Benet’s Jack Wesley, returning from injury, is the 2026 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area soccer captain

Benet’s Jack Wesley was unsure what his senior year would be like after missing most of last season due to a knee injury

Wesley didn’t just get healthy, he returned to his dominant self.

He scored 16 goals and had six assists in 17 games as the the Redwings went 11-2-4 and won a regional title. Plus, his dad, Sean Wesley, the former head coach at Benet from 2010-2022, returned to the coaching ranks, joining Matt Klosterman’s staff as an assistant.

All the aches and pains of Wesley’s physical injury combined with mental anguish of not being able to contribute on the pitch last year seemingly were forgotten this fall. Wesley received all-state recognition and was named Chicago Catholic League Player of the Year.

Wesley is the captain of the Daily Herald’s 2026 DuPage County All-Area boys soccer team.

“I think his greatest joy isn’t being the guy out front, but being a part of the team and seeing the team’s success,” Klosterman said. “We had our banquet and in almost every (slide show) clip Declan Crist is right next to Jack and they’re so happy, and Jack is kind of a stoic guy and here is Declan forcing him to have fun. To see Jack get celebrated by his teammates and his teammates showing how happy they are is the really fun part.”

Last year wasn’t much fun for Wesley, but he found a way to contribute. He had a goal and three assists in five games.

“Not knowing what was wrong was probably worse than the pain,” he said. “I saw five or six doctors and each told me something different. It was super frustrating. I just tried to be a good teammate, collecting balls at practice, giving out water bottles and high fives. I was engaged, I felt like part of the team, and my teammates, coaches and parents were super supportive and helped a ton.”

While Wesley pushed himself to return this season, the coaching staff pushed him to shoot more often.

“(Benet assistant girls soccer coach) Martin Uscila said the most effective shooting range is within 20 yards and that Jack is double that,” Klosterman said. “We pushed him to shoot more. As a sophomore he was such a good defensive mid and my assistant coach Brian Penn said ‘Anytime you want to take Jack out doesn’t seem like a very good choice.’ Defensively, he’s always in the right spot. He’s like a security blanket you don’t want to take off.”

Wesley scored twice in a 2-1 win over St. Ignatius, had both goals in a 2-2 tie against St. Laurence and accounted for the lone goal in a 1-0 win over St. Patrick’s.

“I don’t think I was more excited for a season than this one and not just for myself, but to play with my teammates,” Wesley said. “I didn’t know what to expect and then we kind of had a pretty good run. Winning conference was my main goal but it was really hard, but honestly, looking back it was just super enjoyable and we were able to get some really good results. St. Laurence sticks out to me and the St Pat’s game. I’ll never forget rising to the occasion in big games against good teams. I’m super grateful.”