A changing of the guard

There was a bit of the turning of the guard in the WIAA State Boys Golf Tournament on June 8 and 9.

On one hand, there was Michigan-bound senior Jack Schultz, the 2007 state champion from Whitefish Bay. He was giving it one more go, being somewhat undone by an extremely unkind lie in the upper ridge of a bunker on 18, which resulted in a bogey.

He still made it back onto the medal stand, taking fourth. Bay coach Dave Johnson said the three-time North Shore Conference Player of the Year handled himself well despite the disappointment.

"He's just so very talented," Johnson said. "The most talented player I've ever worked with. I think we (involved with the game) know that there are no givens in golf. Every day, you go out there and play the best you can. You keep your chin up and just keep going."

Two spots ahead of him was Homestead freshman Jordan Niebrugge, who shot up four inches in height in just the last year but displayed no growing pains, taking second individually and leading the Highlanders to a fifth-place finish.

Coach Steve O'Brien knows the talent and the potential he has on his hands with Niebrugge and knows just how to handle it.

"In my 17 years here, my motto has always been not to screw any of the guys up," he said. "If I can get the van to the right course at the right time on the right day, then I'm doing my job."

Or as Homestead senior Casey Barnes put it: "He's by far and away the best putter on the team. If the rest of his game comes along like his putting, then he can go a long ways."

Nicolet golfer finishes well

Someone able to have a conversation with Niebrugge about those things would be Nicolet sophomore Aaron Sandock, who came out of the woodwork to forge a tie for 10th individually.

"For the first time up there, he played just great," said Knights coach Ted Wachs. "He turned in two solid rounds and had a really good grasp on things. He even got an eagle on the (par five) second hole the second day."

And Sandock's approach to his second shot on that hole told Wachs much about the kind of player he was working with.

"He asked me whether he should go for it (try to reach the green in two)," Wachs said, "and I said 'Why not, you got nothing to lose.' And then he put it right on."

Behind Niebrugge's 36-hole total of 143, which tied him for second behind individual state champion Anthony Archer of Wausau East (139), the Highlanders turned in a team total of 618 as defending champion Arrowhead coasted to an 11-shot win with a 596 score.

The freshman, who said he has been pretty much "in a groove since the third meet of the season," credits the team's seniors - Barnes, Stephen Sullivan and Joe Borawski - for "taking me in like their little brother."

"After getting off to a good start (72), I just wanted to do as well for the team as I could do."

Other Highlanders pull through

Other scores for Homestead included Barnes 151 (73-78), Sullivan 160 (81-79), Borawski 167 (85-82) and Dylan Drozdowicz 171 (92-79). O'Brien was pleased that Drozdowicz was able to recover well from his near-disaster of a first round.

Schultz shot a 144 with a pair of matching 72s.

Wachs said Sandock (149 total) is one of four returnees that the Knights have. They lost out on a team state berth by one shot to Homestead at the sectional.

"Maybe it's good this way, it'll provide incentive for the young crew we have," Wachs said.

As far as Johnson, who is taking some time off from coaching to tend to family matters, is concerned, it was a great season for the North Shore in general.

"It really is a good conference to be in," he said. "We're pleased with all the kids. It didn't matter who moved on (to state) as long as some of us did. They really embraced each other in a healthy spirit of competition, which is rarely seen these days."

But which appeared to be just right in a year when one great talent handed the torch to another.