St. Charles North senior Dan Shepherd repeated the phrase “taking it seriously” a handful of times while recently assessing his final high school golf season.

Although he’s played just one recreational round since competing at the IHSA Class 3A state tournament Oct. 12, the hiatus accounts for an intense past few months. Shepherd, the Kane County Chronicle Boys Golfer of the Year, certainly was no slouch then.

“It’s a good kind of drain,” he said, “but at the end you just want to take some time off because you are going every day, six days a week.”