green Garden, while Crete-Monee has to travel all the way to Savoy for its Class AA regional at the University of Illinois course.

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