Will Schieber hadn’t competed with Sandburg’s varsity very often this season, but coach Jeff Kwilose referred to the sophomore as a “wild card” before the postseason began.
After Tuesday’s Class 3A Marist Regional, Kwilose can refer to Schieber as something else: regional champion.
Schieber fired a 5-over 75 at Old Oak Country Club in Homer Glen to win the 55-player tournament. He topped teammate Brett Been (78) for the honors.
“At the beginning of the year, coach told me I’d be playing JV and that they’d pull me up periodically,” Schieber said. “I shot a 77 (to win the SouthWest Suburban Blue JV Tournament), so I was feeling pretty confident he would pick me. It’s good to prove myself.”
Schieber had two birdies on the back nine, including a 60-foot chip-in on the 15th hole.
“I was looking to put it within 10 feet,” Schieber said. “I knew I hit it a little too hard, but it hit the flagstick and went right in.”
Schieber’s round lifted Sandburg to the regional title with a 314. The Eagles beat Marist (324) and Brother Rice (351) in the nine-team field. Those three schools advance to Monday’s Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional.
“It’s been good to get a new face and some good energy in the lineup,” Been said of Schieber’s emergence.
Sandburg also received contributing scores from Brett Katalinic and Austin Wojtczak, both with 80s to tie for fourth.
Marist, which hoped to win its third straight regional title, posted scores from Trevor Fox (third, 79) Dan Cachey (fourth, 80), Nick Konow (seventh, 82) and Joe Quinn (eighth, 83).
“On paper, (Old Oak) is pretty easy, but the greens are really hard,” Fox said. “If you’re not careful where you place the ball on the greens, you can really mess yourself up.
“I left a lot of shots out there, but I’m happy with the way I played.”
Anthony Willner led Brother Rice with an 84. David Roth (85), Brendan Murphy (86) and Tim Papiernik (86) also contributed for the Crusaders.
Along with the top three teams, the 10 best individual scores move on to the Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional.
Shepard’s Shane Wright, the 2014 South Suburban Red champ, led the way with an 84. Wright was joined by teammates Nick Busch (87), Vinny Martin (89) and Johnny Korbakes (91); Eisenhower’s Vinny Curta (85) and Justin Hernandez (90); Richards’ Andrew Zemke (87) and Nick Fritz (89); and Stagg’s Shane McMahon (89) and Mitchell Spencer (90).
