Team Tazwood reigns in Junior River Cup
By Steve Stein
Team Tazwood had a huge goal going into its annual battle with Team Peoria in the Junior River Cup competition:
Don't let Team Peoria three-peat for the first time in the 27-year history of the event.
Team Peoria won back-to-back titles in 2003-04 and 2007-08 before its most recent two-match winning streak.
By the time the Aug. 1-2 tournament ended at Coyote Creek Golf Course in Bartonville, Team Tazwood's mission was accomplished with a 12-6 victory over Team Peoria.
The win returned the Steve Maxheimer Memorial Trophy to Team Tazwood and gave it a 18-9 series lead over their foes from the west side of the Illinois River.
Team Tazwood captain Gregg Guenther was a gracious winner in the post-match award ceremony.
"There are no losers in this tournament. Everyone is a winner by qualifying and getting here," Guenther said. "You guys are some of the best young golfers in the state of Illinois. People want to be you.
"But I will say our guys really wanted to prevent Team Peoria's three-peat and we got hot at the right time.
"Don't kid yourself. Team Peoria has some really good golfers. I'm sure they're not happy we won this year. They'll be ready in 2027."
Team Tazwood golfer Nick Unes said the win was especially sweet because the golfers on both teams are good friends.
"There's something to be said for beating your good friends," Unes said. "I was confident our team would win because I could see our guys were playing better and better during the summer."
Team Peoria captain Daniel Young said the final score looks bad for his team on paper, it's a bit misleading.
"It was a good competition. The level of play in this tournament keeps going up and up every year," he said. "We let a few matches get away from us, especially on (Aug. 1, best ball matches)," he said.
Team Peoria golfer Jack Coulter said a lot of "little things" by his team led to Team Tazwood's decisive victory.
Let's talk about Aug.1 a bit.
Specifically, the weather. Cold, howling wins and driving rain made the playing conditions miserable at times.
During the post-match ceremony Aug. 2, River Cup Foundation President Matt Fahel called the weather the previous day the worst he'd seen in any River Cup competition, going back more than 40 years and including the Men and Seniors events.
"You guys really gutted it out (Aug. 1), " Fahel said. "It's easy to play on a bright, sunny day like today (Aug. 2). It's not fun playing in pouring rain."
"Considering the weather, the scorecards were great (Aug. 1)," Young said.
Unes, a former East Peoria High School golfer who is headed to the University of Illinois to study engineering, said high school golfers encounter their share of cold, sometimes snowy weather late in the season, and the weather Aug. 1 was the worst summer weather he's competed in.
"The wind was making rain come down sideways," Unes said. "But that's when Court (his best ball partner Court Bohannan) made back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 to help us win our match. He was amazing."
It appeared before the tournament began that Team Tazwood had a huge edge in the Junior High Division because none of the four Team Peoria golf had ever played in the River Cup. Experience was on Team Tazwood's side.
The edge became reality. The four Team Tazwood golfers in the Junior High Division won all six matches against Team Peoria. Team Tazwood's Jonathan Sombeck shot a 5-under in the rain and wind Aug. 1.
Fahel thanked the mothers, fathers, grandfathers and girlfriends who were in the gallery over the weekend.
"It meant a lot to the boys. More than you know," he said.
The golfers and their captains were happy to near the news that Coyote Creek will host the River Cup Junior competition the next three years.
Here are the 2026 Junior River Cup results:
SATURDAY, AUG. 1
BEST BALL MATCHES
JUNIOR HIGH DIVISION
-- Paxten Heinold/Blake Pearson (Tazwood) def. Colin Cunningham/Logan Phegley 1-up.
-- Jonathan Sombeck/Brooks Birkey (Tazwood) def. Finn Snyder/Bennett Egel 8 and 7.
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
-- Grady Burrell/Lee Bolliger (Tazwood) def. Jacob Shelby/Crew Fortin 4 and 3.
-- Shane Cunningham/Sean Graham (Peoria) def. Aiden Foster/Isaiah Farraher 2 and 1.
-- Nick Unes/Court Bohannon (Tazwood) def. Nolan Eccles/Nick Herget 2 and 1.
-- Jack Coulter/Drew Gama (Peoria) def. Dominic Yocum/Gavin Schreurs 6 and 5.
AUG. 1 SCORE: Tazwood 4, Peoria 2.
SUNDAY, AUG. 2
INDIVIDUAL MATCHES
JUNIOR HIGH DIVISION
-- Brooks Birkey (Tazwood) def. Logan Phegley 4 and 3.
-- Jonathan Sombeck (Tazwood) def. Finn Snyder 5 and 4.
-- Blake Pearson (Tazwood) def. Bennett Egel 4 and 2.
-- Paxten Heinold (Tazwood) def. Colin Cunningham 4 and 3.
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
-- Lee Bolliger (Tazwood) def. Jacob Shelby 3 and 2.
-- Crew Fortin (Peoria) def. Aiden Foster 3 and 1.
-- Isaiah Farraher (Tazwood) def. Sean Graham 3 and 2.
-- Shane Cunningham (Peoria) def. Grady Burrell 1-up.
-- Court Bohannon (Tazwood) def. Nick Herget 1-up.
-- Dominic Yocum (Tazwood) def. Drew Gama 1-up.
-- Nolan Eccles (Peoria) def. Gavin Schreurs 5 and 4.
-- Jack Coulter (Peoria) def. Nick Unes 5 and 4.
AUG. 2 SCORE: Tazwood 8, Peoria 4.
FINAL SCORE: Tazwood 12, Peoria 6.
By Steve Stein
Team Tazwood had a huge goal going into its annual battle with Team Peoria in the Junior River Cup competition:
Don't let Team Peoria three-peat for the first time in the 27-year history of the event.
Team Peoria won back-to-back titles in 2003-04 and 2007-08 before its most recent two-match winning streak.
By the time the Aug. 1-2 tournament ended at Coyote Creek Golf Course in Bartonville, Team Tazwood's mission was accomplished with a 12-6 victory over Team Peoria.
The win returned the Steve Maxheimer Memorial Trophy to Team Tazwood and gave it a 18-9 series lead over their foes from the west side of the Illinois River.
Team Tazwood captain Gregg Guenther was a gracious winner in the post-match award ceremony.
"There are no losers in this tournament. Everyone is a winner by qualifying and getting here," Guenther said. "You guys are some of the best young golfers in the state of Illinois. People want to be you.
"But I will say our guys really wanted to prevent Team Peoria's three-peat and we got hot at the right time.
"Don't kid yourself. Team Peoria has some really good golfers. I'm sure they're not happy we won this year. They'll be ready in 2027."
Team Tazwood golfer Nick Unes said the win was especially sweet because the golfers on both teams are good friends.
"There's something to be said for beating your good friends," Unes said. "I was confident our team would win because I could see our guys were playing better and better during the summer."
Team Peoria captain Daniel Young said the final score looks bad for his team on paper, it's a bit misleading.
"It was a good competition. The level of play in this tournament keeps going up and up every year," he said. "We let a few matches get away from us, especially on (Aug. 1, best ball matches)," he said.
Team Peoria golfer Jack Coulter said a lot of "little things" by his team led to Team Tazwood's decisive victory.
Let's talk about Aug.1 a bit.
Specifically, the weather. Cold, howling wins and driving rain made the playing conditions miserable at times.
During the post-match ceremony Aug. 2, River Cup Foundation President Matt Fahel called the weather the previous day the worst he'd seen in any River Cup competition, going back more than 40 years and including the Men and Seniors events.
"You guys really gutted it out (Aug. 1), " Fahel said. "It's easy to play on a bright, sunny day like today (Aug. 2). It's not fun playing in pouring rain."
"Considering the weather, the scorecards were great (Aug. 1)," Young said.
Unes, a former East Peoria High School golfer who is headed to the University of Illinois to study engineering, said high school golfers encounter their share of cold, sometimes snowy weather late in the season, and the weather Aug. 1 was the worst summer weather he's competed in.
"The wind was making rain come down sideways," Unes said. "But that's when Court (his best ball partner Court Bohannan) made back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 to help us win our match. He was amazing."
It appeared before the tournament began that Team Tazwood had a huge edge in the Junior High Division because none of the four Team Peoria golf had ever played in the River Cup. Experience was on Team Tazwood's side.
The edge became reality. The four Team Tazwood golfers in the Junior High Division won all six matches against Team Peoria. Team Tazwood's Jonathan Sombeck shot a 5-under in the rain and wind Aug. 1.
Fahel thanked the mothers, fathers, grandfathers and girlfriends who were in the gallery over the weekend.
"It meant a lot to the boys. More than you know," he said.
The golfers and their captains were happy to near the news that Coyote Creek will host the River Cup Junior competition the next three years.
Here are the 2026 Junior River Cup results:
SATURDAY, AUG. 1
BEST BALL MATCHES
JUNIOR HIGH DIVISION
-- Paxten Heinold/Blake Pearson (Tazwood) def. Colin Cunningham/Logan Phegley 1-up.
-- Jonathan Sombeck/Brooks Birkey (Tazwood) def. Finn Snyder/Bennett Egel 8 and 7.
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
-- Grady Burrell/Lee Bolliger (Tazwood) def. Jacob Shelby/Crew Fortin 4 and 3.
-- Shane Cunningham/Sean Graham (Peoria) def. Aiden Foster/Isaiah Farraher 2 and 1.
-- Nick Unes/Court Bohannon (Tazwood) def. Nolan Eccles/Nick Herget 2 and 1.
-- Jack Coulter/Drew Gama (Peoria) def. Dominic Yocum/Gavin Schreurs 6 and 5.
AUG. 1 SCORE: Tazwood 4, Peoria 2.
SUNDAY, AUG. 2
INDIVIDUAL MATCHES
JUNIOR HIGH DIVISION
-- Brooks Birkey (Tazwood) def. Logan Phegley 4 and 3.
-- Jonathan Sombeck (Tazwood) def. Finn Snyder 5 and 4.
-- Blake Pearson (Tazwood) def. Bennett Egel 4 and 2.
-- Paxten Heinold (Tazwood) def. Colin Cunningham 4 and 3.
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
-- Lee Bolliger (Tazwood) def. Jacob Shelby 3 and 2.
-- Crew Fortin (Peoria) def. Aiden Foster 3 and 1.
-- Isaiah Farraher (Tazwood) def. Sean Graham 3 and 2.
-- Shane Cunningham (Peoria) def. Grady Burrell 1-up.
-- Court Bohannon (Tazwood) def. Nick Herget 1-up.
-- Dominic Yocum (Tazwood) def. Drew Gama 1-up.
-- Nolan Eccles (Peoria) def. Gavin Schreurs 5 and 4.
-- Jack Coulter (Peoria) def. Nick Unes 5 and 4.
AUG. 2 SCORE: Tazwood 8, Peoria 4.
FINAL SCORE: Tazwood 12, Peoria 6.