“Life rarely gives you exactly what you want but does have a way of giving you exactly what you need. Giving your all, never despairing, staying in the present, loving and supporting one another. Playing as a team and experiencing the power of community is bigger than any trophy,” read a text message sent by head coach Jed Curtis to the varsity boys golf team.
The varsity golf team was crowned State runner-ups in the IHSA Class 3A State match. The Kits shot a team total of 588, falling behind 2024 State Champions, Hinsdale Central, who shot a team total of 588 as well. The IHSA distinguished the champion and runner-up by comparing the 5th best score on a 36-hole test for ETHS and Hinsdale to break the tie. The Red Devils shot two shots under, crowning Hinsdale first place at the Den at Fox Creek Golf course in Bloomington.
What isn’t put on a stat sheet, what isn’t jotted down in the record books is the growth of this Wildkit golf team. The bond that these young men formed through thick and thin will forever be cherished.
The Kit’s roster has a wide age range, consisting of three freshman, Lester Low, Luciano Giangrossi and Henry Way; one sophomore, Henry Schmidt; three juniors Nick Bonaguro, Miles Gomberg and Kieran Low; and five seniors, Aiden Cooney, Thomas Hilbrant, Harrison Stracks, Oscar Guiterez and Jack Zebala.
“Normally it’s a junior, senior denominated team, [but] this team is equally spread out of freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. It creates a dynamic where you’ve got people looking up to each other in different ways and picking each other up in different ways,” said Curtis. “There’s [also] a big maturity and age difference, where seniors help out the freshman navigating high school.”
When you look at the history of sports and teams who haven’t been successful, you tend to see a common theme, selfishness. Pinning the blame on teammates when they take a bad shot. Letting ego overshadow communication. Being selfish enough to believe you can win individually in a team sport. Overseeing the benefits that come when you work with your teammates, team, family.
“I said at the beginning of the year, I knew we had this collection of good individual golfers, but could we forge together as a team? And I think at the end we kept growing that way, and I felt like we were the perfect team,” Curtis remarked. “But I can’t tell you the amount of people who rallied behind this team and sent words of encouragement.”
For this golf team, the diversity of perspectives created a family, a team and an unstoppable force called community.
“I was one of the only seniors, and we had all these freshmen, so I tried to be a good mentor to them. Welcome them to high school, and high school golf. It’s not an easy transition, I’d tried to make it as smooth as I could for them,” said senior captain Harrison Stracks.
Family and friends cheered the Kits as they battled hard each day through their two-day State experience, and the support from each and every member of this brotherhood made a significant impact in performance.
State runner-up junior Kieran Low finished second overall in the individual performance, shooting a total of 140 in two rounds.
“It was really fun, just hanging out with the teammates at night after rounds. They helped me a lot because they helped me keep my mind off golf during the lead after the first day. Without them I don’t think I would’ve played as well as I did the second day,” said Lowe.
Growth has sparked within these players, whether that be growth in relationships or gameplay. Every single person on this team has gained something special.
“You know when people think of Evanston High School athletically, they’re probably not thinking of golf. We’ve had stories about football, basketball, track, swimming, about every other sport. But you know, golf isn’t probably the first thing. And these kids dug it out of the dirt,” said Curtis. “[They] would play public tracks, canal shores, hone their craft.”
“We’ve had 41 kids in the golf [program] this year, the highest number we’ve ever had,” commented Curtis.
And so, “The trophies fade and what you’re left is the memories and lessons you’ve learned,” he stated.
As the season comes to an end, Curtis uses one word to describe the 2024 experience: “Love.”
