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: Championship Opportunities Await for Historic Contenders, Rising Aces
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 5, 2024
This weekend’s Lower Peninsula Boys Golf Finals are guaranteed to produce at least one new team champion and three first-time individual medalists.
The pursuit for the Division 3 title might be the widest open and won’t include 2023 winner Grand Rapids Catholic Central, which played in Division 2 this spring. On the individual side, only Rochester Adams senior Peter Roehl is back from last year’s medalists.
Conversely, Grand Rapids Christian in Division 2 returns its full lineup after claiming last year’s team title. And the Division 2 and 4 individual standings could see plenty of movement all weekend with six top-10 finishers from last season back – including Division 4 runner-up Parker Stalcup from Clarkston Everest Collegiate and 2023 Division 3 runner-up Will Preston from GRCC, who will take on the Division 2 field this time.
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 Boys Golf page for full lineups and more.
Division 1 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Going back five seasons (and not counting COVID-canceled 2020), this division has crowned five different champions, and all five were from Metro Detroit/Ann Arbor. The last four runners-up also have represented that area of the state. Northville was first and Rochester Adams second in 2023, separated by just two strokes and with Brighton finishing third and only four strokes off the lead. Northville just made the Finals this season, finishing third and edging Brighton by a stroke for the final qualifying spot at Pine View in Ypsilanti.
Ann Arbor Skyline: The 2021 champion and 2022 runner-up finished fifth last season and graduated three from its Finals lineup. The Eagles return this weekend with five seniors on the card including 2023 starters Nikash Bhagat and Ethan Stange. Senior Vibhav Alokam tied for sixth at the Final as a sophomore and missed the top 10 standings by a stroke as a freshman on the title-winning team, and also is back. Skyline shot a 302 to win the Regional at Pine View, with Bhagat tied for second individually and Alokam, Stange and senior Chalie Eggleston all tied for fifth.
Detroit Catholic Central: The Shamrocks won their Regional at Twin Lakes in Rochester Hills with a 289, 10 strokes ahead of the field and paced by senior medalist Julian Menser at 66. He missed the individual top 10 standings by a stroke as the lowest scorer on last year’s fourth-place Finals team, and he’s joined again by sophomore David Krusinski, who finished fifth at the Regional last week.
Rochester Adams: Last season’s runner-up is seeking its first Finals championship since 1978 and is paced by the reigning medalist, senior Peter Roehl. He won the Regional at Fieldstone last week in a tie-breaker, leading Adams to the team victory as well. Junior teammate Daniel Lee also was in that first-place mix, and senior Cole Zavadil tied for seventh as the Highlanders shot a 304. Lee and Zavadil also were part of last season’s Finals lineup.
Individuals: Mattawan senior Matthew Novak and Lake Orion junior Connor Fox are the only others back from last season’s top 10, Novak having finished fourth and Fox tied for eighth. Fox also was part of that first-place tie-breaker at Fieldstone last week. Joining Roehl and Mesner as Regional champions were Portage Central senior Jake Longman, Howell junior Derek Kantola, South Lyon East senior Ryan Kruschka and Warren De La Salle Collegiate sophomore Troy Nguyen.
Division 2 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West
Grand Rapids Christian broke Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice’s two-year hold on the title last spring, with Rice finishing runner-up and just two strokes back. No other team came within 33 of the lead. Nine teams did shoot 305 or lower at last week’s Regionals, which may be an indication of some surprise movement to come this weekend.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice: The Warriors finished only third at last week’s Regional at Huron Meadows in Brighton and have only one golfer back from last season’s Finals runner-up finish. But they did shoot a 302 at Huron Meadows, and that one returnee is junior Leandro Pinili, who tied for ninth individually at the Finals as a freshman in 2022. The team’s Regional finish this time was led by sophomore Joseph Karoutsos tying for fourth, and Rice’s lineup will be comprised of three juniors and two sophomores.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood: The Cranes didn’t make the Finals last year as a team, but did send three individual qualifiers – and sophomore Henry Delzer and junior Ryan Li are back this season and helped the team to a division-low 287 Regional score to win last week at Huron Meadows. Cranbrook finished 10 strokes ahead of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and 15 fewer than Brother Rice, with sophomore Andrew Chang winning a playoff against Delzer to claim first individually, and Li tying for fourth.
Grand Rapids Christian: All five golfers will return this weekend from the team that made up 10 strokes after last year’s first round to win the program’s first Finals championship since 2013. Senior Dylan Clark was fifth individually last year and sophomore Cooper Reitsma and junior John Cassiday tied for sixth. The Eagles shot 296 last week to win by seven at Quail Ridge in Ada, with Cassiday the medalist, Clark the runner-up, Reitsma tying for sixth and sophomore Sawyer O’Grady (tied for 12th) and senior Maxwell O’Grady (tied for 16th) rounding out an impressive team performance.
Individuals: The Grand Rapids Christian trio are the highest-placing individual finishers returning from last season, and they’re joined by Ada Forest Hills Eastern junior James Seymour and Trenton senior Will Barrett, who tied for ninth in 2023. Chang and Cassiday were joined among Regional champions last week by Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior Will Preston, Richland Gull Lake sophomore Maxwell Vandermolen, St. Johns senior Grant Rustad and Tecumseh junior Grant Simpson. Preston was the runner-up in Division 3 last season.
Division 3 at Katke at Ferris State
Grand Rapids Catholic Central finished first, second and first the last three seasons, respectively, but played this season in Division 2. That’s potentially opened this tournament way up, with Grand Rapids Covenant Christian coming in with the low Regional score last week at 301 and the next four carding 315 (Traverse City St. Francis and Grand Rapids West Catholic) or 316 (Jackson Lumen Christi and Essexville Garber) at their events.
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian: After finishing 15th at last season’s Final but without a senior in the lineup, Covenant is seeking its first top-two finish and won last week’s Regional at Old Channel Trail in Montague by 14 strokes ahead of West Catholic. Four of last season’s top five are back, led by senior Michael DeVries, who finished 14th individually last year. He was the runner-up at Old Channel Trail, with senior Kodie Klamer tied for third, junior Caleb Dykstra fifth and junior Aidan Pipe tied for eighth.
Grand Rapids West Catholic: The Falcons finished runner-up to Covenant at their Regional but with one of the lowest scores across the division, with sophomore Owen Kotowski finishing first at Old Channel Trail and sophomore Alexander Bartish and seniors Zach Parzych and Sam Stellini all tying for 10th. Kotowski also tied for 14th at last season’s Final, with Parzych and senior Samuel Myers both part of the lineup as well that tied for 10th.
Jackson Lumen Christi: The Titans tied for seventh last season without an individual finisher among the top 10, and they will pursue a first team championship since 2017 with two of those golfers back plus some solid reinforcements. Junior Charlie Saunders tied for 22nd at last year’s Final and finished fifth during last week’s Regional win at Cascades in Jackson – solidly in the middle of an impressive team performance that saw freshman Brandon Kulka second, junior Anthony Kulka third, senior Jack Swihart tie for sixth and junior Adam Fuller tie for 10th.
Individuals: With Preston and 2023 medalist Matthew Sokorai from Grand Rapids Catholic Central playing in Division 2 this season, Ann Arbor Greenhills senior Max Schulman is the lone returning top-10 placer from a year ago – when he tied for third. As noted, Kotowski was a Regional champ last week, and Schulman tied for second behind Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett’s Steve McMahon at Washtenaw Golf Club in Ypsilanti. Grosse Ile sophomore Nicholas Joly-Naso, Essexville Garber senior Owen Halstead, South Haven senior Parker Williamson and Alma junior Cooper Couch also won Regional titles – Couch after a playoff with Benzie Central junior Christien Westcott.
Division 4 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State
Clarkston Everest Collegiate ascended from runner-up in 2022 to champion in 2023 and might be the favorite again this weekend. Grandville Calvin Christian was the only other team to break 330 at last week’s Regional, although 2023 Finals runner-up Hillsdale Academy had the third-lowest Regional score last week at 331 and Charlevoix at 332 should also make some noise. Calvin Christian last won a Finals in 1989, and Hillsdale Academy and Charlevoix are seeking a first team title.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate: Two-time Finals medalist Remy Stalcup graduated last spring, but younger brother Parker – now a junior – tied for 15th individually as a freshman and moved up to runner-up last season. There are four juniors and one sophomore in this year’s lineup, and Stalcup finished runner-up at last week’s Regional at Holly Meadows in Capac to junior teammate Will Pennanen, while junior Mark Cross tied for sixth and sophomore Nolan Alban tied for ninth as the team shot 312 to win by 30 strokes. Pennanen was 22nd at the Final as a freshman and tied for seventh last season.
Grand Calvin Christian: The Squires moved up from ninth at the 2022 Final to seventh last season, and they shot a 315 at Stonegate in Twin Lake last week to win that Regional by 20 strokes. Junior Josh VanderWal was the medalist, with sophomore Will Orme fourth and senior Braden VanderWal and junior Mason Schroeder tied for fifth. Braden VanderWal finished 10th at last season’s Final, when these four were the team’s low four scorers as well.
Hillsdale Academy: Last season’s Final runner-up returns four of last season’s top five, led by juniors Rykert Frisinger and Ridley Fast after they tied for third and placed fifth, respectively, in the individual standings. Junior Kahle Welden and freshman Lincoln Knirk also are back from the program’s highest-finishing team, and that foursome placed second, third, 11th and 18th respectively in winning their Regional at Coldwater Golf Club by four strokes ahead of 2021 Finals champion Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep.
Individuals: In addition to Stalcup, Frisinger, Fast and Pennanen, Maple City Glen Lake junior Michael Houtteman has dominated his area this spring after also tying for seventh at last year’s championship tournament. Houtteman also tied for fifth and Frisinger tied for eighth in 2022. Joining Josh VanderWal and Pennanen in winning Regional championships last week were Breckenridge senior Zane Schmitz, Adrian Lenawee Christian senior Connor Parisien, Kalamazoo Christian junior Ian Tuin and Harbor Springs Harbor Light Christian junior Vaughn Henagan.
PHOTO Trenton's Will Barrett lines up a putt during last season's Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)