Strong closing nine enables QND boys golf to climb into top three, return to state tournament

BARTONVILLE, Ill. — The regional of death, as Quincy Notre Dame boys golf coach Brian Hendrian liked to call it, morphed into a sadistic sectional Monday at Coyote Creek Golf Course.

Experience and depth led to the Raiders surviving both.

But it wasn’t without some worry.

“To be completely honest, when we made the turn, I was like, ‘All right, I’ve got to play well and get my individual score because we’re playing decent, but these other teams are just careering it,” QND senior Ross Thompson said. “We either have to take it really deep or we might not get out.

“Then we got to the last few holes and we took it deep and we grinded it out. The other teams just didn’t hang on, and we ended up taking advantage of it.”

QND’s top four golfers — Thompson and fellow seniors Colin Larson and Cole Willer and junior Konnor Craven — each shot a 1-over 37 over the final nine holes, allowing the Raiders to post a 316 total and finish third at the Class 2A Bartonville Limestone Sectional.

The Raiders ended up two strokes ahead of Mahomet-Seymour for the third and final state qualifying spot. Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin won the sectional title with a 295 and Springfield was second at 300.

Macomb finished eighth with a 331.

This is QND’s first state tournament appearance since 2019, and the Raiders will tee it up Friday at the Weibring Golf Club in Normal.

“It was just relief,” Thompson said. “It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of our shoulders. All of us seniors, this is what we’ve worked for all four years. To finally accomplish it just feels great.”

Thompson, who was a freshman on the six-man varsity roster in 2019 when QND finished second at state, tied for sixth individually with a 3-over 75. He had four birdies on his card, including one on his second-to-last hole.

Craven birdied his final hole — the par-5 ninth — to shoot a 6-over 78 and tie for 15th. Larson posted an 81 and Willer shot an 82.

“I really wanted them to experience state, too, because it’s a lot of fun,” Thompson said.

Macomb’s Connor Watson shot a 79 and missed advancing as an individual by one stroke. Hunter Wilson shot an 80 and Justice Keene an 84 for the Bombers.