From 3rd to 2nd to Champion for DCC
June 6, 2015
By Butch Harmon
Special for Second Half
BIG RAPIDS – After coming close the past few seasons, Detroit Catholic Central captured the 2015 MHSAA Division 1 boys golf championship in a big way Saturday.
DCC earned its first MHSAA golf title since 2010 with a two-day total of 591 at Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids. That score was 31 strokes better than second-place Battle Creek Lakeview, which finished with 622 strokes.
Canton took third with 624 while Hartland (625) and Rockford (633) rounded out the top five teams.
The championship ended four years of frustration for the Shamrocks that included falling one stroke short at last year’s Final and a third-place finish in 2013.
“Mission accomplished,” DCC senior co-captain Glenn Piot said. “This was our goal all year.”
Fellow senior captain Will Coffman shared his teammate’s feelings.
“It’s been a long time coming to be honest,” Coffman said. “Last year we battled to the end and lost by one. This feels great.”
Not only did the Cougars have to fend off a talented field of teams, but they also needed to fight off tough weather conditions that included plenty of wind along with the always challenging course that is home to Ferris State University.
“The boys just battled all weekend,” Detroit Catholic Central coach Mike Anderson said. “The conditions were tough with the wind, but the boys just kept grinding.”
The Shamrocks relied on a total-team effort and balance to get the job accomplished. Three of Catholic Central’s golfers placed in the top 10 individually, while the fourth score finished just two shots out of the top 10.
Ben Smith led the way. He turned in a pair of consistent efforts as he shot a 72 on Friday and then came back with a 73 on Saturday to finish with a 145 that placed him third overall.
Max Palmer and sophomore James Piot tied for eighth place. Palmer and Piot both carded scores of 150 for the two days, with Palmer shooting a 70 and an 80 and Piot carding a pair of 75s. Coffman finished the tournament with a 152 total as he shot 77 and 75.
“As a team we played pretty well,” Piot said. “Max played great the first day. Ben played solid the whole weekend, and Will was pretty solid too.”
As a team, the Shamrocks posted strong scores on both days of the tournament. Catholic Central led the by nine strokes after shooting a 294 on Friday. The Shamrocks then came back with a 297 on Saturday.
DCC had its entire team of more than 20 golfers on hand for the event.
“I didn’t expect all of them to make it up,” Anderson said. “It’s a two-and-a-half hour drive, and we had over 20 here. It shows the kind of support we have. This is a pretty special group of kids. They are all good players. We have 60 to 65 kids try out, and we try to whittle it down to 20 or so. They are all good golfers. They are all tournament players in the summer.”
Battle Creek Lakeview placed second overall and also had the individual champion. Junior Andrew Walker, who placed ninth as an individual last year, took home the medalist honor. He shot a 70 on the first day and came back on Saturday to shoot a 72, giving him a two-day total of 142 that was two strokes lower than Donnie Trosper of Canton.
“This is what I’ve been chasing for three years now,” Walker said. “To finally be able to win it is amazing. I tied for ninth last year and finished two shots out of a playoff.”
The experience helped Walker this year.
“Consistency was the key this year,” Walker said. “The course is tough, so I just tried to go out there and stay consistent and not get in too much trouble. This feels amazing. I can’t describe the feeling.”
Trosper, who opened with a round of 67 on Friday, finished with a 144. Catholic Central’s Smith placed third with a 145, as did Joe Montpas of Flushing. Joel Pietila of Rockford placed fifth with a 147.
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Catholic Central’s Ben Smith watches a shot Saturday at Katke Golf Course while leading his team to the Division 1 title. (Middle) Battle Creek Lakeview’s Andrew Walker claimed the individual championship by two strokes. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com).
Mercier Claims 2nd Finals Title, Leads North Central to 1st Team Championship
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
June 3, 2022
HYDE — Bryson Mercier has gotten used to the idea of finishing on top of the leaderboard throughout his high school golf career.
The Powers North Central senior achieved that again here Thursday, shooting an even-par 71 for his third consecutive Upper Peninsula Division 3 Final title on a sunny and breezy day at Highland Golf Club.
Mercier’s achievements were part of an historic day for the North Central boys program, which was crowned U.P. Finals team champion for the first time with 350 strokes.
“I didn’t swing the clubs very well today,” said Mercier, who will play golf at South Dakota State University next season. “I had good drives, but every time I got on the greens I was 30 feet away. I couldn’t get any birdies.
“You just have to stay patient in a round like this. I was three under on the last six holes. I finished strong. I started hitting the ball a little better.”
North Central was the Division 3 runner-up a season ago, finishing just two strokes behind champion Chassell.
Ontonagon edged Watersmeet 397-399 for the runner-up trophy.
Mercier also was the Division 3 individual champion in 2019 as a sophomore.
“This is great for the kids and the school,” said Jets coach Scott Farnsworth. “We’ve had some decent teams. This is icing on the cake, especially for Bryson as a senior. This is something that was really nice to have. The individual title was nice, but winning as a team was awesome.”
Mercier, who fired a two-under-par 34 on the back nine, was followed by Rock Mid Peninsula junior Michael Englund and Lake Linden-Hubbell’s Marcus Sutherland at 89.
“The course was a little tougher today,” Mercier said. “The wind was little bit of a factor, and the greens were a little slow – although they do a good job keeping this course in shape.”
Alex Pipkorn and Landen Hansen both shot 90 to tie for fourth individually for the Jets. Austin Farley rounded out the champion’s scoring with a 17th-place individual finish.
Will Immonen, Jerald Majurin and Jack Nelson all carded 98 to tie for 12th individually and lead Ontonagon. Miles McGeshick shot a 91 to tie for sixth, and Dari Hazen came in ninth with a 95 to lead Watersmeet.
Ontonagon most recently was champion back-to-back season in 2018-19.
PHOTO Powers North Central’s boys golf team holds up its first MHSAA Finals championship trophy earned in the sport. (Photo by Todd Rose.)