Preview: Runners-Up in Champion Form
June 7, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This could be a weekend of coincidence as all four 2017 Lower Peninsula Boys Golf Finals runners-up are in position to take the most challenging last step and become MHSAA champions.
Grosse Pointe South in Division 1 and Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian in Division 4 entered the postseason ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions after coming in second a year ago – and both are seeking their first MHSAA Finals title in this sport. Flint Powers Catholic in Division 2 and Big Rapids in Division 3 entered Regional week ranked No. 2 in their respective divisions – also as runners-up in 2017 looking to bring home the championship trophy this time.
Below are a handful of possible 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 The Meadows at Grand Valley State University
Reigning champion: Detroit Catholic Central.
2017 runner-up: Grosse Pointe South.
Top-ranked: 1. Grosse Pointe South, 2. Clarkston, 3. Birmingham Seaholm.
Detroit Catholic Central has won the last three LPD1 championships, and Grosse Pointe South has finished second both of the last two seasons. Twelve of 18 Finals qualifiers shot 315 or lower at their Regionals, which could signal this being a far tighter race than last season when the Shamrocks won by 16 and the Blue Devils cleared third place by another 13 strokes.
Grosse Pointe South: The Blue Devils shot a 300 to win their Regional at The Orchards in Washington ahead of No. 5 Birmingham Brother Rice and No. 3 Seaholm. The top four scorers all shot 78 or better to finish 10th or higher individually, led by runner-up Patrick Sullivan and third-place Coalter Smith. They are two of four back from last season’s Finals lineup, and Smith came in third individually at last year’s championship event.
Hartland: The Eagles entered last week ranked No. 9, but get a mention here after winning a Regional at Dunham Hills in Hartland with a 303, ahead of No. 10 Northville, No. 7 DCC and No. 2 Clarkston. Hartland finished ninth last season, and three of those starters are back this weekend including senior Mitchell Cotten. He tied for the team’s lowest score at the 2017 Finals and finished second overall at last week’s Regional.
Rockford: The Rams are seeking their first MHSAA championship in this sport, but finished fifth last season and look like a contender after shooting 310 to win their Regional at Thornapple Pointe in Grand Rapids by 21 strokes. Junior Kevin Healy was the individual runner-up at 74 and tied for eighth at the 2017 Final. Sophomore Nathan Barton and freshman Oliver Haberle also finished among the top 10 at the Regional, and Barton and senior Daniel Froumis were part of the lineup during last season’s run.
Other individuals of note: Ann Arbor Skyline sophomore Cam Cowland and Birmingham Seaholm senior Henry Scavone were among others who tied for eighth at last year’s Final. Scavone was 14th at his Regional last week but should be in form while leading one of the team contenders, and Cowland was medalist at the Regional at Polo Fields in Ann Arbor in leading his team to the championship. Brother Rice senior Brendan O’Rouke shot 68 to win at the Orchards, while New Baltimore Anchor Bay seniors Tory Saunby and Michael Romanoski both shot 68 to tie for first in leading their team to the title at Oakland’s Twin Lakes. Northville senior Jimmy Dales, Midland Dow sophomore Anthony Zeitler and Portage Central sophomore Will Anderson also won Regionals, Anderson shooting a 66 at Thornapple Pointe.
LP Division 2 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Reigning champion: St. Johns.
2017 runner-up: Flint Powers Catholic.
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 2. Flint Powers Catholic, 3. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.
St. Johns’ two-year reign will come to end; the Redwings didn’t qualify this spring after graduating most of their lineup in 2017. Powers finished 24 strokes back a year ago but also 15 strokes ahead of the rest of the field and could be in line for its first title since 2001. Top-ranked Forest Hills Northern is playing for its first since 1983, but finished only second at its Regional to No. 4 Gaylord. Seven teams shot 312 or better at Regionals, led by No. 8 East Grand Rapids at 298.
Flint Powers Catholic: The Chargers won their Regional at Hawk Hollow in East Lansing with a 303, two strokes better than No. 6 DeWitt. Three golfers are back from last season’s runner-up run, led by senior Zach Hopkins – he tied for 10th at last year’s Final and for third with sophomore teammate Grant Tucker at last week’s Regional. Powers’ top four all broke 80 at Hawk Hollow.
Gaylord: The Blue Devils are aiming for their first top-two Finals finish after coming in 11th last season. They shot a 311 to win the Regional at Cedar Chase in Cedar Springs by seven over Forest Hills Northern, with junior Brendon Gouin the individual medalist at 72. Gaylord’s top four finished among the top nine individuals, and all four were part of last season’s lineup as well.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern: Despite the runner-up Regional finish, it’s tough to not see the Huskies among the favorites with five of their top six back from last season’s eighth-place (tied) Finals finish. Three players finished among the top six placers, with ties, at the Regional led by fourth-place junior Noah Kolar. Forest Hills Northern has been ranked No. 1 since the end of April.
Other individuals of note: Ada Forest Hills Eastern junior Brad Smithson tied for third at last year’s Final and leads another team that easily could be in contention – he finished third individually at Cedar Chase as Forest Hills Eastern followed Powers and FHN. Spring Lake junior Nick Krueger tied for fifth in 2017 and was runner-up to Gouin at the same loaded Regional last week. Allendale senior Asher Meekof just missed the top 10 individuals at last year’s Final and will return as a Regional champion. Marshall sophomore Matt Flynn also was a Regional champ; his sophomore teammate Hayden Chapman tied for 10th a year ago at the Final. Mason junior Alex Jordan, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior Jack Williams and Trenton senior Brent Trela also were Regional champions last week.
LP Division 3 at Forest Akers West at Michigan State University
Reigning champion: Jackson Lumen Christi.
2017 runner-up: Big Rapids.
Top-ranked: 1. Grosse Ile, 2. Big Rapids. 3. Schoolcraft.
Jackson Lumen Christi and Lansing Catholic have won eight of the last nine championships in this division. But Grosse Ile is favored to win its first since 2003, and Big Rapids is seeking its first since 2008 after finishing runner-up and eight strokes back a year ago.
Big Rapids: Four of the five starters from last season’s runner-up team will be back this weekend, led by junior Pierce Morrissey. He tied for fifth at last year’s Final and was the medalist last week at Willow Wood in Portland as the Cardinals edged No. 8 Grand Rapids West Catholic by a stroke for the team title. Two others finished among the top seven individually as Big Rapids shot a 314.
Grosse Ile: The Red Devils have held down the top spot in the state poll since late April, coming off a fourth-place finish in Division 2 a year ago. Three golfers are back from the six that played at least a round at last year’s Final, and senior Joey Test was the medalist last week at Hantz Golf Club in Tecumseh as Grosse Ile won the team Regional title.
Hanover-Horton: The No. 4 Comets get the slight nod ahead of Schoolcraft after winning their Regional ahead of reigning champ and current No. 9 Jackson Lumen Christi last week. Hanover-Horton shot a 313 at Hunters Ridge in Howell to clear the Titans by 11 strokes, led by sophomore and individual runner-up Jack Brockie. Senior Garret Spink tied for fourth at the Regional and tied for fifth at last year’s Final as the Comets finished fifth as a team in 2017.
Other individuals of note: In addition to Spink and Morrissey, four others are back from last year’s top 10. Tawas senior Daniel Shattuck was runner-up last spring after advancing to a playoff for the top spot. Portland sophomore Zach Pier is back after tying for third, while Houghton Lake senior Brock Decker also tied for fifth and Grand Rapids West Catholic senior Anderson Ryan was eighth. Ludington senior Evan McKinley finished a stroke ahead of Decker last week at Grandview Country Club in Kalkaska for a Regional title, while Morrissey won by a stroke over Pier. Jonesville senior Grant Baker, Napoleon freshman Evan Brzyski and St. Louis junior Grant Mills also won Regional titles.
LP Division 4 at Forest Akers East at Michigan State University
Reigning champion: Clarkston Everest Collegiate.
2017 runner-up: Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian.
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 2. Suttons Bay, 3. Clarkston Everest Collegiate.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate will seek to win its third straight Division 4 championship, but NorthPointe was last year’s runner-up 11 strokes back – and 13 ahead of the rest of the field. Suttons Bay didn’t make the field as a team last year but has one of best individuals on the card. Those three teams were the only three to clear 330 at last week’s Regionals.
Clarkston Everest College: Four of five starters are back from last year’s championship team, and three were on the 2016 winner as well. Junior Mitch Lowney was the runner-up at the 2017 Final and also won last week’s Regional at Whitmore Lake Golf Links as his team cleared the field by 24 strokes. Junior Mia Korns was the one player not in last year’s starting lineup, but she finished third at last week’s Regional and was seventh at the 2016 Division 4 Girls Final.
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian: All five golfers are back from last season’s runner-up showing, when senior Logan Holtkamp came in sixth individually. NorthPointe won the Regional last week at Muskegon Country Club by 32 strokes with Holtkamp the medalist, junior Erik Fahlen and senior Hayden VanErmen tying for second and senior Ben Farrell coming in fourth.
Suttons Bay: The Norsemen won Division 4 as recently as 2015, and although they didn’t play the Final as a team last year senior Thomas Hursey tied for eighth as an individual qualifier. Suttons Bay won the Regional at Grand Traverse Resort last week by 21 strokes with Hursey finishing first and senior Parker LaPointe tying for second.
Other individuals of note: The last two individual champions are back this weekend, and they are among eight of last year’s top 10 returning to the field. Clinton junior Austin Fauser won last year’s Final and last week’s Regional at Concord Hills. Lansing Christian senior Parker Jamieson was the 2016 Final champion, tied for eighth last season and finished second to Fauser last week. Kalamazoo Christian senior Colin Sikkenga, Harbor Springs senior Cole Ketterer and Kalamazoo Hackett sophomore Will Verduzco came in third-fifth, respectively, at last season’s Final, and Sikkenga was a Regional champion last week. Bad Axe junior Colby Meeks also is coming off a Regional title.
PHOTO: St. Louis’ Grant Mills watches a shot during his Division 3 Regional title run last week at Pine River Country Club. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Preview: While 1 New Champ Guaranteed, Field Filled with Familiar Contenders
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 8, 2023
At least one new team champion will be celebrated at this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Boys Golf Finals, while three teams from the Detroit Catholic League will be seeking repeats although they will be met by several more contenders when play begins Friday.
The individual races also have familiar favorites with plenty of valuable Finals experience. Runners-up from all four divisions will be playing to take the final step this weekend, including both who tied for second in Division 1 a year ago.
Play begins both Friday and Saturday at 9 a.m. See below for more on a number of teams and individuals who could be in contention, and check out the MHSAA.com Boys Golf page for full lineups and more. (Rankings are via iWanamaker at the end of the regular season.)
Division 1 at The Meadows of Grand Valley State
Top-ranked: 1. Ann Arbor Skyline, 2. Brighton, 3. Traverse City Central.
Skyline won the championship in 2021 and was runner-up last season to Detroit Catholic Central, only two strokes back and as the only team to clear 300 strokes both rounds. Brighton is seeking its first championship ever and first top-two finish since 1967, and Traverse City Central is pursuing what would be its first championship since 1996, before Traverse City High split into two schools. Nine teams broke 310 across the six Regionals last week, with DCC’s 288 at Salem Hills in Northville easily the lowest score.
Ann Arbor Skyline: The Eagles shot a 301 to win the Regional at Pine View in Ypsilanti by 34 strokes, led by three golfers who were part of last season’s runner-up Finals finish – junior Vibhav Alokam and seniors Andrew Slade and Hank Roebuck – as all five Skyline golfers finished among the individual top five and ties for the fifth spot. Alokam was the Regional champ with a 71 after tying for sixth at last season’s Final, where Roebuck was just one stroke out of the top 15. Alokam also was the team’s second-lowest scorer at the 2021 Finals win.
Brighton: The Bulldogs have climbed from seventh to third at the Finals over the last two seasons and will return all five golfers this weekend from last year’s run – with three of those five also on the 2021 team. Brighton finished second at Salem Hills to DCC, shooting a 296, with senior Andrew Daily fourth at 69 and senior Winston Lerch tied for seventh at 74. Daily tied for second at last season’s Final.
Traverse City Central: The Trojans have dominated in Northern Michigan this spring and continued during a Regional trip south to Currie West in Midland, where they won by four strokes shooting a 309. Central has improved from tied for ninth to sixth over the last two Finals and will bring four players back this weekend from last season’s contender. Senior Michael Beattie tied for fourth at the Regional with a 75, and senior Mack Shane tied for eighth at 77.
Individuals: Daily and Alokam are joined by East Lansing junior Drew Miller (tied for second) and DCC junior Julian Menser (eighth) among returnees from last year’s Final top 10. Menser won the Salem Hills Regional with a 66 and is the only returnee from last season’s DCC championship lineup. Miller was third at the Currie West Regional, won by Holt senior Zach Johnson. Portage Central senior Ethan Tiller, Rochester Adams junior Peter Roehl and Warren De La Salle sophomore Max Teschendorf also were Regional champions last week, and South Lyon East junior Ryan Kruschka (67) and Northville senior Mason Sokolowski (68) also broke 70 in finishing second and third, respectively, to Menser. Mattawan junior Matthew Novak was second to Tiller at Sunnybrook in Grandville and tied for ninth at last year’s LPD2 Final.
Division 2 at The Fortress in Frankenmuth
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Christian, 2. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 3. Richland Gull Lake.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice has won the last two Division 2 championships and finished runner-up to St. Mary’s at last week’s Regional at Huron Meadows Metropark in Brighton with three members of last year’s championship lineup finishing seventh individually (with ties) or higher. The Warriors shot a 300, but St. Mary’s shot a 293 that was the low for all Division 2 Regionals. Grand Rapids Christian also broke 300, shooting a 296 at Diamond Springs in Hamilton as it pursues its first Finals title since 2013. Vicksburg shot a 299 at Coldwater Golf Course and is pursuing its first top-two finish after tying for 17th a year ago.
Grand Rapids Christian: The Eagles didn’t have a senior in their Regional lineup but placed four among the top five individuals (with ties) including sophomore John Cassiday and junior Maxwell O’Grady, who tied for first. They were part of last season’s fourth-place Finals lineup, and juniors Adam Workman and Dylan Clark also are back among the top five this spring after finishing tied for fifth and tied for 16th, respectively, at last year’s Final.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s: The Eaglets were ninth a year ago with just one senior and four underclassmen, and three of those four are back this weekend. Juniors Cooper Eaton and Ben Carroll led the Regional title charge tying for second individually at Huron Meadows, with sophomores Ethan Mukhtar and Mason Shea placing sixth and tied for seventh, respectively.
Richland Gull Lake: Last season’s runner-up team graduated the individual medalist, but returns the rest of the lineup this weekend after finishing third at Coldwater. Junior Beau Carr is the newcomer but was the team’s low scorer at the Regional as he tied for fourth.
Individuals: Total five of the top 12 (as three players tied for 10th) from last season are back in the field, led by Brother Rice senior Lorenzo Pinili after he tied for second in 2022 and finished second outright in 2021. He won the Huron Meadows Regional individual championship in a tie-breaker hole. Sophomore Leandro Pinili tied for fourth at the Regional and tied for ninth at last year’s Final. Adrian junior Carson Ritz returns after finishing fourth a year ago, as does Gaylord senior Kole Putnam after tying for fifth. Other individual Regional champions last week were Ritz, Grand Rapids Northview sophomore William Pollack, Vicksburg senior Josiah McClelland and Flint Powers Catholic senior Robert Burns. Burns tied for 12th and Pollack for 14th at last season’s Final, and Burns tied for fifth in 2021.
Division 3 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 2. Jackson Lumen Christi, 3. Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central will play for its second championship in three seasons after winning in 2021 and finishing runner-up last spring to Ann Arbor Greenhills. The Gryphons are back in the mix after a third-place Regional team finish but individual Regional championship by junior Max Shulman, one of two golfers back from last year’s Finals lineup. Lumen Christi won that Regional, by 15 strokes at Hills of Lenawee in Adrian and with four golfers among the top 10 individual finishers. Fourth-ranked Hanover-Horton was runner-up at the Regional, one of the strongest in the state in any division. Liggett is seeking its first championship since 1982 but coming off a Regional runner-up finish to Lansing Catholic at Hawk Hollow in Bath.
Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett: The Knights have three golfers back from last year’s top five as the team improved to third at the Final from tied for fourth in 2021. Senior Sean Sullivan and sophomore Charlie Cooksey finished tied for eighth and tied for sixth, respectively, in the individual standings last spring and tied for second at last week’s Regional.
Jackson Lumen Christi: The Titans are coming off a seventh-place Finals finish, and they’ll be returning their entire lineup this weekend. Senior Joshua Baker and sophomore Charlie Saunders led the Regional title run tying for fifth individually. Senior Nash Hanchett was seventh at the Regional and led the team tying for 16th at last year’s Final.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central: The Cougars also were Regional champions, shooting a 317 at The Falls at Barber Creek in Kent City to win by 19 strokes. Junior Will Preston was the medalist at 69, and junior Matthew Sokorai tied for second after they were also the team’s top two scorers at last year’s Final when Preston was second individually and Sokorai was 18th.
Individuals: Six golfers from last year’s top 10 are back; joining Preston, Shulman (tied for sixth), Cooksey and Sullivan are Grand Rapids Covenant Christian junior Michael DeVries (tied for 10th) and Hanover-Horton senior Brady Applegate (also tied for 10th). Joining Preston as Regional champs last week were Olivet senior Dawson Redfield, Shepherd sophomore Christopher Crockett, Lansing Catholic sophomore Hayden Riley, Adrian Madison freshman Cameron Bozyk and Tawas senior Alex Kaems, who won in a playoff.
Division 4 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Top-ranked: 1. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 2. Maple City Glen Lake, 3. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep.
There will be a new champion as 2022 title winner Lansing Christian is not in this weekend’s field, and Hackett won in both 2021 and 2019, while Everest was the runner-up last season. The Mountaineers last won a Finals championship in 2017 (and actually 2016 as well), while Glen Lake is pursuing its first title as are No. 4 Charlevoix and No. 5 Hillsdale Academy among other contenders.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate: The Mountaineers shot a 293 at Fountains in Clarkston to win their Regional last week by 34 strokes, with the four scorers all finishing tied for seventh or higher individually. Senior Remy Stalcup was the medalist with a 69, followed by sophomore Parker Stalcup in second and sophomore Will Pennanen third, and they were the team’s top three at last season’s Final as well. Remy Stalcup tied for third at last year’s championship tournament, while Parker Stalcup tied for 15th.
Maple City Glen Lake: After finishing fourth in 2021 and third last season, the Lakers should be in the hunt with three golfers back from year’s lineup including senior Blake O’Connor – who was the Finals runner-up last season and tied for ninth as a sophomore. He and sophomore Michael Houtteman tied for second at last week’s Regional at Harbor Point in Harbor Springs.
Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep: The Fighting Irish were fourth a year ago with four freshmen and a junior all playing at least one Finals round, and four of those five golfers helped the team return this weekend with a third-place Regional finish at Clearbrook in Saugatuck – but with the biggest contributor freshman Justin Tyler, who won the individual title.
Individuals: O’Connor and Remy Stalcup are a pretty formidable pair returning from the top three, and they and Houtteman are joined by three more top-10 finishers from a year ago: Saginaw Nouvel sophomore Alex McCarthy (tied for fifth), Hillsdale Academy junior Rykert Frisinger (tied for eighth) and Lansing Christian senior Baylor Brogan (tied for eighth). Frisinger and McCarthy joined Tyler and Stalcup among Regional champions last week, as did Grandville Calvin Christian freshman Will Orme and Charlevoix junior Hudson Vollmer.
PHOTO Ann Arbor Skyline’s Vibhav Alokam tees off during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final at Katke Golf Course. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)