MENOMONEE FALLS — Brookfield East went from elation to frustration.
Oconomowoc traded its silver medals for gold.
And the Brookfield Central boys golf invitational held at Wanaki Golf Course went from routine to zany late Wednesday afternoon.
East’s five golfers had all finished their rounds and the Spartans appeared to have won this star-studded, 22-team tournament. Instead, one of East’s golfers was penalized six shots for three different infractions following a lengthy meeting with players and coaches from that foursome.
The unexpected turn-of-events allowed Oconomowoc to capture the team title for a second straight year, while East tumbled to fourth.
The Racoons, ranked fifth in the latest Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin poll, shot a 305 on a sunny, but cold and windy afternoon. Brookfield Central and topranked Marquette tied for second at 308, while Brookfield East (309) and Germantown (312) rounded out the top five.
Hamilton junior Bobby Horner shot a 72 and captured medalist honors after defeating Waukesha North’s Jackson Piacsek and Sheboygan North’s Roberto Reyes in a playoff.
“We’re going to learn from this one,” East coach Chris Minchk said. “Just hoping we minimize those mistakes moving forward, learn from it, make the adjustments and I would hope this is the last time we talk about this.”
On the flip side, Oconomowoc coach Jason Dahl was thrilled that his Raccoons defended their title from a year ago — even if it happened in an unorthodox manner.
“We’ll take it,” Dahl said. “Given everything that happened, we’re excited to defend and win from last year. Guys have put in a lot of work. There’s still a lot of work to do before the end of the year, but it’s good to see these results.”
The Raccoons struggled early during this shotgun start, in part because they opened on some of the tougher holes on the course. Slowly but surely, though, Oconomowoc gained steam.
Junior Aiden Parent, who shot a 68 last week on the Irish Course at Whistling Straits in Kohler, tied for the team lead with a 75. The key to Parent’s day is he played the two par 5s at 2-under par.
“He’s been in a groove,” Dahl said of Parent.
Junior Drew Maglio also shot a 75 thanks to a brilliant six-hole stretch in the middle of his round. Between holes 7-12, Maglio shot 5-under par, highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 seventh hole.
Junior Matthew Harkins added a 76 and junior JP Flannery carded a 79.
“We only lost one player from last year, and now we have five juniors,” Dahl said. “It’s been a process. It’s like they’re growing up, learning how to be in contention and how to handle it.”
Brookfield Central coach Brian Scrobel is starting to feel the same way about his team.
The Lancers have improved dramatically since the start of the season and posted their best team score in at least five years. Senior Brent Mitchell led the way with a 75, while the Lancers also got big days from junior Brendan Lange (76), junior Cole Smith (78) and junior Peter Zantiny (79).
“Great day,” Scrobel said. “We’ve been telling these kids there is talent and ability on this team. They don't have a tremendous amount of tournament experience, but to see them put it all together on this day is really exciting. I’m very proud of these kids.”
Despite the unfortunate ending, Minchk was extremely proud of his team as well.
Seniors David Spahr and Carson Hill — who have been playing together since their days at Pilgrim Park Middle School in Elm Grove — both shot 73. Sophomore James Lacey carded an 81 and freshman Owen Schroeder added an 82.
Minchk believes his team will learn a valuable lesson from Wednesday’s unfortunate ending. And big things could still await these Spartans.
“We knew we have a lot of potential,” said Spahr, a four-year varsity player. “And this is definitely the best team I’ve been on.”
Hill agreed. “There were a lot of questions at the start of the year,” said Hill, a three-year varsity player. “But overall, I love how we’re performing.”