Successful Shamrocks Shine Once More
June 10, 2017
By Keith Dunlap
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING – For the past three seasons, the biggest drama with Detroit Catholic Central’s boys golf team hasn’t been whether or not it would win tournaments it competed in.
Instead, it was a matter of how much the Shamrocks would win by and which player in its loaded lineup would be the medalist.
It’s been a constant battle of bragging rights for a Catholic Central team which entered this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers West having won all of its tournaments the past two years and with each starter finishing as medalist at least once during the run.
“That’s what we strive for,” senior Sean Niles said.
On Saturday, Niles ended up getting the final bragging rights at the finale for a senior class that couldn’t have been much more decorated.
Niles won the individual Division 1 title, shooting a two-day score of 139 to prevail by one shot over Plymouth senior Justin Kapke (70-70).
Grosse Pointe South sophomore Coalter Smith was third with a 144 (71-73).
Catholic Central had two more golfers finish among the top five individually – seniors James Piot and Ben Smith.
Piot was fourth at 146 (72-74), and Smith was fifth at 148 (71-77).
Needless to say, all that firepower helped Catholic Central do what was expected all season, which was win a third straight team championship.
The Shamrocks finished with a total of 581 strokes, ahead of runner-up Grosse Pointe South’s 597.
Plymouth took third with a 610, Clarkston was fourth with a 619 while Rockford rounded out the top five with a 622.
It was the definition of a bittersweet moment for Catholic Central coach Mike Anderson, who while celebrating another Finals title with his players also had to come to grips that it was the last time he got to coach a senior class that graduated with three MHSAA championships and a runner-up finish.
Catholic Central will send three of those golfers to Division I college programs with Piot going to Michigan State, Smith to Georgia Tech and Niles to Oakland University.
Senior Sean Sooch will play at Grand Valley State.
“They are my friends and my family, and we will be in touch with them for the rest of their lives,” Anderson said. “It’s a special group.”
Anderson said it was actually the finish three years ago when these seniors were freshmen that proved to be the driving force behind their success.
In 2014, Catholic Central finished one shot behind champion Swartz Creek, a painful memory the Shamrocks didn’t forget.
“That was a tough pill to swallow, and they responded,” Anderson said. “They looked toward that as something they didn’t want to happen again, and it didn’t.”
Niles led the charge for the Shamrocks this weekend, following up a 2-under par 70 on Friday with a 3-under par 69 at a difficult Forest Akers West course.
“It is a strategy course,” Niles said. “You are basically doing all you can to keep it in the fairway. It’s a placement course. That is all it is.”
Kapke had a chance to tie Niles on the final hole and force a playoff, but couldn’t connect on what was roughly a 20-foot putt.
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Catholic Central, including medalist Sean Niles holding the trophy, stands together a final time after winning a Division 1 title. (Middle) Birmingham Brother Rice’s Brendan O’Rourke punches out of a bunker. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Wykons Follow Bociek on Dominating Run
May 30, 2018
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
NORWAY – Trey Bociek found a pretty efficient way to get around Oak Crest Golf Course here Wednesday.
The sophomore simply played bombs away off the tee, pounding his drives some 280 to 300 yards with deadly accuracy over the rolling, tree-lined 5,903 yards. He posted a career-best 74 to help his Iron River West Iron County teammates capture the Upper Peninsula Division 2 boys championship.
Bociek was the medalist and finished three shots ahead of teammate Nathan Thomson, whose brother Noah was fourth with 80. Trevor Tchida of Hancock was third at 79, while Norway's Evan Anderson was fifth with 81.
Bociek also plays hockey, for Kingsford under the co-op program. He golfs from the right side but is a lefty with a hockey stick as a center. Hockey is his favorite sport.
He struggled at the start, with a string of three bogeys before getting three birdies to close out the front nine. He had two birdies and seven pars on the back.
"The first birdie (on hole 2 following par on the short dogleg left opening hole) started me off," he said. "I got into it and had a good pace the rest of the way."
While some players said the greens were slow, Bociek was happy with the speed. "I like them that way because I can hit the ball harder," he said, adding he also was solid with his approach wedge shots.
Playing at George Young Golf Course in Gaastra, south of Iron River, has been helpful to his development because its tree-lined fairways and large greens.
Bociek said he was focused on his game of golf. "I was not worrying about anybody else," he said. "I blocked everybody out and did my thing."
Bociek pointed out the Wykons have three sophomores and two freshmen, which should bode well for the future. Coach Mark Martini agreed with Bociek that the Wykons should continue to contend.
"They don't realize this opportunity doesn't come along that often in life," he said of potentially establishing a dynasty.
Martini said Wednesday's success actually began around Easter when he sent a text to his players "to get ready for the train and the U.P. and we are going to win. We talked about it all year.
"They played like this all the time. They practice well, they listen well," he added, indicating the Wykons did not use a surprising runner-up finish at the conference finals as incentive.
The Wykons also won U.P. titles in 2003, 2008 and 2015.
PHOTOS: (Top) Iron River West Iron County handily captured the Upper Peninsula Division 2 boys golf championship May 30 at Norway’s Oak Crest Golf Course. The Wykons finished with 315 strokes, 29 fewer than runner-up Norway. The team is comprised of, from left, Trey Bociek, Brayden Nelson, Noah Thomson, Peyton Williams, Nate Thomson and coach Mark Martini. (Middle) Bryce Bowerman of Munising chips onto the 16th green. (Photos by Dennis Grall.)