Blue Devils save best round of year for regional, place second; Bergman finishes as runner-up

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy High School golf team picked a great time to post its best score of the season.

The Blue Devils finished with a season-best 305 strokes, one behind champion O’Fallon, in the Class 3A regional tournament at Arlington Greens Golf Course. Cameron Bergman shot a 73 to place second, followed by Luke Mettemeyer’s 76 (fourth), Brady Walker’s 77 (tied for seventh) and Luke Chevalier’s 79.

“We played awesome today,” Blue Devils coach Randy Mettemeyer said. “I was really impressed with the kids.”

Joining QHS and O’Fallon for Monday’s Class 3A sectional at Nettle Creek Golf Course in Lockport is Edwardsville, which shot a 312. Belleville West was fourth with a 325.

“We hadn’t beaten Edwardsville all year, and O’Fallon beat us at our own tournament,” Randy Mettemeyer said. “But we were thinking if we shoot 310, we’re going to be in the mix.” 

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Bergman played the 18th hole needing a birdie to force a tie with Edwardsville freshman Mason Lewis, who shot a 71. He needed a par to give QHS a tie for the regional title. However, a bogey — only his third of the day — led to a 1-over par score of 73.

“I thought I hit a good tee shot. It just ended up right behind a tree,” Bergman said. “I had to punch out and play for par, and I ended up making bogey. I mean, I didn’t hit a terrible shot. It was just a little unfortunate break off the tee, and I got punished for it.”

“Oh my goodness, (Bergman) played beautifully all day,” Randy Mettemeyer said. “He has turned himself into this college golfer. He has worked his tail off. He’s a great golfer.”

Walker was in the hunt for a regional title as well, but two bogeys and a double bogey on Nos. 14-16 ruined his chances. Luke Mettemeyer finished with bogeys on two of his last three holes.

“The way they played most of the day, it put them in a position to win,” Randy Mettemeyer said. “You’ve got to look at what you’ve done. Yes, it was hard to swallow, but you just stay positive rather than focus on the negative. It was great to watch. It was great to see them have success.”

Last year’s team won the regional by a stroke. Now with five seniors and a sophomore all back from that team, Randy Mettemeyer was confident his team would make another title run.

“The best thing is we’ve got an opportunity,” he said. “We’ve got as good of a shot as any. We’ll take our clubs and see what happens.

“They know they’re good, but they’re not overconfident. They believe in themselves, and they believe in their teammates. That’s been the beauty of this team for the last four years. If someone has a bad day, someone else will pick them up. All six guys are in play every time we step on the course. It’s awesome to watch.”

Finishing second with such a low score didn’t bother Bergman.

“When I heard we had a 305, I just assumed we won,” he said. “You don’t hear about a lot of teams losing when they shoot 305. We can’t be mad at all. I mean, we all played well. That’s a really good score. O’Fallon just had a heck of a day.”