Hackett Catholic Prep Returns from Break as D4's Best Again
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
June 12, 2021
FRANKENMUTH – Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep officially won the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 4 Golf Final championship with its play Saturday afternoon, but the seeds for the victory were planted Thursday.
The Irish played a practice round at The Fortress Golf Club a day before competing in the two-day tournament, and what was learned during that round played a crucial role in a back-nine surge that clinched their second-straight title.
“We try and come out the day before the event, and we were able to do that this year, and I would say it was very crucial,” Hackett coach Jim Holton said. “We stress, ‘We’re not here to shoot a score (Thursday), we’re here to learn,’ and that’s what we did when we got here.”
Hackett finished with a two-day total of 640 strokes, finishing ahead of runner-up Lansing Christian by six. Charlevoix was third with 646, followed by Maple City Glen Lake at 677.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate’s Remy Stalcup was the tournament medalist, shooting a two-under 142 to win by seven strokes.
For Hackett, a course far from home felt familiar enough Saturday afternoon as it held off a Saturday morning surge from Lansing Christian.
About halfway through the round, the Pilgrims inched ahead, but it was the work done on the back nine that lifted the Irish to a victory.
Their scoring foursome of Tommy Keyte, Ben Bridenstine, Ryan Chafty and Niklas Johansson combined to shoot 158 on the back nine, while Lansing Christian’s top four came in at 166 down the stretch.
“I think we all went through a tough stretch there as a team,” said Keyte, who was the individual runner-up at 149. “Back nine, we just kind of locked in and we picked it up. Made some good birdies, made some good putts. Everything just kind of clicked together on the back. The practice round, we really focused on where we wanted to hit our golf shots. It wasn’t driver every hole, it’s 4-irons, hybrids – you have to place your tee shot because there’s trouble on every hole.”
Holton said he and his team had identified the back nine as the key during Thursday’s practice round.
“We realized the back nine can cause problems for teams,” he said. “We discussed that in the practice round, made our gameplan based on the holes and what we needed to do to keep ourselves ahead of the other competition. We started off great, had a little lull, Lansing Christian went by us and I was a little concerned. But I knew those tough holes were ahead, and I knew we planned well for those holes.”
The second-straight title for Hackett was actually the team’s second in three years, as there was no 2020 season. The senior-laden group – Keyte, Bridenstine, Chafty and No. 5 player Grayson Walters are all seniors – was focused on retaining their title, despite the year off.
“It felt great,” Keyte said. “The whole team was really excited for this weekend, and we’ve been waiting for this for two years now, because we were trying to go back to back. We did it today, and we had a great time. It was a grind out there.”
Following up Keyte’s 149 for Hackett were Bridenstine (158), Chafty (163) and Johansson (171). Walters wasn’t far behind at 173.
Davis Garrett (150) took third individually to lead Lansing Christian, and was followed by William Combs (156), Caden Kinnas (167) and Baylor Brogan (173).
While Hackett was repeating as team champ, a new face was dominating the course in the individual race. As a sophomore, Stalcup was playing in his first MHSAA Finals, and he led nearly wire to wire. He essentially put the tournament away with an eagle on No. 1 (his 16th hole of the day) on Saturday.
“I hit my drive in the right heather, so I took a 5-iron out from about 230 (yards), and it almost went in, actually,” Stalcup said. “It was, like, not even a foot for a tap-in eagle and it got me back into it with a big lead.”
Stalcup had played the previous four holes at two-over par, and while the eagle ended up just padding his lead, at the time it seemed necessary.
“I thought it was close; I didn’t know if I was winning by a bunch or not,” he said. “So that helped a lot, for sure. I was happy then. I didn’t look at the leaderboard. I don’t want to know until the very end.”
Stalcup had played at The Fortress earlier in the season, and it was kind to him then as well.
“I love the course; I love it,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite courses, actually. I always play good here. I played good earlier in the season here, too. I putt really well on these greens, I love these greens. I made a lot of long putts. It helps a lot, too, I hit it pretty far. I hit a lot of wedges into greens.”
Jake Beaudoin of Charlevoix and Luke LeBourdais of Saginaw Nouvel tied for fourth at 153, followed by Brady Krohn of Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (154), Michael Zanoni of Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (155), Lansing Christian’s Combs, Blake O’Connor of Glen Lake (157) and Jeffrey Andrus of Royal Oak Shrine (157).
Full results will be linked when available.
PHOTOS: (Top) Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, with a golfer putting here during Friday's first round, repeated as Division 4 champion. (Middle) Clarkston Everest Collegiate's Remy Stalcup drives during Friday's first round. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Spring Lake Ace with Basketball Name Showing Off Buckets of Golf Game
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
June 7, 2022
His last name may be associated with basketball, but Spring Lake senior Evan McDermott is making a name for himself on the golf course.
McDermott’s uncle, Greg, is the longtime men’s basketball coach at Creighton University (Neb.). Greg’s son and Evan’s cousin, Doug, was a three-time, All-American basketball player for his father at Creighton, who recently completed his eighth season in the NBA, currently with the San Antonio Spurs.
Evan McDermott is putting his 6-foot-4 frame and athletic ability to use on the golf course, where the slim bomber has emerged as one of the state’s best players.
“For a long time, I thought I was going to be a basketball player, because that’s obviously big in our family,” said Evan, a 3.9-GPA student who did play basketball for the Lakers. “But then I fell in love with golf.”
McDermott captured the medalist honor with a 3-under par 69 at last week’s Lower Peninsula Division 2 Regional at Lincoln Hills in Ludington, helping the Lakers to the team championship.
He and his teammates are putting in the work and hoping for a similar result at this weekend’s Division 2 Final at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University in nearby Allendale.
McDermott can’t think of a better place to conclude his high school career because, outside of the course he grew up playing (Terra Verde in Nunica) and the Lakers’ home course (Spring Lake Country Club), it’s the golf course that he has played the most.
It also helps that one of his biggest mentors in the sport during his high school career happens to be GVSU men’s golf coach Gary Bissell, who is Director of Instruction at The Meadows.
And, finally, he and his teammates have good memories from their last tournament at the links-style course. Spring Lake won the Gull Lake Invitational at The Meadows on May 19, a tournament which featured 11 of the state’s top 16 teams in Division 2, and McDermott placed second overall with a 71.
First-year Spring Lake coach Dan Start thinks the combination of a familiar course and an experienced team – with a leader like McDermott – could help the Lakers improve on last year’s eighth-place Finals finish.
“We have played three competitive rounds at The Meadows already this year, so that’s a big plus,” said Start. “All of our guys have the ability to score well, but I like what I saw at Regionals. We had struggles early, but the guys battled and battled and got themselves back on track.”
Max Brown has emerged as a solid No. 2 man for the Lakers, coming up big at Regionals with a 75. Senior cousins Dylan Lisman and RJ Lisman hold down the third and fourth positions, while junior Conrad Bush and senior Braiden McClain have battled for the fifth playing spot.
But without question, McDermott is the leader of the Lakers.
McDermott uses his long, flexible frame to crank drives approaching 300 yards – regularly giving him an edge over his competition. He considers ball-striking his biggest strength, and in recent weeks he’s been heating up on and around the greens.
“I really played well at Regionals. I played the last 11 holes four-under in some big winds,” said McDermott, 18, who has an older sister, Mia, who attends Notre Dame. “I’m just going to try and keep that going at state and not over-complicate things. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”
McDermott, a four-year varsity golfer for SL, first made a name for himself by making a run to the finals at the 2020 Michigan Junior State Amateur at TPC Michigan in Dearborn, the summer before his junior year. He then placed third at last year’s LP Division 2 Final, shooting a 68 in his final round.
This spring, he has picked up where he left off as the steady leader of the Lakers. McDermott powered his team to the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue title, with the highlight a sizzling 31 at SLCC in a conference jamboree.
“Evan has amazing physical skills, but he also has the mental toughness – he’s steady Eddie,” explained Start. “You combine that with his work ethic, and the sky’s the limit. He could be a professional golfer.”
He will take the first step in that direction in August, when he leaves West Michigan to play golf and study mechanical engineering at the University of Nebraska.
McDermott has roots in the Heartland as his father, Marty, grew up in Cascade, Iowa, and later was the head men’s basketball coach at Lake Superior State (where he met his wife and Evan’s mother, Rachel) and the University of Dubuque. He has served as the athletic director at Muskegon Community College for the past 15 years.
Evan McDermott said he was “blown away” by his visit to Lincoln, Neb., in the fall, especially attending the Cornhuskers’ night football game against Michigan.
“It was an incredible atmosphere, and it just felt like home,” McDermott explained. “With my dad’s family from down there, I’ve spent a fair amount of time there growing up. I’m used to the cornfields and the wind and the heat.”
Tom Kendra worked 23 years at The Muskegon Chronicle, including five as assistant sports editor and the final six as sports editor through 2011. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Oceola, Mecosta and Newaygo counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Spring Lake’s Evan McDermott unloads on a drive. (Middle) McDermott will continue his academic and golf careers at University of Nebraska. (Photos courtesy of the Spring Lake boys golf program.)