Preview: Challenging the Champions
June 8, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Three reigning MHSAA Lower Peninsula golf champions entered Regionals last week ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions by the state coaches association.
But that also means there are 17 more teams in each of those divisions revved up to surprise at this weekend’s Finals – plus a more wide-open Division 3 race to watch after Tawas pulled off a stunner just a year ago.
In Division 1, Detroit Catholic Central is the two-time reigning champion, while St. Johns returns all of its 2016 Division 2 title-winning team and Clarkston Everest Collegiate brings back most of the lineup that dominated Division 4 last season. Tawas is expected to be in the Division 3 mix again, although a few of the usual powers are ranked slightly ahead with the first drives about to be hit.
Below are a handful of expected team and individual favorites at each Final. First-round play tees off at 9 a.m. Friday, with the final round beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. Click for a full list of Finals qualifiers and Regional results.
LP Division 1 at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Detroit Catholic Central, 2. Grosse Pointe South, 3. Clarkston.
Detroit Catholic Central has won the last two Division 1 championships and continued to dominate this spring. But Grosse Pointe South comes into the weekend as the expected biggest competitor after also finishing second a year ago, eight strokes back. At 285 and 296, respectively, those two posted the lowest Regional scores in Division 1 last week.
Detroit Catholic Central: Five seniors will take the course for the Shamrocks, including four who also were in last season’s lineup that broke 300 in both rounds – James Piot, Ben Smith, Sean Niles and Sean Sooch. Smith and Piot tied for fifth individually last season, while Smith was third and Piot tied for eighth when they were sophomores. DCC won its Regional at Durham Hills in Hartland by 29 strokes as those four players placed among the top three (Niles shooting a 70 to win), and senior Dylan Skinner finished sixth individually.
Grosse Pointe South: The Blue Devils are seeking their first MHSAA boys golf championship with a veteran lineup as well. Senior Oliver Livingston, juniors Evan Theros and Patrick Sullivan and sophomore Coalter Smith were part of last season’s runner-up lineup, with Livingston placing third and Theros tying for fifth individually. Sullivan and Theros tied for first at the Regional last week at Dearborn Country Club as the team won by 12 strokes ahead of No. 4 Birmingham Seaholm.
Clarkston: The Wolves are back at the Finals as a full team for the first time since 2014. Senior Brady Dice is the lone player left from that 11th-place finisher, and he tied with DCC’s Piot and Niles for third at last week’s Regional as Clarkston as a team finished second, 29 strokes back but one ahead of No. 8 Hartland. Senior Noah Sampson and three sophomores will get their first swings in MHSAA Finals play.
Other individuals of note: Plymouth senior Jack Boczar took eventual champion Andrew Walker of Battle Creek Lakeview to a playoff for the individual title last season and won his Regional last week at Pine View in Ypsilanti. Utica Ford senior Drew Tucci’s 71 was the second-lowest Regional score in the division last week and earned him the medalist honor at Twin Lakes in Oakland. Midland junior Drew Gandy also tied for fifth at last season’s Final and was runner-up at last week’s Regional at Metamora Country Club to Saginaw Heritage sophomore Amav Sharma. Battle Creek Lakeview senior James Staab – his team’s second-lowest scorer to Walker at last year’s Final – won the Regional last week at Grand Rapids’ Thornapple Pointe to join Sharma this weekend among individual qualifiers.
LP Division 2 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University
Top-ranked: 1. St. Johns, 2. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 3. Flint Powers Catholic.
The Redwings broke 300 in both rounds last year to win a tightly-contested first championship by four strokes over local rival East Lansing. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep is expected to make a big jump after tying for seventh last season, and Powers is a contender as well after tying for ninth in Division 3 last spring and welcoming back this season its low scorer from a year playing at an academy.
St. Johns: The Redwings this weekend will return with the full lineup that won last season’s Final – seniors Zach Rosendale, Eric Nunn, Jack Bouck and Nate Brown and junior Zeke Ely. Nunn tied for first individually last season before falling in the playoff, while Rosendale was fifth. Rosendale was the Regional medalist last week on their home course, The Emerald, although St. Johns as a team came in only second to Powers.
Flint Powers Catholic: The Chargers are coming off their three-stroke Regional win over St. Johns and look poised to make a run. Senior Joe Coriasso is the only returnee from last season’s lineup and just missed the individual top 10 at the 2016 Division 3 Final. But the return of senior Blaise Vanitvelt has made a heavy impact; he was the team’s low scorer in 2015 when it finished fourth in Division 3, and he tied his freshman brother Ty Vanitvelt and two others for seventh at last week’s Regional while junior Zach Hopkins came in fourth.
Gaylord: The Blue Devils earned a larger mention here because they won their Regional at Lincoln Hills in Ludington and have finished first in 10 straight events – an especially incredible string after the team missed making the Finals last year with a ninth-place Regional finish. Three sophomores, a junior and a senior make up the lineup, with sophomore Brendon Gouin, junior Nick Rowley and sophomore Kyle Putnam coming in second, third and ninth, respectively, last week.
Other individuals of note: Reigning champion Devin Deogun leads the way as a senior for Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, which also could figure into the team conversation. Four more top-10 finishers from a year ago are back: Detroit Country Day senior Imaad Qureshi and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior Jackson Stowe, who tied for sixth, East Lansing senior Tony Fuentes (eighth) and Otsego senior Tyler Rayman (10th). Deogun shot a 69 to win his Regional at Fieldstone in Auburn Hills. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern sophomore Andrew Kolar, Coldwater senior Cameron Ruge, Trenton junior Brent Trela and Spring Lake sophomore Nick Krueger also were Regional medalists last week.
LP Division 3 at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course
Top-ranked: 1. Jackson Lumen Christi, 2. Big Rapids, 3. Tawas.
Tawas is coming off its first MHSAA championship in any sport. Lumen Christi is a slight favorite, perhaps, after finishing only three strokes back last spring and with seven top-two Finals finishes over the last eight seasons. Big Rapids has three top-two finishes over the last nine seasons and will go for its first title since 2008 after coming in third a year ago.
Jackson Lumen Christi: The Titans will bring back three of their five from last season’s Final, with senior Logan Anuskiewicz coming off a ninth-place tie individually last spring. All five players finished among the top nine (with ties) at last week’s Regional at Glenbrier in Perry, which Lumen Christi won by 14 strokes ahead of No. 4 Hanover-Horton and No. 7 Lansing Catholic. Senior Riley Hestwood led the way, tying for second.
Big Rapids: Four of five from last season’s third-place team will golf this weekend, with senior Tait Morrissey and junior Fletcher Bolda expected to play in their third straight Final. Sophomore Pierce Morrissey missed the top 10 last season by four strokes, but won the Regional at Byron Center’s Railside last week with a 70. Tait Morrissey was seventh at the Regional, and junior Ben Fath was 11th.
Tawas: Three who golfed at least one round at last season’s Finals are back for this weekend – senior Andrew Volk and juniors Daniel Shattuck and Mason Buresh. Volk missed the top 10 individuals last season by only two strokes, but Tawas won based on the strength of a lineup that saw all four scorers shoot over a six-stroke range. The Braves finished second at their Regional, six strokes behind No. 6 Charlevoix, but with Shattuck coming in third and Volk tied for fifth at The Nightmare in West Branch.
Other individuals of note: Houghton Lake junior Brock Decker, an individual qualifier, is the only other top-10 finisher back from a year ago; he placed ninth in 2016. The Regional champions’ variety of scores – from 70 to 79 – indicate the possibility for a tightly-packed group of contenders. Charlevoix senior Matt Good, Schoolcraft senior Nick Jasiak, Byron senior Brandt Nelson, Bad Axe senior Ethan Krohn and Richmond senior Noah Kosal also won Regional titles. Another to watch could be Portland freshman Zach Pier, who shot a 73 to finish second to Morrissey at Railside.
LP Division 4 at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers East
Top-ranked: 1. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 2. Muskegon Catholic Central, 3. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate is the reigning champion and favorite after last season’s 28-stroke win. Muskegon Catholic Central was third last spring, and NorthPointe is expected to join the mix after finishing fourth in Division 3 a year ago.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate: Four return from the team that shot a two-day 637 at Forest Akers West, led by lone senior Joey McMahon, who tied for sixth individually in 2016. Two juniors and two sophomores indicate the Mountaineers should continue to shine after this season as well; sophomore Mitch Lowney won the Regional at Heather Highlands in Holly, with McMahon runner-up, junior Nick Korns tied for fifth and junior J.C. James tied for seventh.
Muskegon Catholic Central: The Crusaders are loaded with five seniors, with Collin Powers leading the way after tying for third individually a year ago. Three others also played on that third-place team, and those four also played at least a round when the team finished ninth in 2015. They finished only third at their Regional behind NorthPointe and No. 10 Lansing Christian at Hastings Country Club, but Powers did finish second and all five were among the top 20 individuals.
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian: As just noted above, NorthPointe won its Regional by 14 strokes with junior Hayden VanErman taking first, sophomore Erik Fahlen fourth and junior Logan Holtkamp fifth. The lineup is made up of three juniors, Fahlen and a freshman, with the three mentioned above also part of that fourth-place team in Division 3 last season.
Other individuals of note: Six of the top 10 from last year give Division 4 arguably the strongest individual field, led by reigning champion Parker Jamieson. The Pilgrims junior won last season’s title by two strokes, while White Pigeon senior Jordan Olsen and Kalamazoo Christian junior Colin Sikkenga tied for third and Clinton sophomore Austin Fauser is back after placing ninth. Fauser won his Regional last week and Sikkenga tied for medalist with Kalamazoo Hackett senior Henry Hedeman just ahead of Olsen at Klinger Lake Country Club in Sturgis. New Lothrop senior Drew Dice and Harbor Springs junior Cole Ketterer also won Regional titles, and Jamieson was third at Hastings behind VanErmen and Powers.
NOTE: West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish Academy will play its Division 4 rounds Thursday and Friday.
PHOTO: St. Johns’ Zach Rosendale watches an approach during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final; his entire team returns this weekend for a repeat attempt. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Preview: Last Year's Second-Best Seeking to Take Final Championship Step
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 8, 2022
The 2021 runners-up very well could be the story of this weekend’s 2022 Lower Peninsula Boys Golf Finals.
Detroit Catholic Central in Division 1, Flint Powers Catholic in Division 2, Big Rapids in Division 3 and Lansing Christian in Division 4 all finished second last season but return among favorites this weekend. Three individual champions from last year moved on, but the runners-up in those divisions are expected to be among the strongest contenders this time as well.
But no one is sleeping on the returning champions. Ann Arbor Skyline entered the postseason top-ranked in Division 1, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and Grand Rapids Catholic Central shot the best Regional scores last week in Divisions 2 and 3, respectively, and Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep is a top-five ranked team in Division 4 once again. And the one 2021 individual champion returning this weekend – Clarkston Everest Collegiate’s Remy Stalcup – also shot the Regional low among individuals in all divisions to qualify this time.
See below for more on a number of teams and individuals who could be in contention, and check out the MHSAA Website for full lineups and more. (Rankings are via iWanamaker at the end of the regular season.)
Division 1 at Ferris State’s Katke Golf Course
Top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Skyline, 2. Muskegon Mona Shores, 3. Traverse City Central
Nine teams shot Regional scores of 310 or lower, which could indicate a strong, close competition this weekend. No. 5 Detroit Catholic Central (289) and No. 7 Northville (298) led the way, finishing first and second, respectively, at Salem Hills in Northville. They were followed by No. 6 Brighton at Salem Hills, with No. 4 Novi missing qualification on a tie-break. Ann Arbor Skyline is coming off its first Finals championship and entered the postseason ranked No. 1 again. Mona Shores didn’t qualify as a team last season but has returned seeking its first team title since 2005, and a Traverse City Central championship would be that program’s first since 1996 and before Traverse City West opened.
Ann Arbor Skyline: The Eagles return three of their top five from last year, and the top four at this season’s Regional were a sophomore and three juniors. That sophomore, Ieuan Jones, tied for second individually at last season’s Finals and was the individual Regional champ last week at Cascades in Jackson. Skyline shot 300 overall to win the Regional team title by 22 strokes, with junior Mitchell Strickland individual runner-up and junior Hank Roebuck seventh.
Detroit Catholic Central: The Shamrocks’ winning Regional score included performances from the first and second-place (tied) individuals, senior Peter Stassinopoulos and sophomore Julian Menser, respectively. All five golfers placed among the top 14 individuals, with senior Liam Casey next in 10th. DCC was the Finals runner-up last season and brings back four of its top six players from that team this weekend.
Muskegon Mona Shores: The Sailors shot a 309 to finish runner-up by a stroke to No. 8 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern at last week’s Regional at Stonegate in Muskegon. But Mona was led by junior Nicholas Taylor, who tied for first individually (but finished second after a tie-breaker) and was that individual Finals qualifier last year. Senior Chase Knowlton also was a top-10 Regional finisher, placing seventh.
Other individuals of note: Jones is joined by only two others from last season’s Finals top 10 – Forest Hills Northern senior Jack Zubkus, who also tied for second, and Rochester Adams sophomore Peter Roehl, who tied for sixth. Stassinopoulos (69), Lake Orion freshman Connor Fox (69) and Troy senior Benjamin Wu (69) broke 70 with their Regional rounds last week. Fox defeated Wu in a tie-breaker and Portage Central junior Ethan Tiller defeated Shores’ Taylor in theirs, and Fox and Tiller with Stassinopoulos and Jones were joined among Regional champions by Grosse Pointe North senior Niko Karoutsos and Oxford senior Chase Maier.
Division 2 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State
Top-ranked: 1. South Lyon East, 2. Richland Gull Lake, 3. Chelsea
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice won last season’s championship by 28 strokes and was the only Division 2 team last week to break 300 at Regionals, shooting a 289. Last season’s Finals runner-up, Flint Powers Catholic, posted the second-lowest Regional score last week at 303. Powers last won a Finals in 2018. South Lyon East, Gull Lake and Chelsea all are seeking first Finals championships, with Chelsea coming in fifth and Gull Lake ninth last spring.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice: Last year’s Warriors were paced by three top-seven individual Finals finishers, Two are back this weekend and were part of all five golfers placing among the top eight at the Regional at Huron Meadows in Brighton. Junior Lorenzo Pinili – second at last year’s Final – won last week’s Regional, and senior Matt Baer – who tied for seventh at that Final – finished fourth at the Regional. They were joined at the Regional by freshman Leandro Pinili tied for second, junior Marcus Lee in fifth and senior Kyle Gruley tied for eighth. Brother Rice entered the postseason ranked No. 14 and was followed at the Regional by No. 7 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.
Flint Powers Catholic: The No. 4 Chargers edged No. 13 DeWitt by four strokes at the Regional at The Emerald at St. Johns, with junior Robert Burns the medalist and senior Luke Cramer tied for sixth. Burns tied for fifth at last year’s Final. He, Cramer, junior Kyle Barbour and senior Chris Jones were the top four scorers from last season’s runner-up team finish.
South Lyon East: The Cougars will travel to the Finals as a team after sending an individual last year. East finished second at the Lakes of Taylor Regional to Chelsea, two strokes back, but with all five golfers among the top 14 individual finishers. That individual Finals qualifier from 2021, now-sophomore Ryan Kruschka, finished third at the Regional last week, with freshman Kameron Knox tied for fourth and senior Chase Temple ninth.
Other individuals of note: Although the 2021 champion graduated, six of the top 10 finishers from last season’s Final are back led by Lorenzo Pinili and Spring Lake senior Evan McDermott (third). They, Burns and Baer are joined by Grand Rapids Northview senior Colin Beckett (tied for seventh) and Williamston senior Sam Havey (tied for ninth). Pinili (69), Burns (69) and McDermott (69) all broke 70 at their Regionals last week and were joined as Regional champions by Dearborn Divine Child senior Adam Hammoud, Richland Gull Lake senior Bryce Wheeler and Hamilton junior Eli Timmerman, who defeated Hudsonville Unity Christian sophomore Colin Nieuwenhuis in a tie-breaker.
Division 3 at The Fortress in Frankenmuth
Top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Greenhills, 2. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 3. Traverse City St. Francis
Six teams have won the Division 3 championship over the last six seasons, with the lone constant Big Rapids as the runner-up the last four seasons (not counting COVID-canceled 2020). Grand Rapids Catholic Central won last year’s title by 17 strokes and was ranked No. 6 at the start of this postseason, while Big Rapids entered the postseason outside the top 15 but has advanced to this weekend. GRCC had the lowest Division 3 Regional score last week at 308, with Greenhills next at 319.
Ann Arbor Greenhills: Seniors Beau Brewer and Cale Piedmonte-Lang played in last season’s Final as individual qualifiers and are back among leaders of this year’s team. The Gryphons shot a 319 at the Regional at Grosse Ile’s West Shore to edge No. 7 Grosse Ile by two strokes. Brewer was the medalist, sophomore Max Shulman was third and Piedmonte-Lang tied four fourth.
Big Rapids: Despite not making the top 15 at the end of the regular season, Big Rapids has earned this conversation – and especially after winning its Regional at Houghton Lake’s Quest two strokes ahead of St. Francis and 11 ahead of No. 13 Boyne City. Now-senior Luke Welch finished 11th at last year’s Final and was third at last week’s Regional, with junior Kyle Schroeder and sophomore Preston Younge tied for eighth at Quest.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central: The Cougars won last year’s Final without a top-10 individual but with four between 12th and 25th – and four players who golfed at least one round are set to be back this weekend. GRCC won the Regional last week at Montague’s Old Channel Trail by 18 strokes, with sophomore Will Preston the medalist, senior Luke Preston tied for third, sophomore Matthew Sokorai fifth and senior John Harmon tied for seventh.
Other individuals of note: Grosse Ile senior Anthony Naso was Regional runner-up to Greenhills’ Brewer last week, and tied for second at last year’s Final. The only other returnees from last season’s top 10 are Saginaw Swan Valley junior Ashton DiBlasi, who tied for fifth, and Belding senior Mason Anderson, who tied for eighth. Joining Will Preston and Brewer among Regional champs were Millington freshman Bryce Martin, Bath senior Ethan Swenson, Traverse City St. Francis senior Tommy Puetz and Quincy junior Sam Sawyer. Puetz defeated Boyne City senior Kolton Stadt in a tie-breaker for that medalist honor.
Division 4 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 2. Lansing Christian, 3. Maple City Glen Lake
Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep has won the last two Division 4 titles (in 2021 and 2019), last season by six strokes, and entered this postseason ranked No. 5 despite graduating four of last season’s top five golfers. Everest Collegiate is another regular with titles in 2016 and 2017 and the runner-up finish in 2018. The Mountaineers had the lowest Regional score in the division last week at 306, followed by Lansing Christian at 314 and Glen Lake at 323. Lansing Christian and Glen Lake are playing for their first title.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate: Although Everest missed the Finals as a team last season, Remy Stalcup was the individual champion by seven strokes, and he shot the lowest Regional score in any division last week – a 65 at Fountains in Clarkston to lead the Mountaineers to a 40-stroke team victory. Stalcup was joined in the top 10 at the Regional by freshman Parker Stalcup (fourth), senior Johnny Nedwick (tied for sixth) and freshman Will Pennanen (10th).
Lansing Christian: The Pilgrims had a similarly-dominating Regional performance at Calderone in Jackson, finishing 19 strokes ahead of a field that included No. 10 Hillsdale Academy and No. 15 Hudson. All five golfers finished among the top 15 individuals, and the four scorers were among the top six – senior medalist Davis Garrett, junior Baylor Brogan tied for second, senior William Combs in fifth and senior Caden Kinnas in sixth. Senior Isaac Haley was that 15th-place finisher, and those five were the same who took the Pilgrims to a team runner-up Finals finish in 2021. Garrett was third individually and Combs eighth at last season’s Final.
Maple City Glen Lake: The Lakers cut 21 strokes from their first to second rounds at last year’s Final to finish fourth, and two golfers from that lineup return with a talented freshman added to the mix. Now-junior Blake O’Connor tied for ninth at that Final and was second at last week’s Regional at Antrim Hills in Charlevoix as all five Glen Lake golfers placed seventh or higher. Freshman Michael Houtteman was the medalist, senior Jackson Zywicki was fifth, and junior Garrett Moss and senior Billy Rosa tied for seventh. As a team, Glen Lake finished 16 strokes ahead of runner-up and No. 6-ranked Charlevoix.
Other individuals of note: As noted above, Remy Stalcup, Garrett, Combs and O’Connor are back from last season’s top 10, joined by Saginaw Nouvel Catholic senior Luke LeBourdais (tied for fourth) and Royal Oak Shrine Catholic senior Jeffrey Andrus (tied for ninth). Joining Stalcup, Garrett and Houtteman as Regional champs were LeBourdais, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian freshman Davis Formsma and Grandville Calvin Christian senior Matthew Turcotte. Andrus shot a 72 to finish Regional runner-up to Stalcup.