Emig leads Highland boys golfers to Mississippi Valley Conference championship
Highland sophomore Dominick Emig had a disastrous start to his day Sept. 23 with a triple bogey on his second hole at the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament at Belk Park Golf Course in Wood River.
Emig was not happy at all with that output but did let it deter him, as he bounced back and turned in the best round of his young prep career to date.
Using all facets of his game to hit shots, Emig fired a blazing 74 to win medalist honors in the tournament and, in the process, finished two shots ahead of fellow Bulldog and defending tournament champ Evan Sutton. That performance helped Highland shoot a team score of 313 to win the tourney.
“Everything was going good today,” Emig said of his career-best day. “I was making putts, making iron shots, making drives. Everything was good today.”
Imig’s breakout performance was a pleasant sight for Highland coach Brent James.
“Dominick’s been playing really solid golf all year but today he just kind of had it all going,” James said. “Short game, ball striking ... pretty much everything was right on for him. He was very resilient out there and if he had a bad shot, he didn’t really let it compound (things) and make it worse.”
The only rough part of the day for Imig was the second hole where he triple-bogeyed. He quickly rebounded on the third hole with a birdie and continued to roll from there. Imig said the course being shorter played well into his style of game.
Sutton, who for the first time this season was not the Bulldogs match medalist, shot a strong 76 which tied him for second overall with Triad’s Connor Bain. Jaxton Black placed eighth with an 81, Reid Koishor took 10th with an 82, and Bryce Knackstedt and Jake Brauns each shot an 83 to tie for 12th place.
“We were all really close to being in the top-10 for the tournament,” James said. “So, I’m happy with that.”
Tournament title second-straight for Bulldogs
Triad finished second in the tournament with a 319 followed by third-place Mascoutah (322), Waterloo (339), Jerseyville (346), and Civic Memorial (368).
It was also the second straight conference championship for Highland and coming through on such a big stage was a gratifying moment for Imig.
“Yes, it means a lot to me,” Imig said.
Highland now has chance to compete in postseason
Highland also has another reason to be excited as the Bulldogs found out Sept. 23 the Illinois State High School Association is adding a sectional tournament in addition to the regional round of tournament play.
Prior to the announcement, the postseason was only to include a regional round.
Having a chance at playing another playoff event has the Bulldogs looking forward to the postseason even more so now.
“It’s no guarantee that we’ll make it, but it’s nice to know that it’s (now) an option,” James said. “It’s nice to know they have something a little more to play for and a lot of their goals that they have as far as attainment are postseason-oriented. And knowing that they have a little more to play for helps (them).”
Highland boys golf shoots 306 at Dick Gerber Tournament
Perfect weather and firm dry greens allowed the Highland boys golf team shoot its second best score of the season Sept. 25 at Oak Brook Golf Course in Edwardsville.
The Bulldogs shot a 306 for another strong showing in tournament play, this time at the 18-team Dick Gerber Tournament.
Highland finished in third place in day one of the tournament. O’Fallon had 302 for first place and Mater Dei was second with a 303. Althoff placed fourth with a 308.
The tournament is a two-day event that ended Sept. 26.. Highland opted to play only Sept. 25 due to having multiple events this week.
“The boys shot and played really well and it was a beautiful day and the course was in fine shape,” James said. “It was one of our better rounds of the year as we shot a 306 and that’s our second best round of the year.”
Imig led the way again for Highland with a 74.
“He’s playing really good golf (of late) for us,” James said.
Bulldogs coach pleased with showing
Sutton and Brauns both shot a 77. Koishor had another great round, shooting a 78. Black and Knackstedt both shot an 80 to round out the Bulldogs scores.
James was quite pleased with the group effort at the tournament.
”Overall, I was very happy with the boys play and it was nice to see some of these other guys continue to step up as Evan’s working on a few things. It’s good to know that these other guys can step up and give him a little breathing room as he continues to get his game back to where it was a few weeks ago,” James said.
HHS readies for big matches
The biggest week to date awaits the Bulldogs golfers. On Tuesday, Sept. 29,Highland was scheduled to Jerseyville in an MVC dual match at Highland Country Club.
On Wednesday, Sept. 30, the Bulldogs travel to the Acorns Golf Links in Waterloo to face Waterloo and Triad in a 3:30 p.m. tri-match.
Then, at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, HHS will wrap up the week with a Senior Night home match against Breese Central at Highland Country Club.
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 1:41 AM.