By Jason Arndt
Editor
If the first Southern Lakes Conference match is any indication, Westosha Central and Wilmot Union high school each look to stay in the upper half of the boys golf standings this year.
Westosha Central, which took second in the April 11 meet at Rivermoor Golf Club, returns nearly its entire roster from last season, including senior Zach Kramer.
Kramer, who notched first with a 75 on the par 70 Rivermoor, was a WIAA Division 1 state qualifier in 2016.
“We feel like we can contend in the SLC, win the Kenosha County Tournament and we feel we should be a top team in our sectional,” said Falcons’ coach Mark Olsen, who has coached for nearly five decades.
Kramer, a first team all-SLC pick last year, is joined by junior Jack Polick and senior Bailey Menarek.
Polick, last year’s regional title winner, received second team all-conference honors and won the Kenosha County Championship in 2016.
Meanwhile, Menarek received honorable mention and finished 10th in last year’s regional match.
Adding to the list of returning letter-winners is senior Scott Lynch along with sophomores Bryce Drier and Trent Stueber, who notched a hole in one at Hawks Golf Course before the SLC meet.
Replacing Shawn Meyers, who graduated, are freshmen Paul Lynch and Gavin Goldstein.
Olsen said the team “has a good chance to advance to the State tournament.”
The Falcons, who finished fourth in final SLC standings last year, has Lake Geneva Badger, Union Grove and Wilmot Union standing in the way of their goals.
Wilmot boasts returners
Like Westosha Central, the Panthers return a bulk of their letter-winners, including second-team all-conference Zach Strasser.
A year ago, the Panthers took third overall in the SLC.
Strasser, a junior, helped the Panthers notch a WIAA Division 1 regional title last year, when he finished fourth as an individual.
Adding to the mix is senior Cady Faber, who placed fifth at the regional meet, and took second among Panthers in the recent SLC tournament held at Rivermoor Golf Club.
The Panthers, who finished third in the first SLC meet, also return junior Dayne Schleusner.
Others looking to make a contribution this season is senior Ben Roszko, who had the third best score in the April 11 SLC meet at 88, along with junior Josh Peterson.
While Faber, Strasser and Schluesner solidify the top three spots, Peterson and Roszko face the task of alleviating the void left by Brett Muzzy, who graduated after he qualified in last year’s WIAA Division 1 state meet.