Bishop McNamara dethrones BBCHS for first All-City title in seven years

The always-competitive boys golf All-City Meet took place at the Kankakee Elks Country Club on Wednesday, and in typical All-City fashion, it came down to the wire.

Bishop McNamara and Bradley-Bourbonnais were neck-and-neck heading into the final few holes, when a clutch birdie on No. 17 from junior Preston Payne and a par on 18 from sophomore medalist Nolan Andrews helped push the Fightin’ Irish over the Boilermakers.

Their team score of 339 put them three-strokes clear of reigning two-time All-City champs Bradley-Bourbonnais and gave Bishop McNamara its first All-City title in seven years.

Andrews shot an 80, giving him the individual title by a margin of four strokes. While he said the windy conditions were not exactly optimal Wednesday, he was happy the team could pull off the win.

“There were some ups and downs throughout the round, but we pulled through, and that’s all that matters. ...” he said. “An 80 is not too bad, but it could’ve been better. It always could be better. But I’m feeling good.”

For the rest of the Irish, junior Braylon Ricketts shot an 84 to tie for second place, while Payne carded an 86 to finish sixth. Sophomore Landon Marcotte’s 89 put him eighth.

The Irish nearly ended their All-City drought last season, suffering a one-stroke loss to the Boilermakers. With that in mind, Bishop McNamara head coach Wes Andrews said it means a lot to earn the title.

“The plaque, I think, has 15 or 16 years on it, and Bishop Mac’s name is on there once,” he said. “It’s obviously pretty exciting for us to finally get the plaque and win All-City, so we’ve got to enjoy it today but tomorrow get back to work and get ready.

“Hopefully we can draw on our success here to parlay that into a little postseason success as well.”

The Irish will visit Herscher next Tuesday before being back at the Elks as IHSA Class 1A Bishop McNamara Regional hosts.

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Bishop McNamara's Nolan Andrews hits onto the green during the All-City matchup with Bradley-Bourbonnais and Kankakee on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. The Fightin' Irish earned a 3-point victory over the Boilermakers with a 339-342 final score. (Tiffany Blanchette)

Bradley-Bourbonnais’ next competition will be next Wednesday at the IHSA Class 3A Pekin Regional at Lick Creek Golf Course.

Senior Kaden Davis was the Boilermaker’s top finisher at All-City, tying for second with an 84. Seniors Landon Martin and Jacob Kehoe tied for fourth with 85s, while senior Max LaMore shot an 88 to finish seventh.

Although things did not end how they would have liked on Wednesday, Davis said he is optimistic for what the team can do in the postseason.

“I just want to see us compete,” he said. “If we go out there and all shoot 100s, I’m going to be proud of our guys. But I think we’re a state-running team this year. I think it’ll be hard for us to win it, but I think we’ll go to state.”

The Boilermakers have an experienced core this season, with the seniors that placed in the top four at All-City being joined by fellow junior Sam LaMore and sophomore Landan Haggard to give the team plenty of talent.

Head coach John Klimchuk said the experience that many of his golfers managed to pick up last season can help as they head back to the postseason.

“This season has been so much fun, and we have a great group of seniors” he said. “It’s a veteran group, and very strong. We went to the sectional last year, and all those guys are back. I’m really looking forward, and looking that they have a strong performance down in Pekin next week.”

For Kankakee, a season that has seen the team dealing with low numbers following the end of the program’s co-op with Herscher is now nearly at an end.

Junior Sam Haenig was the lone boys golfer for the Kays on Wednesday, as he was joined by girls teammates Lillian Landis, KaLeah Jackson and Shayla Jordan.

With most of these golfers being relatively new to the sport, head coach Craig Jeffreys said the season has been focused on development.

“It’s their ability to want to learn, want to grow and understand this game,” he said. “This game can be complicated sometimes, but it can be real simple. I’ve seen leaps and bounds from each and every one of them.”