Freshman Leads ETHS Golfers To Regional Title

Usually unflappable out on the golf course --- or at least he gives you that impression --- Lester Low admitted that he was “shaking all over” walking the final two holes at the Class 3A Loyola Academy Regional tournament Wednesday.

You couldn’t blame the Evanston freshman for being nervous, because he knew he was on the verge of making history for the Wildkits.

What Low didn’t know was that the Kits as a team were about to shock the high school golf world.

Led by Low’s medalist performance with a 2-over-par 73, Evanston took down two-time defending state champion New Trier and claimed only the third regional tournament championship in program history with a winning score of 301, five shots better than the Trevians at Glencoe Golf Club.

Evanston, New Trier and third place finisher Loyola Academy (312) will advance to the Glenbrook North Sectional set for next Monday at Heritage Oaks Golf Course in Northbrook. The top finishers there will qualify for the Illinois High School Association state finals.

After decades of looking up at their rival Trevians in the team standings of regular season and postseason tournaments, ETHS finally turned the tables Wednesday on one of the elite programs in the state of Illinois. An influx of young talent wasn’t about to be denied Wednesday as the Wildkits joined the 1996 and 2013 teams as the only squads in school history to capture regional crowns.

They may have shocked the golf world, but they didn’t shock themselves. Low joined older brother Kieran as the only freshman in program history to win a regional title as an individual --- now it’s a family tradition --- and the champs also counted a 75 by junior Kieran Low, a 76 by junior Nick Bonaguro, and a 77 by freshman Luciano Giangrossi.

“It was a great team win,” proclaimed ETHS head coach Jed Curtis. “It’s a great day for Wildkit golf, past and present, for our family and our friends. A lot of people put a lot of hard work into building this program. Hats off to my assistant coaches and to the local pros who work with our kids, too.

“It’s an exciting time for us. I left coaching football to build the best possible golf program I could and I’m super happy for them. I don’t know if there’s a team anywhere that works harder. We’ve been creeping up on New Trier all year, and we finally got them.”

“It feels really good to beat New Trier. But we expected to win today, of course,” said Kieran Low. “Obviously New Trier wasn’t at their best, but I’m glad we were able to finish the job. This was a long time coming, but we expect to win every time we go out there. For us, it’s going to be less of a celebration and more like just getting the job done. There’s a difference between being satisfied and being happy, you know. Today we’re satisfied --- we’re not close to being happy yet.”

Senior Harrison Stracks, who carded an eagle on his second shot of the day and then settled for an overall score of 80, had a slightly different perspective than his younger teammates who haven’t spent the past four years trying to beat the best.

“I never thought this was possible,” Stracks said. “I knew that these young guys were coming into the program, starting with Kieran two years ago, but we’ve been so far behind New Trier for so long. When Kieran came in he really revitalized the program, and the freshmen are so good and they’ve integrated into the program so well.

“This really feels good.”

For the younger Low brother, Wednesday’s victory was a personal triumph in more ways than one. He’s still on the comeback trail physically after enduring a stress fracture in his back that prevented him from playing any golf at all last spring or summer.

He shook off the rust in his first high school postseason test by recording 5 birdies, 9 pars, 2 bogeys and 2 double bogeys on the way to his historic victory.

“My whole body was shaking all over on the 17th and 18th holes because I was so nervous,” Lester Low said after parring both of those holes. “I missed that whole summer and it means a lot for me to come back and prove that I still have it. I made a good amount of mistakes today --- but I also hit a lot of good shots.

“When I came back I shot a 4-under in our first tournament this year, but that was false hope. I really struggled with my golf swing after that. I’m still rusty, but I’m slowly getting better as the rust goes away. It’s been a long road and now I feel like I’m back at 100 percent. I have much more trust in myself because when you hit good shots it really builds your confidence.”

Kieran Low knows what a struggle it was for his brother, an accomplished junior golfer before he ever put on an ETHS uniform, to get back on track.

“I’m really happy for him, because he was just dying to get back out there and play,” Kieran Low noted. “Golf is literally his life. I’m not nearly as ‘golf crazy’ as he is and I can’t imagine what it would be like to be out that long. He’s been through a lot, and he’s still not anywhere close to his full potential (as a golfer).”

Stuck at 41 at the 9-hole turn, Kieran Low led a back nine charge that helped deliver that elusive title. He fired a 2-under-par 34 and Lester Low, Bonaguro and Stracks all turned in 2-over 38s for the winning numbers.

“I’m really proud of the way we finished the round today,” Curtis said. “We’ve been struggling to finish rounds lately but we were very steady today. They all had a great mental attitude and this is really a great group of kids.”

“That 34 on the back really didn’t feel that good for me,” said Kieran Low, “because I missed 4-and 5-foot putts for birdies on No. 11, No. 13 and No. 14. That wasn’t fun. I could have had a much better score.

“I only had two birdies today. I figured out my swing a little better on the back nine and I just kept fighting and adjusting. I really haven’t felt confident on the course in quite awhile. I know that you’re always going to leave shots out there, and you have to learn to accept that, but it’s not easy for me because I’m kind of a perfectionist.”

Besides being able to hold a regional championship trophy, Stracks enjoyed another memorable moment with his eagle on the first hole. It’s only the second time in his high school career that he’s achieved that feat.

“I hit my tee shot to the left, into the trees,” he recalled. “But I had a good angle for the second shot and I knew it was on line. I didn’t see the ball go in the cup --- but I didn’t see it anywhere else, either. So I checked the cup, and there it was!

“My front nine was rough after that. But I finished really well (1-under for the last four holes) and hopefully I’m trending in the right direction.”