Redhawks boys second in season-opening golf tourney

PLAINFIELD — In the spirit of the Bob Sterr Redhawk Open on Monday, the teams exchanged pleasantries with opponents following the awards presentation.

Ten schools were represented at the tournament, hosted by Naperville Central. And though none of the Naperville teams grabbed first place, everyone who played embodied the sportsmanship Sterr spread in his illustrious career at Central.

Lyons Township (302) won the team title, and the Lions’ Brenten Blakeman claimed the individual title by shooting an even-par 72 at Naperbrook Golf Course.

Central’s Red team (308) took second, with three players shooting sub-80 scores.

Neuqua Valley tied York for third at 309 as Stephen Powers and Matt Pell shot 76s and Austin Mitchell a 77.

Waubonsie Valley was fifth (315) and Naperville North eighth (330), led by Ben Nelson’s 77.

Current Redhawks coach Barry Baldwin worked as Sterr’s boys varsity assistant for five years, then took over when Sterr retired following the 2004 season.

“Bob represents high school golf,” Baldwin said. “He focused on the integrity of the game. Golf is the last sport where they call penalties on themselves.”

Baldwin also said he gathered some lessons from seeing Sterr’s approach firsthand for a half-decade.

“I truly learned to appreciate the game from him,” he said. “(Bob) was never upset at someone who didn’t play well. The one thing he does well is he has kids focus on the positives and not the negatives. He allowed kids to have fun playing at the highest level.”

The ever-humble Sterr, also present at the event Monday, began the winding road of his career as a freshman basketball coach at Joliet Catholic in 1959.

Sterr first coached golf at Bishop McNamara in 1966. By 1983 a veteran of coaching, Sterr started his Naperville Central tenure as the girls golf coach.

He served in that capacity until fall 1994, when he took over as boys coach. He held that position through his retirement.

“I enjoy coming back, helping out and seeing all the coaches young enough to still be coaching,” Sterr said. “There’s been great golf talent (in Naperville) since I’ve been around.”

On the course, several Naperville players enjoyed fine performances Monday.

“I tried to fix my putting (recently),” said Waubonsie’s Matt Nied, who fired a Naperville-area best 75. “I hit a lot of greens and fairways.

“My putting was the key. I still can do better but for me, today was pretty good.”

Nied said he’s been honing his lag putts. Equally satisfying for him was seeing a teammate finish right behind in the individual standings, as Thomas O’Bryan went for a 76.

“Seeing two guys in the 70s, it’s pretty good,” Nied noted.

Nied finished fourth and O’Bryan sixth.

The top six players earned medals. O’Bryan finished sixth because he shot a better score on the back nine than Powers and Pell.

The victorious Blakeman, surprisingly, didn’t think he dominated the course.

“It was a very up-and-down day for me,” he said. “I made a lot of birdies and made up for (mistakes).”

Blakeman totaled five birdies for the day.