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High school sports dynasties: No. 6 boys, Hinsdale Central boys golf

Editor's note: The Daily Herald is counting down the Top 10 boys and girls high school sports dynasties over the past 20 years, two at a time. We continue today at No. 6 with Benet girls volleyball and Hinsdale Central boys golf.

Boys golf state titles got to be contagious at Hinsdale Central.

"Especially after you get two, and then you get three, then it becomes a little bit of a driving force," Red Devils coach Jess Krueger said.

Hinsdale Central didn't stop at two, or three. It won seven straight Class 3A boys golf championships from 2012-18. That tied Normal's University High for consecutive and overall (10) boys golf titles in Illinois.

The streak-opener was a quirky win. The 2012 tournament's second day was canceled due to "tornadic" weather, Krueger recalled. Sophomore Brian Dolehide led Hinsdale Central, which after 18 holes was 2 strokes better than Naperville North.

"I said, 'Go out there and get the lead, because we may not play' the next day," said Krueger, who this fall enters his 15th season as Red Devils' head coach.

Weather also affected the last of this magnificent seven in 2018, which came down to the wire.

On the first day snow and cold wiped out the scoring. That was a good thing for Hinsdale Central, in fifth place and 13 strokes behind Loyola after nine holes.

Heartened by a clean scorecard on Day 2, senior Josh Lundmark chipped in on 18 for birdie, leaving senior Mac McClear only needing par to win the one-round title by 1 stroke over Stevenson, 2 over Lockport.

Hinsdale Central's dynasty included individual Class 3A champions Kenneth Li in 2014 and Brendan O'Reilly in 2016 among 16 top-10 finishers.

"I always thought that we had the talent," Krueger said, "but it was getting that talent to, one, believe in themselves; and two, play golf all year-round, as much as they could."

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