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WW South, Benet fall short of state cut

Prairie Bluff Golf Course has a prison as an imposing backdrop.

But it proved to be a cruel juxtaposition for the Wheaton Warrenville South and Benet boys golf teams on Monday at the Class 3A Hinsdale Central sectional in Lockport.

The schools were looking for return engagements to the state tournament this weekend in Bloomington, only to have their sub-300 scores fall shockingly short for advancement.

Two-time defending state champion Hinsdale Central and fellow West Suburban Silver powers York and Lyons Twp. made the state cut with their respective scores of 284, 293 and 294.

WW South and Benet could only advance individuals as their strong 296 and 298 team totals were worth fourth and fifth place, respectively.

"It's just unreal," said Benet senior Ben Johnson, who fired a level-par 72 to earn one of 10 at-large berths. "It's truly a tough pill to swallow. We can't believe we didn't get out."

George Carroll was the Redwings' other state qualifier with his 73.

The Tigers' four counting scores averaged a 74 - which turned out to be the individual cut - but Brian McCaffrey was the lone member to advance with his sterling third-place 3-under 69.

"We didn't play that bad today," McCaffrey said. "It's pretty tough. The other teams just played very well."

"(Lyons' Jon Hudson) came in minus-4 (68) on the last card, and that put them over the edge," WW South coach Jimmy Selleck said. "(Our score) just wasn't good enough. It's a little difficult that you shoot a 296 and it's not good enough to advance."

The Tigers' Bailey Dahlquist was one of three local players to be eliminated in the playoff as seven players competed for three spots.

Wheaton North was sixth with its 301 collective effort.

But the Falcons' Charlie Vasbinder reversed his front-nine woes with a masterful 4-under 32 on his inward-nine holes to finish with a 71.

"I wasn't getting any breaks on the front," Vasbinder said. "I just made the birdies coming in."

The Falcons' Matt Winkleman bogeyed the first playoff to miss out on state.

But Naperville Central senior Scott Dunsire did advance with par on the par-4 playoff hole to earn inclusion to the state finals.

Neuqua Valley leaders Drew Rouches and Greg Crowley, as well as Metea Valley senior Jeremy Forbes, all missed the playoff by a stroke.

Hinsdale Central stalwarts Brendan O'Reilly and Brian Dolehide combined to shoot 6-under par to anchor the Red Devils' 4-under team total.

O'Reilly dropped a championship playoff to Hudson on the second hole.

"Our team is so deep," O'Reilly said. "I don't think pressure gets to us."

Fifty years have passed since York made its last team appearance at the state tournament, but the Dukes' Tom Manning fired a 70 to lead York.

"When you play in a tough conference, it just makes today all the more doable," York coach Jim Borel said.

The mind-numbing scores at Prairie Bluff also took a toll on Marmion.

The Cadets had two level-par 36s and three 38s on their outward nines, only to miss a first bid to the largest-division state finals with their 301 total.

"That's probably the best we have played all year from top to bottom," Marmion coach Doug Roberts said. "I'm really proud of the guys."

But Marmion did have a considerable consolation reward as Nick Huggins' 72 earned state inclusion, and Jackson Clark drained a 20-foot par putt on the first playoff hole to become the Cadets' second at-large qualifier.

"I stick to my game plan," Huggins said. "I hit greens (in regulation) and made 2 putts (for pars). That's what you have to do on a course like this."

"I couldn't make any putts (in regulation)," Clark said. "Seeing that putt (in the playoff) go in was an amazing feeling."

Nick LaRoco was a model of consistency for Batavia; the Bulldogs' Andrew Nelson turned his round around after making the turn.

The two Batavia players were part of the seven-man playoff with their matching 74s, but only Nelson survived the lone extra hole.

"On the back everything started to click," said Nelson, who reversed a 5-over opening 41 with a bogey-free 33 coming home. "Everything just started to fall for me."

Nelson needed to make the last of his three birdies on No. 18.

"Coach (Tim DeBruycker) told me a 74 would get into a playoff," Nelson said.

"I'm very disappointed for Nick," DeBruycker said. "He played 19 really good holes. To be only 3-over for that many holes and not make it to state is a tough pill to take."

West Aurora senior Adam Spooner had his seniorseason come to a close with an 85.

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