Freeport takes fourth in NIC-10 golf tournament, aims to do well in regional

Zach Fisher continued his late-season charge and led Freeport to a fourth-place finish in the NIC-10 boys golf tournament Friday and Saturday at Park Hills in Freeport.

Fisher, a senior, shot 87 at the West course Friday and 82 at Park Hills East on Saturday to tie for ninth individually with a 169. Freeport shot 699 as a team and finished fourth — one spot higher than last year — under a formula that gives schools one point for each team they beat in the nine-hole regular-season dual matches, plus one point for each team they beat on the first day of the tournament, the second day of the tournament and for their overall tournament score.

Boylan won with a 629 and a perfect score of 36. Hononegah was second at 655 and 31 points, followed by Guilford at 678 and 28 points. Freeport had 23 points, two more than Belvidere North, which shot 720, 21 strokes behind the Pretzels.

More:River Ridge/Scales Mound sweeps NUIC high school boys and girls golf titles

“Zach’s been our best player all year,” Freeport coach Matt Gallie said. “He’s had a really great senior year. He’s exceeded his own expectations even.”

Fisher’s season took off when he won the E-Rab Invitational with a 69 at Aldeen in Rockford earlier this month. “That was kind of out of nowhere,” Gallie said. “He had never broken 80 before.”

That 69 helped Freeport finish sixth out of 20 teams at Aldeen, and third among NIC-10 teams. He then finished fourth with an 80, despite three-putting the final hole, at the Pretzel Invitational to help Freeport take second in the 12-team tournament.

“He backed it up the next week in the Pretzel Invite,” Gallie said. “That justified that one low round. He’s been around 40 in all his nine-hole dual matches. He’s been medalist a bunch of times in nine hole matches.

“His short game is great. He made a bunch of 8- to 12-foot par putts today. He didn’t have his best stuff, but with his short game he was able to keep a solid score. He has added distance. Just in the last few weeks, he’s gotten a lot longer. That has been an adjustment for him. He’s coming in from spots he has never come in from before, but distance always helps.”

All four Freeport scorers finished in the top 21. Fellow senior Maddux Shockey shot 86-89—175 to place 14th, while juniors Jack Stone (176) and Zachary Newcomer (180) took 16th and 21st. Stone was third after Friday’s opening round with a 78 at Park Hills West before shooting a 98 Saturday on the East Course.

More:Top 6 surprises midway through the Rockford-area high school football season

Those four players and sophomore Noah Summers, who sometimes cracks the top four, give Freeport a strong chance to advance out of regionals. Postseason play begins Wednesday. The Pretzels will be at Mendota Golf Club in a nine-team Class 2A Regional. The top three teams plus the top 10 individuals not on an advancing team will qualify for the Sterling Sectional at Emerald Hills.

“If we play the way we have been playing, we have a good chance,” Gallie said. “Last week at our own invite where we got second, if we put up a score like that (326), I think we can advance for sure.

“This team is unlike last year, when we were pretty good at the 9-hole matches and not as good at the 18. This year has been the opposite. We have been best in the 18-hole tournaments. And everything that matters is 18 holes.”

Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and three years covering the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

NIC-10 boys golf results

(Teams are awarded one point for each school they beat in a conference dual meet, plus each school they beat on the first day of the conference tourney, the second day and total score. A perfect score is 36).

This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: Freeport has strong showing in NIC-10 golf, sets sights on regional