Rain Delay Can't Stop Flint Powers' Charge

June 10, 2018

By Butch Harmon
Special for Second Half

BATTLE CREEK – The Flint Powers Catholic boys golf team gained plenty of experience playing after extensive weather delays this season.

That experience paid major dividends during the second round of the Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals on Saturday.

Shortly after the first groups hit their tee shots at Bedford Valley Golf Course, the cracks of thunder brought out the horn calling players off the course. The next five-plus hours found golfers, coaches and spectators huddled in and about the clubhouse as heavy rains hit and put day two of the Finals in jeopardy. After a nearly six-hour delay, the rain came to an end and the Division 2 golfers finished just before darkness fell to cap a highly-competitive two days of golf.

Flint Powers came out on top with a two-day total of 600 to edge Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (603) and East Grand Rapids (608).

The lengthy delay was something the Powers golfers had experience with as they endured a four-hour delay during the regular season on their way to winning a tournament at Katke in Big Rapids.

“I’m so thankful we went through that because the boys handled it very well up there, and they were able to take that and carry it over and handle it today,” said Powers Catholic coach Robert Beach. “They just kicked back and relaxed, and we tried to have a little fun. We went out and had lunch and got back here and had to wait a little bit longer, but once that horn sounds, they’re in competitive mode.”

Powers strung together four strong scores after the delay as sophomore Grant Tucker shot a 72, senior Matt Knight carded a 73, senior Zach Hopkins shot a 74 and sophomore Ty Vanitvelt added a 76.

Heading into Saturday’s final round, the Chargers trailed Friday’s leader, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, by five strokes. Notre Dame Prep shot a 300 on the first day, followed by East Grand Rapids with a 301 and Forest Hills Northern with a 302. Following right behind Powers Catholic was DeWitt with a 306, Gaylord and Richland Gull Lake with 308 and Byron Center with 309 – in all, seven teams were within nine strokes of the lead.

“This is my 30th year of coaching, and I’ve never seen it this close,” Beach said. “I’ve never seen so many teams that had a chance going into today. I was talking to the other coaches, and we were all hoping and praying. Our kids worked so hard, every team worked so hard to get here, all I wanted was just a chance today. I’m so thankful all these kids got a chance to experience the second day of the state tournament.”

For the Powers seniors, the title was extra sweet after they finished second at last year’s state meet.

“We had the mindset going into today that if we were able to play, we would pull it off,” Knight said. “It’s pretty cool to see that happen. It’s a big turnaround in one year and a great way to go out as a senior.”

Fellow senior Hopkins finished the tournament with rounds of 73 and 74 to lead the Chargers with a 147 total, eight shots off the lead. Although the delay was a challenge, the opportunity to capture the title made the wait worth it.

“The delay was a little annoying,” Hopkins said. “We didn’t know if we would play today. I’m happy that we ended up playing. The course itself was actually not as wet as I thought it would be.

“That’s all we wanted all this year. I’m happy we finally accomplished it.”

Mason’s Alex Jordan also made the most of the long delay. Jordan put together two solid rounds to win the medalist honor with a 139. Nick Krueger of Spring Lake placed second with a 141 followed by Andrew Kolar of Forest Hills Central with a 142 and Tanner Moore of Byron Center and Charlie DeLong of DeWitt with both at 143.

Trailing by two strokes entering the second day, Jordan relaxed and spent time with people close to him.

“It was nice being with my mom and my coach,” Jordan said. “Being able to talk with them and not get impatient just thinking about it. I was able to distract myself a little bit. I did a good job of staying patient. When I came back I had an eight-foot putt for birdie, and I knocked it in on the first hole.”

After shooting a 69 on Friday, the birdie putt sent Jordan on to a score of 70 after the weather delay. Jordan’s strategy was the same as it was for the first round.

“I just tried to do the same things I did yesterday,” Jordan said. “I played a very similar round as far as making decisions and where I placed the ball, and it worked.”

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PHOTOS: (Top) Flint Powers coach Robert Beach and golfer Grant Tucker confer during Saturday’s second round at Bedford Valley. (Middle) Mason’s Alex Jordan watches one of his shots. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Cabrini's Logan To Tee Off in Finals First

By Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half

June 9, 2016

ALLEN PARK – The summer of 2015 was a season of change for Katie Logan.

A senior-to-be at Allen Park Cabrini, she had played the game of golf since she was 3 years old and had been a solid player throughout high school. She’s played on the varsity golf team all four years – but she competes on the boys team.

Logan said she’d never come close to qualifying for the MHSAA Finals in the past and was unaware that she soon could be making history, thanks in part to strides made in her game the last two years and especially last summer that helped her get on par with the best of her spring competition.

Other girls have competed on boys golf teams, but it’s not common. And, until now, it is believed Logan might become the first girl to compete at the MHSAA Boys Golf Finals as an individual qualifier.

“My freshman year was hard,” she said of competing during boys season. “I wasn’t used to it. It was intimidating. Last year I started to hit it as far, or farther, than the guys.”

Michigan High School Athletic Association rules allow a female athlete to compete with the boys, as long as she does not also play on her school's girls team in the same sport during the same school year. Cabrini does not sponsor a girls golf team due to a lack of participation.

Logan, 17, shot a 7-over par 79 in the Regionals at Atlas Valley Country Club in Grand Blanc last weekend to qualify, as an individual, for the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final to be held Friday and Saturday at Forest Akers East Golf Course in East Lansing.

The fact that she was able to match her teammates with her drives did much for her confidence.

And then last summer, Logan began working with Brian Cairns, one of the state’s top teaching professionals, out of Fox Hills Golf and Banquet Center in Plymouth. Under Cairns’ tutelage, Logan’s game took off. Last summer she shot a career-low 74 at the Lakes of Taylor, her home course.

“Everything came together,” Logan said. “I’m executing shots now. He’s really good with the short game. But it’s really just the mechanics.

“He helped me to be more confident. Before, I would kind of like be a downer.”

Young players have a difficult time accepting that everyone hits bad shots from time to time. Perfection doesn’t exist in this game. Golf teaches patience, and if a player has difficulty forgetting a bad shot and moving on to the next it can wear on her or him. Winning is most often not a measurement used to define success in golf. Good players often strive for consistency.

Kevin Logan was the one who introduced his daughter to the game and taught her the basics. When he realized he had gone as far as he could, Cairns stepped in.

“Right now, when she competes against the boys, it’s her consistency that carries her,” Kevin Logan said. “She darn near hits every fairway with her drives. When she plays against the girls, it’s her length that sets her apart.”

Katie Logan is a good athlete. She was captain of her volleyball team, and she said the average length of her drives is 260 yards.

And just because Logan is a girl doesn’t mean she catches a break playing with the boys. She hits from their tees and keeps pace. In some respects, playing from the men’s tees is an advantage.

“With the guys the courses are 6,300 or 6,400 yards,” she said. “In the summer I’m playing on much shorter courses, 5,800 or 6,000.”

According to Logan, a top-10 finish is not out of the question. She’ll have to be on her game for that to take place. Last year’s Division 3 medalist shot 144 for 36 holes, but that was at Forest Akers West, a more challenging track than the East. The Division 2 final was held at East last year, and the medalist shot 134. The two players who finished in 10th each shot 146. Logan needs to break 150 to have a chance at the top 10.

Regardless, she has already broken barriers and taken positive steps toward her future in the game. Her handicap was two in 2015, and last fall she signed to continue at Central Michigan University.

“I’m very excited,” she said of playing in the Finals. “It was one of my big goals.”

Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Allen Park Cabrini’s Katie Logan putts to finish off a hole this season. (Middle) Logan tries to send a spike through an opposing block during volleyball season in the fall. (Photos courtesy of the Allen Park Cabrini athletic department.)