Carras Sisters Launch Dow into Elite
September 28, 2016
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
MIDLAND — There are a lot of reasons why a young person from Michigan would want to head south to spend her college years.
Soaking up some sun on the beach or bidding adieu to blizzards and wind-chill factors rank high on the list of perks, but not for Stephanie and Alexis Carras of Midland Dow.
For them, better year-round weather means more quality time on the golf course. Stephanie, a senior, will compete collegiately at the University of Georgia, while Alexis, a junior, has been looking into Wofford College in South Carolina as she sorts through recruiting offers. Both destinations will offer the sisters the opportunity to play through the winter.
Golf has become that kind of priority for the Carras sisters, who have become two of the best golfers in Michigan in a relatively short amount of time.
As members of a golfing family, they were exposed to the sport as youngsters. However, both focused primarily on basketball, while Stephanie also played volleyball. It wasn't until just before high school that they began to take golf seriously.
"I started around my eighth-grade year," Alexis said. "I started doing tournaments then. Then my whole life basically became golf."
Stephanie's freshman year was the senior year of older sister Kharissa, who came out for golf that season for the first time after three years on the volleyball team. That combination elevated a Dow team that was eighth in its Regional the previous year to a third-place finish in the 2013 MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 tournament.
Stephanie finished third individually, four shots behind champion Elle Nichols of Okemos. Kharrisa tied for 10th place.
It was an eye-opening experience for Stephanie.
"It was actually after the state tournament my freshman year that I decided I would just go all-in and practice really hard in golf," Stephanie said. "When I went to that tournament, it was the first tournament that was a big deal. There was a lot of pressure, and I loved it. I loved the competitiveness. I loved the pressure."
Stephanie Carras has thrived in the pressure of the MHSAA Finals in her first three years of high school, finishing among the top four individually each time. After taking third as a freshman, she was fourth in 2014 and second by two shots in 2015. Alexis tied for third last season, three shots behind champion Karina VanDuinen of Muskegon Reeths-Puffer.
Their efforts led Dow to the best finish in school history, a second-place showing behind Birmingham Seaholm. The Chargers, ranked No. 1 coming into the tournament, were two shots behind Seaholm after the first round, but shot 340 in the second; Seaholm shot 329.
"We were just a little off, but Seaholm played well," Dow coach Doug Bradford said. "It wasn't like we really tanked the second day. We didn't play quite as well and Seaholm played well. The kids were disappointed, of course. By the time we got someplace to eat, they realized second in the state is a great accomplishment; that was the best in school history. To be one of the top two teams in your division, what a nice accomplishment it was; it was a real successful year."
Before 2013, Dow wasn't a factor on the state golf scene.
The Chargers qualified for the Finals only four times during the first 41 years that the MHSAA sponsored the sport. They made the top 10 only once, taking eighth in 1982. The last three years have been the best in school history, as the Chargers took third in 2013, fifth in 2014 and second in 2015.
Another high finish is expected this season for Dow, which is ranked No. 1 in Division 2. The Chargers have won four of the nine tournaments they've entered and finished second in two others. They've taken on elite Division 1 competition at the Bob Lober Invitational (second by three shots to Novi), the Troy Invitational (fourth) and the Ann Arbor Pioneer Invitational (fourth).
"They want to play with those good teams," Bradford said. "A few years ago, before we got to this, the kids were intimidated if we went down and said, 'We're playing Rochester today,' They would've had a really hard time with that. That would not have been fun. They wanted to play schools similar to them. Now the girls look forward to that challenge, hoping we play with the better teams in the tournament. I explain to them that usually we do. That's an honor thing. People setting up the tournaments recognize we're a strong team, so they're putting us with other strong teams."
Having two strong golfers at the top of the lineup is a great start, but is meaningless if there isn't enough depth to propel a team high in the standings.
The Chargers have a group of players behind the Carras sisters who post consistently solid scores and have experience playing in big tournaments.
Mina Fabiano averages 87.5, shooting in the 90s only once in eight 18-hole rounds. Grace Baillargeon averages 89.8, Caroline Szabo 90.4, Morgan Deiters 90.9 and Tatum Matthews 93.8. The Chargers have eight players who have shot 87 or lower at least once this season.
"Our whole team is doing so well," Stephanie Carras said. "It's incredible. We always know we can lean on each other. It's a very fun team to be part of. It's more fun when you're with a team, because you're happy when other teammates do well. Even if you have an off day, someone else will come in with a low score who can make it better and pick you up."
Stephanie Carras averages 72.8 for 18 holes, winning five of her seven tournaments. Her 69 in the Frank Altimore Invitational tied a school record. Alexis Carras averages 75.9, winning three of her eight tournaments and taking second to her sister twice. In nine-hole play, Alexis has won three of Dow's four events. Stephanie has won two nine-hole matches, tying for first with Alexis once.
"We used to play basketball together," Stephanie said. "When we'd do summer camps, we'd be on opposite teams. We played different positions, but we always liked to guard each other.
"We're very competitive, but also happy to see the other one do well, too. If I get beat, I'd rather it be by my sister."
Bill Khan served as a sportswriter at The Flint Journal from 1981-2011 and served as a correspondent the last three years for Second Half. This is his final report, as he recently accepted a position with the Livingston Daily Argus & Press. He can be reached at [email protected].
PHOTOS: (Top) Midland Dow's Stephanie Carras watches an approach during last season's Lower Peninsula Division 2 Finals. (Middle) Alexis Carras follows a shot as it takes flight at Battle Creek's Bedford Valley. (Below) Stephanie, far left, and Alexis, far right, stand with Birmingham Seaholm's Jordan Michalak and the rest of the top-10 individual finishers last fall. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Reigning Champ Adams, Neighbor Rochester High Aiming to Set Pace Statewide
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
August 17, 2023
The Lower Peninsula Division 1 Girls Golf Tournament might not be until October, but there probably will be many events before then that feel the same for Rochester Adams and Rochester High.
That’s because whether it’s at invitationals, dual matches or league tournaments, whenever they are competing at the same event, it will likely be more than a battle of the best teams in Rochester or Oakland County.
It could very well be a contest between the two best teams in the state that reside roughly three miles from one another.
“It’s nice to be battle-tested,” Adams coach Jeff Kutschman said. “We see Rochester this year between duals and tournaments probably six or seven times.”
Adams enters this year as the reigning LPD1 champion after a resounding triumph at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley a year ago.
The Highlanders captured their first Finals championship by finishing 47 strokes ahead of runner-up Brighton, and Adams might be even more potent this year. The only graduate off of that team was Grace Wang, so Adams is in a great spot to repeat with nine of 11 players back.
Laura Liu, Katie Fodale and Olivia Dance will be the senior leaders, with junior Alexa Camargo and sophomore Hannah Wang also back after playing at the Final last season.
“The mindset for the girls is just like it was last year, where it was one day at a time and one shot at a time,” Kutschman said. “We tried not to let anything get too big in front of us. Just go out and play golf. Just have a good time and focus on what you’re doing at the time.”
A traditional power that went through some hard times after winning its last Division 1 championship in 2016, Rochester seems to be back on the upswing.
The Falcons finished third at last year’s Final — 52 shots behind Adams — in what was their first top-5 finish since the 2016 squad won it all.
Even better for Rochester is that its best four golfers are back from last year’s team: seniors Brooke Haney and Natalie Haise, junior Madison Yang and sophomore Ananya Kumar.
For Rochester head coach Jeff Haney, who has helped guide the program to three Division 1 championships (2008, 2009, 2016) and two runner-up finishes since girls golf moved to the fall in 2007, it’s good to begin a season with lofty expectations once again.
“I’ll be honest, after we won in ’08 and ’09, I figured that would be the extent of that for me,” Haney said. “I was then fortunate to have those teams in ’15 and ’16. I really didn’t think it would come back around again. I feel pretty lucky to have a real strong team again.”
There is work for the Falcons to do in order to try and make up the 52-stroke difference Adams had on the Falcons last year, but Haney likes his team’s overall depth beyond the top four who are back.
“We have better depth than most people,” he said. “At a tournament, probably all nine of my girls can shoot under 100, compared to some other teams I’ve had where we barely had anyone who could shoot under 100.”
In fairness, Adams and Rochester won’t be the only title contenders in Division 1.
Brighton graduated just one senior from last year’s runner-up team and is powerful as well, while Rockford has four golfers back from its team that finished fifth last year, including senior Jessica Jolly, who tied for third individually at the 2022 Final.
But given the talent and experience both Adams and Rochester have back, don’t be surprised if the LP Division 1 Tournament in October turns into a de facto “Rochester Invitational.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties
PHOTOS (Top) Rochester High’s Madison Yang putts during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final at Bedford Valley. (Middle) Adams celebrates its 2022 LPD1 title; the Highlanders graduated only one golfer. (Top photo by High School Sports Scene; middle photo courtesy of Adams’ athletic department.)