Mike Ferrari provided a lasting memory for himself and St. Viator on Saturday.
The senior came through with a par 72 — his best score as a high school golfer — to help the Lions claim the Class 3A state championship at the Den at Fox Creek.
St. Viator finished with a score of 600 to beat runner-up Quincy and individual champion Luke Guthrie by five strokes.
“This is great, and now I know I was part of that,” said Ferrari, who wasn’t able to make the squad that finished second in the old Class AA last season. “It’s nice to say that.”
The senior wasn’t feeling quite as good Friday when he shot an 81, the Lions’ worst score. But he rallied the second day.
Starting on the 10th tee, Ferrari began with three bogeys on his first five holes. But he came together on No. 17, a par 3 over the water that’s considered the Den’s fourth-toughest hole. Ferrari’s tee shot landed 4 feet from the hole, and his birdie was one of four Saturday.
“What got me going was the 17th,” he said. “It was a good hole to birdie.”
St. Viator’s only other state championships have come in soccer, all in Class A. This was the first for the Lions against the big schools.
St. Viator came up with a true team effort in a sport that values individual excellence. Sophomore Danny Stringfellow had the best finish over the two days, a 151 that put him in a tie for eighth. Four of his teammates also finished in the top 20: Matt Vitale, Joe Carlson, Ferrari and Brad Klune.
Stringfellow, Vitale, Carlson and Klune are underclassmen and expected to return for 2008.
Also back will be Barrington junior Ross Frankenberg, who had the individual lead with a 70 after Friday’s first round. He couldn’t hold off Quincy’s Guthrie, who won the Class AA title in 2006.
“He definitely didn’t give us much of a chance,” said Frankenberg, who finished second after shooting a 74 for a two-day total of 144. “A 67 — you can almost expect him to shoot that. He’s such a solid player.”
Close behind Frankenberg were Downers Grove North’s Russell Katz (146), New Trier’s Wilson Bowen (147) and Benet’s John Callahan (148). Brett Tomfohrde tied for sixth to help Hinsdale Central take home the third-place trophy.
New Trier didn’t officially qualify as a team but did bring four golfers who totaled 615 for both days. That would have been good for fourth in the team standings.
———-
asutton@tribune.com
