Meet the Rockford All-Area boys and girls golf teams and players of year

Posted by Admin December 9, 2024 Golf

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Amelia Dunseth doesn’t make many highlight-reel golf shots.

The Stillman Valley senior doesn’t have to. And that’s why she is the Rockford Register Star’s 2024 Girls Golfer of the Year.

“She has a really well-rounded game,” said coach Ryan Dessing, who called Dunseth easily “the most accomplished golfer — boys or girls” in school history. “She doesn’t have a weakness.

“Her biggest strength is, she is never in trouble. If you watch her, she plays very boring golf. She hits fairways. She hits greens. She takes the danger out of the golf course really, really well.”

As a junior, Dunseth became the first Stillman Valley golfer to win the Big Northern Conference title. Then she did it again as a senior.

“Winning it two years in a row really means a lot,” Dunseth said. “It showed that I can actually do great things.”

Dunseth finished her high school career as a four-time all-conference pick and also won the 19-team Stillman Valley Invitational, featuring teams from both Class 1A and 2A. She finished 22nd and 15th at the state 1A tournament the last two years. And she’s not done yet with sports — she is a starter on Stillman Valley’s power house girls basketball team, which started the season 7-0.

But her biggest impact has been in golf.

“I put in a ton of work in the summer and the offseason,” said Dunseth, who travels to Downers Grove once a week for private lessons. “It means a lot that I can have an impact on my school. I can be a role model for people who are incoming and push them to also do good things for the school.”

Here are the other players on our five-player All-Area girls golf team, listed in alphabetical order:

Demi Hampilos, Boylan, junior

Hampilos had the highest state finish of any local player, shooting 74-77—151 to place 14th in Class 2A. Hampilos also finished fourth in the NIC-10 tournament, fifth at regionals and ninth at sectionals.

Ava Kalt, Boylan, senior

Kalt, the NIC-10 runner-up, shot 83-79—162 to finish 43rd in Class 2A. She also finished 10th at regionals and 11th at sectionals.

Ella Pieschel, Rockford Lutheran, junior

Pieschel finished second in the Big Northern, one stroke behind Dunseth, and 23rd at the Class 1A state tournament with an 85-82—167. She tied with teammates Madison Bushnell and Madelyn Bennett for second at regionals on a team that finished eighth in state.

Emma Pierson, Belvidere, senior

Pierson edged Kalt to win the NIC-10 title and also led the Belvidere co-op to its first conference title as a team. She finished 24th at state in Class 2A with a 79-77—156. The NCAA Division II basketball/golf recruit for Minnesota-Crookston also finished second at regionals with a 77 and third at sectionals with a 76.

All-Area Boys Golf Team

Player of year: Jake Guse, Rockford Lutheran, senior

Guse is a three-time top-10 state medalist, shooting 76-72—148 this year to tie for fifth in Class 1A. He finished seventh and fourth the previous two years. He is a three-time sectional champion. And for the second successive year, a player he beat at sectionals wound up winning the state title. He led Lutheran to a fourth-place finish at state and has signed to play for Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

Davis Baker, Byron, senior

Baker shot 80-75—155 to finish 27th in the state in Class 2A. He tied Guse for second in the Big Northern with a 77.

Cole Beto, Boylan, junior

Beto shot 79-77—156 to finish 33rd in state in Class 2A. He started the postseason in dominant fashion, winning his second NIC-10 title by four strokes, then taking the Freeport Regional by a whopping 11 strokes before shooting 69 to win the Maple Park Kaneland Sectional He also helped Boylan regain the NIC-10 team title, the Titans’ 14th title in 19 years.

Kaden Brown, Forreston, junior

Brown shot 73-80—153 to tie for 17th at state in Class 1A. He was fourth at regionals with a 79 and shot 78 at sectionals. He was third in the NUIC as a sophomore and second this year with a 75 as a junior.

Joey Luna, Rockford Lutheran, senior

Luna shot 1-under-par 71 at Timber Pointe to win his second consecutive Big Northern Conference title. He also shot 77-76—153 to tie Brown for 17th at state in 1A. He struggled at sectionals, but was third in the regional with a 77.

Matt Trowbridge is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at mtrowbridge@rrstar.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @MattTrowbridge.