Hoban Knights winning in boys golf with 'four of the best players in the state'
The Archbishop Hoban boys golf team rolls into the weekend a winner of seven out of 10 tournaments this season.
Hoban is set to play in the Upper Arlington Master Invitational on Saturday at Scioto Country Club, which helped shape the game of a young Jack Nicklaus, an Ohio State and PGA Tour legend.
Hoban's lineup this season features senior Jack Vojtko, an Ohio State recruit, and three talented juniors. Vojtko was a freshman player on Hoban's Division I state championship team in 2020.
"We are playing solid," Hoban coach Quinn Parker said. "I would say our top four are definitely four of the best players in the state. Jack Vojtko, you can argue that he is the best player by far in the state. Chris Pollak is right behind him. He just won at the Kiely Cup, shooting 3 under [at Canterbury Country Club in Beachwood]. Braden Herstich and Ray Dress are two of the best golfers, in my opinion, in the state as well.
"Those four guys are locked in, for sure, in our top five and then after that we have five guys playing for one spot."
Vojtko and Pollak are both averaging 72 per 18 holes in 2023.
Pollak was the co-medalist with Davis Gochenouer of Kettering Archbishop Alter at the two-day Kiely Cup, each with a 141. Pollak shot 71-70 and Gochenouer shot 70-71.
Hoban won the team title at 596 and Alter was second at 597. Vojtko carded a 143 (72-71).
"Our team is playing very well," Pollak said. "We are finding our way and finding our form. We have had some really good tournaments the past couple of weeks, and we are going to keep building on this and use those good learning experiences and get better.
"... As a team, we are taking it one tournament at a time. We want to have good momentum going into the postseason. Ultimately, our goal is to get down to Columbus and contend for a state championship."
Hoban boys golf coach Quinn Parker continues to juggle lineup
With depth, Parker has been able play a varsity A team and a varsity B team for several tournaments.
"We are trying to solidify who we are going to have come postseason," Parker said. "It is exciting and tricky as a coach, but it is a good thing."
The other five Hoban golfers vying for the fifth spot for the postseason are junior Brett Bagatti, freshman Ben Berridge, sophomore Ethan Copper, senior Kord Ready and senior Charles Hite.
"We have a really good, close group of guys," Vojtko said. "... We have got a lot of experience under our belts. Everyone is pretty seasoned with their summer events and all of their experience from the high school seasons. Together, we are an older team than we have been in the past."
Vojtko is in his fourth year in Hoban's lineup, helping the Knights win the Division I state championship in 2020, finish second in the state tournament in 2021 and take fourth in the state tournament in 2022.
Hoban's list of tournament wins this season includes the Jackson Polar Bear Invitational, Hudson Explorer Invitational, Upper Arlington Golden Bear Invitational, Lake High School Invitational, Archbishop Hoban Invitational, Ottawa Hills Invitational and Kiely Cup.
The Knights were second in the the St. Ignatius Invitational, Brunswick Invitational and Dublin Coffman Invitational.
Vojtko earned medalist honors in the St. Ignatius Invitational with a 69 at Red Tail Golf Course in Avon and in the Upper Arlington Golden Bear Invitational with a 66 at Zanesville Country Club.
Herstich finished third in the Jackson Polar Bear Invitational with a 70 at Chippewa Golf Club in Doylestown and was tied for second with Pollak in the Hoban Invitational with a 70 at Portage Country Club in Akron.
Pollak posted a 71 in the Upper Golden Bear Invitational, and fired a 72 in the Jackson Polar Bear Invitational and the Brunswick Invitational at Pine Hills Golf Club in Hinckley. Hite carded a 71 in the Jackson Polar Bear Invitational. Dress shot a 72 in the Brunswick Invitational and Berridge shot a 72 in the Hudson Explorer Invitational at Hudson Country Club.
Jack Vojtko ready to live out dream of playing golf at Ohio State
Vojtko earned Division I All-Ohio first-team honors as a freshman and sophomore and second-team All-Ohio honors as a junior.
"Jack could go play college golf anywhere, but he is a Buckeye through and through and I know he is really excited to play for coach [Jay] Moseley at Ohio State," Parker said. "His game will set up really well at Scarlet. Obviously, he has had a lot of success at the Division I state championship. He is excited to be at Ohio State for four years."
Vojtko has a 3.9 GPA at Hoban and plans to enroll in the OSU business school and major in sales or marketing.
"The Buckeyes have a great program," Vojtko said. "The team keeps getting better and better every year. They have a lot of great kids on the team. The coaches are great people. I have always dreamed of being a Buckeye. I grew up a Buckeye at heart. Ohio State is home. It is a pretty easy place to call home for me."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hoban wins in boys golf with 'four of the best players in the state'
