Second-Round Surge Lands Orchard Lake St. Mary's 1st Finals Victory
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
June 8, 2024
EAST LANSING — Tom Brecht had waited 28 years for this moment, but he could think about only one thing in the immediate aftermath of the Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final at Forest Akers West.
“It’s cold,” Brecht said after getting a bucket of ice water dumped on him by his golfers. “I wish it was 90 about degrees out there; then it would be OK.”
It was the first time Brecht had experienced the traditional celebratory bath, which was fitting because it was also the first time he’d experienced a Finals title since taking over as the head coach of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in 1996.
An athletic program steeped in tradition across many sports, St. Mary’s will now get to hang a championship banner for boys golf after the Eaglets closed with a strong second day to win their first title.
Trailing by one shot after Friday’s first round, St. Mary’s shot four strokes better as a team on the second day for a final total of 603 (304-299), edging runner-up Grand Rapids Christian by one stroke.
The Eagles had entered in fourth place after shooting a first round score of 307, but shot a 297 on the second day. Richland Gull Lake was third at 609.
All of it obviously left Brecht overjoyed and beaming with warmth in spite of the cold water dripping down his back.
“I thought it would come,” Brecht said of winning a state title. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be coaching – maybe one or two more years. I’m just very thankful and blessed.”
Leading the way for St. Mary’s was senior Cooper Eaton, who shot a two-day score of 144 (71-73). Sophomore Blaise Król was next with a 147 (74-73), followed by junior Ethan Mukhtar (78-78-156), sophomore Mikey Karwaski (81-75-156) and senior Ben Carroll (82-82-164).
St. Mary’s hadn’t won a tournament going into the weekend, but close calls over the regular season turned into a breakthrough at the most important event of all.
“It’s surreal,” Eaton said. “It’s a dream come true. All the guys put it together, and it was our day. We really took care of business.”
Also taking care of business was Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior Will Preston, who like St. Mary’s broke through for the first time in what was his final high school tournament.
Preston was the individual runner-up at the last two Division 3 Finals and a part of Catholic Central’s 2023 team title.
Moving to Division 2 this year, Catholic Central didn’t qualify as a team, but Preston did individually and made good on another opportunity.
“Obviously being runner-up two years in a row sucks,” Preston said. “But you take that experience and do your best to move and keep it coming.”
After a 2-under round of 70 on the first day, Preston shot a 1-under round of 71 to finish at 141, one shot ahead of Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice junior Leandro Pinili and three shots ahead of Eaton.
The last hole for Preston was the par-4 No. 3 hole, and he knew he was two shots ahead teeing off.
He said it didn’t change his strategy of hitting an iron off of the tee, but he sprayed that shot into the rough and had to chip out.
Preston eventually laid three facing a chip shot near the green, but got up and down from there to secure a bogey and the title.
“I didn’t have my best stuff today, actually,” said Preston, who will play in college for Penn State. “But I was able to keep with it and had a couple of key up-and-downs later in the round. Just kept with it when I was struggling.”
PHOTOS (Top) Orchard Lake St. Mary's Cooper Eaton celebrates after a drive Saturday at Forest Akers West. (Middle) Grand Rapids Catholic Central's Will Preston follows a chip. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
D2 Champs Follow 1st-Place Friday with Celebration Saturday
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
June 12, 2021
BATTLE CREEK — Brockton English had dreamed for more than a year about winning the individual Lower Peninsula Division 2 golf championship, but he was far from confident going into this weekend’s tournament at Bedford Valley Golf Club.
“I played in a big invitational in Indiana earlier in the week, and I played really bad. Just really bad,” said the Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior. “I knew the (Bedford Valley) course was going to be easier than what I played in Indiana, but, still, I was a little nervous.”
A fast start Friday, with five birdies in the first 10 holes, cured the nerves, and he carded identical rounds of five-under 67 to win the individual title by five strokes over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice’s Lorenzo Pinili, who shot 68 on Saturday to finish at 139.
Pinili’s Brother Rice team won the team title, however, recording identical rounds of 290 to finish 18 strokes ahead of Flint Powers Catholic.
Warriors coaches Leon Braisted and David Sass, who co-coached the Bloomfield Hills Marian girls to the Division 3 title in the fall, became the first coaches to win Finals with boys and girls golf teams in the same school year.
“It’s a very good feeling,” Braisted said. “We’re tickled pink, and we’re going to let it soak in. It’s been a very productive school year.”
Brother Rice got off to a rough start on Saturday as the pressure of being the leader at the halfway point took its toll early.
“Part of that was nerves,” said senior Colin O’Rourke, who finished with a 74-70—144 score. “Around hole 4 or 5 our five guy settled in, and we started playing.”
The Warriors led by eight strokes over Flint Powers going into Saturday and added 10 strokes to that lead.
“That was pretty special,” O’Rourke said. “We caught a groove and never looked back.”
Pinili shot a 68 on Saturday after teammate Matt Baer had done so the day before.
“I was patient the whole day,” Pinili said. “I was giving myself chances by sticking it to 10 feet or less (from the cup). A couple (putts) didn’t fall, but I stayed patient and most of them did. I got lucky on some shots and I got some breaks and put a good round together.”
While Pinili was staying patient, English had some nervous moments down the stretch.
“On 16 I was trying to go for the green in two to get another birdie and two-putt, but I pulled my 2-iron way left of the green, next to a tree, and I had to take an unplayable lie,” he said. “That really put me on edge. I took a bogey there, and I knew Lorenzo was really close.
“On 17, I was really nervous because I had to sink a 4-footer to save par," he added, "and then I was able to roll in a birdie on 18, and that’s when I knew I had my momentum back.”
That last putt, English said, was bliss.
“It’s a weird feeling. You can’t think about it too much because you don’t want to make a mistake,” he said. “But the last putt is a great feeling. There’s no pressure any more. You make it, or you two-putt. It doesn’t matter.”
For O’Rourke, his last putt was bittersweet.
“It was a sad and happy moment at the same time,” he said. “It was my last high school tournament, but I’m fortunate to take (golf) to the next level and play in college.”
While O’Rourke will play at the University of Dayton next year, the Warriors will have both Pinili and Baer, who was a junior this year, back in 2022.
But this year’s Brother Rice team was talented, deep — and unselfish.
“We have nine guys who averaged 78 or better for 18 holes,” Braisted said. “We were blessed with talent, and we were in a lot of pressure situations. We’re in a strong league, and that experience rubbed off for us today.”
English, who will play golf on scholarship at Drexel University, credited his personal swing coach for keeping him ready through the winter, and his coaches at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep for preparing him mentally during the season.
“Mike Erskine, Kevin Ogg and John Briceland were always pushing me,” he said. “Every practice, they pushed me, giving me the hardest shots to hit against my teammates, and we had some putting contests to put some pressure on me. They didn’t let me stay satisfied. They kept me hungry for more.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice celebrates its Division 2 team championship Saturday at Bedford Valley. (Middle) Flint Powers Catholic’s Robert Burns chips during his second round. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)