Junior River Cup 2025: Talented golfers tackle a tough course

By Steve Stein

Team Tazwood has found continued success in the Junior River Cup boys golf competition through the years, piling up victories to the tune of a 17-8 record in the series.

However, in last year's 25th anniversary competition Team Peoria beat Team Tazwood 11-7 on a hot, muggy weekend at Mt. Hawley Country Club in Peoria.

Will Team Peoria make it two wins in a row -- as it did in 2002-2023 and 2007-2008 -- or will Team Tazwood avenge last year's defeat Saturday and Sunday in two-golfer best ball and individual matches at Lick Creek Golf Course in Pekin?

Each team has several returning golfers from last year. Eight of the 12 Team Peoria golfers are back. Seven of the 12 Team Tazwood golfers are back. 

Also back are veteran captains Daniel Young of Team Peoria, who was replaced by Patrick Hogan last year because he was out of town the weekend of the tournament, and Gregg Guenther of Team Tazwood.

A former boys golf coach at Dunlap High School, Young will be an assistant coach this fall for the Metamora High School boys golf team. Guenther founded the Midwest Central High School boys golf team in 1997, and he's been the coach since then.

The format of the Junior River Cup competition was tweaked a bit this year. Golfers will compete in High School and Junior High School divisions instead of ages 16-18 and ages 15-and-under. The Junior High School Division is for golfers who have not yet competed at the high school level.

"I like the idea," Guenther said. "It's the way it should be. The High School Division golfers have competed in IHSA tournaments. The Junior High School Division golfers have competed in IESA tournaments."

There isn't a demonstrable home course advantage in a Junior River Cup tournament. The best young golfers in the tri-county area play in the Junior River Cup, and they've all played the top courses in the area, including Lick Creek.

There is abundant golf talent on both sides of the Illinois River.

"Not only are the Junior River Cup golfers the best young golfers around, it takes them a year to qualify to play in the Junior River Cup," Guenther said. "It's a big deal to qualify for the Junior River Cup. Every kid looks forward to getting the call that he made the team."

Team Tazwood's Connor Watson has gotten the magic call five times. He respects everyone who plays in the tournament.

"Everybody who plays in the Junior River Cup has done something right on the golf course over the past year," said Watson, a multi-sport star at East Peoria High School who will continue his golf career this fall at Illinois Central College.

Both Team Peoria and Team Tazwood are confident heading into the weekend.

"We have a lot of guys who have played in the Junior River Cup. We're going to lean on that experience. We know how to handle the pressure," said Team Peoria's Drew Gama, whose family lives on the ninth hole at Mt. Hawley.

Gama is a five-year Junior River Cup veteran who plays golf and basketball at Peoria Christian High School. He was on the Peoria Christian boys basketball team that played in the Class 1A  semifinals last season, but he wants to play golf in college after he graduates next year.

"We have a lot of talented golfers on our roster and I think we've played more often at Lick Creek than the Team Peoria guys," said Watson, who played in the River Cup Men's competition earlier this summer at Lick Creek and tied and won his two matches. 

The Junior River Cup championship usually comes down to which golfers figure out their best strategy for success in match play competition, both with a partner and on their own. Golfers this age are far more used to stroke play competition.

"The Junior River Cup is still golf, but its match play. You need a different mindset for match play,"  Young said.

Gama agreed.

"You can be more aggressive in match play, especially if your best ball partner has a good hole going," he said.

Team Peoria's Jack Coulter, a junior golfer at Peoria Notre Dame High School who wants to play the sport in college, also agreed with his coach that a different mindset is needed for match play.

"You have to keep in mind that while every hole is important, it's worth only one point," he said. "A horrible hole isn't going to hurt you as much in match play as it would in stroke play. And a great hole in match play isn't going to help you as much as it would in stroke play." 

Watson politely disagreed with Young.

"The mindset is the same in match play as it is in stroke play," he said. "You still have to play one shot at a time and do the best you can, especially at Lick Creek, which I think is the toughest course in the area. You have to be good from tee to green, and good on the green at Lick Creek."

Here are the Team Peoria and Team Tazwood rosters and the high school each golfer -- except eighth-graders Paxten Heinold and Jonathan Sombeck of Team Tazwood -- attended or will attend this fall. 

TEAM PEORIA
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
-- Nolan Eccles (Dunlap)
-- Isaac Fitzgerald (Dunlap)
-- Nick Herget (Dunlap)
-- Carson Lott (Dunlap)
-- Crew Fortin (Illini Bluffs)
-- Brayden Schleich (Limestone)
-- Drew Gama (Peoria Christian)
-- Jack Coulter (Peoria Notre Dame)
JUNIOR HIGH DIVISION
-- Shane Cunningham (Peoria Richwoods)
-- Jack Westerburg (Peoria Richwoods)
-- Will Snyder (Brimfield)
-- Jacob Shelby (Dunlap)

TEAM TAZWOOD
HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
-- Court Bohanan (Washington)
-- Gavin Schreurs (Washington)
-- Dominic Yocum (Washington)
-- Connor Watson (East Peoria)
-- Nick Unes (East Peoria)
-- Grady Burrell (Delavan)
-- Jacob Anderson (Morton)
-- Collin Kemp (Pekin)
JUNIOR HIGH DIVISION
-- Paxten Heinold (Washington Middle/8th Grade)
-- Brady Schreurs (Washington)
-- Leelan Bolliger (Morton)
-- Jonathan Sombeck (Pekin Broadmoor/8th grade)

2025 Junior River Cup Pairings