Benet junior Jack Quil eyed his line, standing 40 feet from the pin just off the 18th green at Naperbrook Golf Course on Wednesday afternoon in the Class 3A Naperville Central Regional.

With a chance at an eagle and a playoff for first place at stake, the southpaw cocked back his club and sent the ball rolling on a downward slope.

Much to the delight of his Redwings teammates looking on, Quil sunk the high-difficulty shot, securing a sectional berth for Benet.

After a Tiger Woods-esque pump of his fist, Quil’s fellow Redwings bombarded him with congratulatory back slaps and high-fives.

“The biggest thing for me was just to make sure our team got to sectionals,” Quil said on his clutch shot to end the round. “That’s what I was thinking all day, so I was just glad that putt dropped.”

The Redwings, who finished with the only score under par on the day at 284, received a pair of below par performances from Quil, who finished 4-under at 68, and senior Caden Petersen (71). Sophomores Rory Neill (72) and Charlie Davis (73) closed out the top four for Benet.

“We talked about how our success was going to be based on the ownership that these guys put into the season, and we’ve been successful because they have taken an incredible amount of ownership,” said Benet coach Marty Gaughan. “All credit goes to them. They worked very hard.”

Alongside Benet, Waubonsie Valley (290) and Naperville North (294) clinched a spot in next week’s sectionals, which are set to be held at Moline’s Short Hills Country Club next Monday, Oct. 6.

Led by top 10 finishes from juniors Colin Mills and Trevor Schmidt, the Huskies of Naperville North squeezed by fourth-place Neuqua Valley (300) to secure a sectional berth.

Schmidt, who felt “awesome” after a top-three individual finish, attributed that exuberance to his team’s success.

“[I’m] super proud of the team with how we played,” Schmidt said.

The Warriors relied upon a steady performance from their four qualifying scores. Aanish Kamdar (72), Adam Torreon (72), Neil Patel (73) and Avi Khanduja (73), all finished top 10 individually.

“This is my home course,” said the sophomore Patel, who finished tied for ninth. “I’ve played here for like eight years and have grown up playing golf here. Doing it with the team, advancing as a team means a lot, and I can’t wait for sectionals.”

Naperville Central, the regional host, finished fifth as a team (304). The Redhawks received an incredible performance from junior Graeme Cavanagh (68), who outdueled Quil in the aforementioned playoff for the individual crown.

Closing out the top 10 were Neuqua Valley’s Daniel Zhang (71), who tied for fourth, and Jacob Czerniak (73) of Plainfield East, who finished tied for ninth.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251001/boys-golf/boys-golf-quil-benet-shine-at-naperbrook-earn-spot-at-next-weeks-sectional/