By FRED KRONER
Folks who carefully read the blurbs on the athletes chosen for the various Mahomet-Seymour Quarter-Century teams may notice what they believe to be inconsistencies.
Some athletes are listed as News-Gazette All-Area first-teamers while others, who were equally deserving, have no such designation.
Here’s the explanation.
In the early years that The News-Gazette picked All-Area teams for the so-called minor sports – such as golf, swimming and tennis – one athlete was selected as the Player of the Year and a few others were accorded with honorable mention status.
There was no first-team or second-team designations.
The newspaper’s boys’ postseason golf compilation began in the fall of 2004.
The original policy remained in effect until the fall of 2014 when a first-team of seven players (including the Player of the Year) was chosen along with a seven-player second team and a special mention section of 32 players.
The honorable mention category was then dropped.
The previous year, when the 2013 All-Area team was put together, the honorable mention listing featured 46 players.
Notably, the honorable mention category was limited to 10 individuals the first year that All-Area golfers were recognized (2004).
It’s relatively easy, in retrospect, to consider the honorable mention All-Area choices the first few years as legitimate first- or second-team selections.
Attempts to do that when the number of players recognized had increased dramatically, however, presented a blurry line. Certainly, some would have been first-teamers at the time had that been an option, but it is impossible to go back now and try to make a guess which ones that would have included.
For that reason, once the listings were expanded, for the purposes of our project, we chose not to indicate who received honorable mention status because that wouldn’t accurately indicate their actual rankings.
It didn’t take long for The News-Gazette to recognize more athletes in its postseason honors system. By Year 3 of the All-Area teams in golf, the honorable mention grouping numbered 16 players.
Two years later, 26 golfers were deemed honorable mention worthy.
Then, it went to 27 (in 2009), to 37 (in 2010), to 38 (in 2011), to 42 (in 2012) and to 46 (in 2013).
Some might believe it to be best to evaluate the players based on their nine-hole averages. If that created an even playing field for all competitors, I would be the first to advocate for that.
However, The News-Gazette stopped compiling statistical leaders in 2018 for many sports, and in 2019 for a few others. For golf, that was barely a decade after the nine-hole averages were a part of the newspaper’s regular coverage.
Without further ado, the Mahomet-Seymour Quarter-Century team for boys’ golf.
JACOB ANDERSON, 2006. As a senior, ranked at season’s end as one of the area’s top dozen prep golfers.
LYLE BURNS, 2012. Nine-hole average of 37.9 as a senior, seventh-best in the area.
REIS CLAYBROOKE, 2025. Three-time News-Gazette All-Area first-teamer, had nine-hole average of 38.5 as a sophomore, 37.4 as a junior (placing in a tie for 16th at state) and 37.3 as a senior (again placing in a tie for 16th at state), helping team to a seventh-place state finish. Area Player of the Year as a junior.
ZACH COURSON, 2022. All-Area first-teamer as a senior after compiling a 40.6 nine-hole average to go with 41.6 average as a junior.
GARRETT COX, 2012. Placed in a tie for third at state as a senior and tied for 19th at state as a junior, helping M-S to Class 2A state title. Had a nine-hole average of 37.9 as a junior and an area-best 37.4 as a senior.
GRANT DUKEMAN, 2011. Nine-hole average of 40.2 as a senior, tied for 19th at state, helping M-S to Class 2A state title. As a junior, tied for 52nd at state, helping Bulldogs to an eighth-place team finish.
RYAN GUMBEL, 2003. Placed in a tie for eighth at state as a senior (157) and tied for 12th at state as a junior (74, second round canceled by rain); helped team to a seventh-place state finish as a senior.
ADAM GUTH, 2011. Nine-hole average of 38.0 as a senior, tied for 17th at state as a senior, helping M-S to Class 2A state title. As a junior, tied for 75th at state, helping Bulldogs to an eighth-place team finish.
KELTON HENNESY, 2026. Two-time All-Area second-teamer. As a junior, tied for 43rd at state and had a nine-hole average of 38.5 to go with an average of 38.8 as a sophomore. Helped team to a seventh-place state finish as a junior.
ANDREW LAWSON, 2011. Nine-hole average of 41.5 as a senior, helping M-S to Class 2A state title. As a junior, tied for 61st at state, helping Bulldogs to an eighth-place team finish.
LEIF OLSON, 2023. Two-time All-Area first-teamer, had nine-hole average of 40.0 as a junior (when he tied for 40th at state) and was the Apollo Conference medalist to go with a nine-hole average of 37.8 as a senior, when he tied for 43rd at state and helped team to a seventh-place state finish.
SHANE ROMINE, 2007. As a senior, ranked at season’s end as one of the area’s top 18 prep golfers.
DAVID SEBESTIK, 2005. As a senior, ranked at season’s end as one of the area’s top dozen prep golfers; helped his team to seventh-place state finish as a sophomore. Now M-S’ veteran head coach.
SETH TROLIA, 2011. Area Player of the Year placed third at sectional and state tournaments as a senior, helping M-S to Class 2A state title; improved nine-hole average from 39.5 as a freshman (when he tied for 27th at state) to 37.1 as a senior. As a junior, tied for 22nd at state, helping Bulldogs to an eighth-place team finish.
JASON TROYER, 2011. Nine-hole average of 39.8 as a senior, tied for 55th at state, helping M-S to Class 2A state title.
ADAM WOLLER, 2018. All-Area first-teamer as a senior, lowered nine-hole average from 40.8 as a sophomore to 39.6 as a senior. Tied for 30th at state as a senior and tied for 50th at state as a junior.
