2nd year in-a-row for the YellowJackets as County Winners!
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – On Thursday August 15 the Chester High School Boys’ Golf Team opened the 2024 season by hosting the 2nd Annual Randolph County Cup match which featured Chester, Sparta, Steeleville and Red Bud. It was a very hot, muggy day which featured high temperatures and lots of humidity.
The event kicked off at 1:30 p.m. with sunny conditions. There were slight predictions of possible showers, but at tee-off time there was no indication of rain. There certainly no thoughts of storms or dangerous conditions!
As the afternoon wore on, clouds started to appear and breezes picked up. Humidity increased and the weather service warned of possible storms.
The event was played in two parts. The Front 9 was a 2-man Best Ball Match Play and the Back 9 was singles play. The team with the most points from the entire 18-hole event was awarded the coveted “County Cup” which was a sizable entity.
Golfers managed to complete the Front 9 by 4 p.m. and were taking a much needed break after playing nine holes in the heat and humidity. During the break officials, coaches, golfers and fans began to notice that the skies were beginning to darken. Cautiously the teams returned to the Chester Country Club Course to begin Back 9 Singles play.
Golfers had just started Singles play when sounds of thunder were heard in the distance. After just a few more minutes more sounds of thunder were heard in the distance, so officials made the decision to halt play according to IHSA Emergency Regulations.
Regulations stated that after hearing thunder, players were supposed to come off the course for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes if there were no more sounds of thunder, play could resume.
As the afternoon proceeded, flashes of lightening were seen in the distance which required a 30-minute delay until there were no more flashes of lightening. Unfortunately, conditions continued to worsen after about an hour of numerous delays it was decided to postpone the second half the competition until a safe, later date.
The Chester Country Club had already prepared a nice meal for the boys, so most stayed and ate a delicious meal before they headed back to Red Bud, Sparta, and Steeleville.
After completion of the Front 9 on August 15 Chester and Red Bud were tied for 1st Place with 2.5 points apiece’ followed by Steeleville with 1 point and Sparta with 0 points. .
On Wednesday September 4, the four Randolph County Teams, Red Bud, Steeleville, Sparta, and Chester, returned to the Chester Country Club to finish what they started back on August 15 and determine the 2024 Randolph County Cup Champion.
The Back 9 was singles play and scores for the Back 9 were added to the first day scores to determine the winner. After all scores were tallied, the winner was announced! Chester was the winner for the second year in-a-row with 6.5 points. Red Bud was the Runner-Up with 5.5 points. Steeleville finished 3rd with 3 points, and Sparta was the fourth place finisher with 2 points.
The Chester High School Boys’ Golf Team won the 2nd Annual Randolph County Cup Championship for the second year in-a-row. To achieve the back-to-back title and keep possession of the coveted huge Cup Trophy, the YellowJackets had to defeat Red Bud, Steeleville and Sparta for the honor. Pictured with their 1st Place trophy are varsity golfers Trevin Eggemeyer, Tallen James, Max Blechle, Noah Homan, Evan Dunning, Kross Jany, and Head Coach, Jaden Mott. Assistant Coach Paul Zemlyn was not present for the photo. Photo by Christy James