Forest Hills Northern Reigns Again in D2

October 20, 2018

By Jason Schmitt
Special for Second Half

EAST LANSING – Tough weather conditions are a golfer’s worst enemy. That’s particularly the case when the pressure is at its peak – like at the MHSAA Finals. 

But thanks to a great first day of golf Friday, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern didn’t have to worry about the conditions, as the Huskies relied on their 1-2-3 punch of Kay Zubkus, Lilia Henkel and Anna Fay to cruise to their second consecutive Lower Peninsula Division 2 championship Saturday afternoon on the Forest Akers West course at Michigan State University.

Coach Kent Graves’ Huskies shot a two-day total of 656, beating out regional rival Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (680) by 24 strokes. Zubkus topped Northern with a score of 151. The senior beat out Okemos freshman Allison Cui on the first playoff hole to win the individual title. Both players overcame a four-stroke deficit after the first day, with each shooting a 73 to force their playoff.

“Obviously you want everyone chasing you; it takes a lot of the pressure off, maybe allows us to not press as much as maybe we would be coming from behind,” said Graves, whose team beat out Birmingham Marian for the title a year ago. “So to have that big lead after the first day, it’s tough to beat that.”

Northern fired a team score of 332 Friday afternoon, building a 17-shot advantage over Reeths-Puffer. A week earlier, the Rockets defeated Northern in Regional play, firing a state-best score of 310. But this weekend, the Huskies were just too good.

“Northern played really well (Friday). They came to play,” Reeths-Puffer assistant coach Brennan Hallberg said. “It was windy, not quite like it was today, but their top four girls all had good rounds and unfortunately our top four girls had their worst rounds of the season. We had high hopes for this weekend, but (overcoming) a 17-shot deficit is a tall order.”

Reeths-Puffer entered the tournament ranked No. 1 and was on a roll after winning the Regional title. Despite falling a little short, the Rockets by no means had a bad tournament. Senior Karina VanDuinen shot a 161, good for eighth place for the weekend. Her younger sister, Karlie, had a 168, with senior Avery Howard (172) and junior Abby Fansler (179) also scoring for the team.

Still, it was not enough to prevent the Huskies from winning their second straight – and third overall – Finals title. Henkel fired a 153, which tied for third overall with reigning individual champion Shannon Kennedy of Marian. Fay’s 162 was good for a top-10 finish.

“We won last year, and we graduated five seniors,” Graves said. “Kay, Lilia and Anna were my returners. Those three were the heart and soul of our team this year. We had five girls off the JV team come up, and they taught them how to play. They taught them how to win.”

For Zubkus, the day was extra special. The senior, who finished tied for 10th a year ago, rallied on Saturday to force the playoff with Cui. It was the third time Zubkus had played in a playoff. The first two times did not go so well. The third time was the charm.  

“Last year, my good friend (Kennedy) was four shots back going into the second day, and she text me last night and said, ‘Four back’s the number. It’s a good place to be.’ 

“Today I was just out there trying to put up a score that I was proud of because in past state championships I haven’t really done that. It was pretty miserable out there, but I made the best of it.”

Like all the golfers, Zubkus was able to overcome the weather elements, which at times included sub-40 degree weather, hail and sleet. Twice the golfers were called off the course due to lightning and unplayable course conditions.

Finishing behind Zubkus, Cui, Kennedy and Henkel was Fenton senior Charlotte Cunaud, who shot a 156 to finish fifth overall. Rounding out the top 10 were Cailey Rooker of St. Joseph (158), Mia Sooch of Farmington Hills Mercy (159), VanDuinen, Fay and Hailey Roovers of Birmingham Seaholm (166).

Cui’s runner-up finish helped her Chiefs place third overall at 697. Mercy was fourth (724) and Marian fifth (730). Rounding out the top 10 were Fenton (731), Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (733), South Lyon (743), St. Joseph (765) and Petoskey (767).

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PHOTOS: (Top) Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern holds up its championship trophy after a long Saturday in Division 2. (Middle) Okemos’ Allison Cui hits an approach during Friday’s first round. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Kalamazoo Christian's Senior-Loaded Lineup Eying Another High Finals Finish

By Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com

August 27, 2024

KALAMAZOO – Scarlett Hindbaugh’s parents tried to get her into golf when she was in early elementary school, but she did not like it at all.

Southwest CorridorBut as she headed into ninth grade at Kalamazoo Christian High School, Hindbaugh decided to play a fall sport.

All of a sudden, golf was looking pretty good.

Now, as a senior, she is one of the top golfers on a team loaded with talent – and a team that also made program history last season with its highest MHSAA Finals finish coming in runner-up to Lansing Catholic in Lower Peninsula Division 4.

With four seniors returning from that team, fifth-year coach Mike Schield will have a tough time filling the final spots in his lineup.

“We’re looking throughout the season who that No. 5 player is going to be,” he said. “What we’ve done differently this year, instead of taking six varsity players (to matches), we’re taking eight.

“We’re pretty confident we know who our starting four are. Out of the B Pod of our varsity players, we’re trying throughout the season to give everybody an opportunity to see who’s going to stick out by the end of the season.”

Besides Hindbaugh, the three other current seniors from that 2023 runner-up team are Jordyn Bonnema, Kennedy Gernaat and Ella Adams – Adams another player who picked up golf for the first time as a freshman.

The Comets kicked off the season at the Lober Classic at Crystal Mountain last week.

“It was a great team-building experience,” Schield said. “It’s a very challenging golf course, and the girls got to learn a lot about their games.

“It was a really good snapshot as far as the golf goes for these girls to understand what they need to do from now until October.”

The Comets finished ninth overall at the prestigious 24-team event, but third among Division 3 and 4 teams.

“I didn’t play my best golf, but it was our first time up there,” Bonnema said. “The course is beautiful; it’s a hard course. I feel like it set the stage to where we need to be. It gave us a starting point, and we’re going to work from there.”

Climbing the ladder

For the last three years, Schield has taken Kalamazoo Christian to the MHSAA Finals as a team, finishing sixth in 2021, fourth in 2022 and second last year.

Bonnema led the Comets last October, placing sixth individually.

“The first year, we were happy to be there. The second year, we had a little higher expectation; last year we got a little bit closer,” said Schield, a PGA pro who has taught at X-Golf Kalamazoo since 2018 and previously worked in elite junior golf development at Mission Hills in southern China.

Clockwise from top left: Bonnema, Gernaat, coach Mike Schield and Adams. “Seems like each year we’ve been able to make steps up the ladder. I would say we made those steps up because of the way we built our program.”

Of the eight golfers on varsity, Bonnema is one of the leaders.

“Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to coach a Jordyn Bonnema?” Schield asked. “She’s an elite athlete, multiple sports (basketball, soccer). She brings that extra level of intensity and determination that you expect from an elite athlete.

“The cool thing about Jordyn is that she’s playing these multiple spots, which she should, but it does take time away from her ability to play golf all year round. She is one of the top players in Division 4.”

Bonnema realizes she is one of the team leaders.

“Every day, I try to bring as much energy as I can and be the leader that everyone is looking for and try to set a good example for not only underclassmen but setting the standard that we need to be at every day,” she said.

Schield said that No. 1 spot is shared by Gernaat.

“Kennedy’s sister (Kylie) was a former No. 1 on our team, and I feel that Kennedy has stepped into those shoes,” he said. “She’s a very polished golfer and was the individual Regional champion.

“She’s got one of the best short games, putting strokes that I’ve been able to coach since my time being here.”

As novice golfers three years ago, Hindbaugh and Adams said they both benefited from Schield’s teaching.

(Coach) was very welcoming, good environment, very open, very relaxed, no-pressure kind of environment,” Adams said.

Schield said Adams has a great attitude that rubs off on her teammates.

“She could have just hit the best shot or the worst shot, but always has a smile, is always looking forward to the next shot, which is a great trait that all coaches want their players to have,” he said. 

As for Hindbaugh, Schield said she has become a more complete golfer since last season. 

“Over the last year, she’s taken a constructive approach to evaluating her game and trying to find the right areas to focus on for her own self-development,” he said.

Another key senior is Kyah Klok.

“The last two years she has been very close to making our varsity team,” Schield said. “This is the year she’s punched through. She packs a punch. She’s got some power.”

Hindbaugh works on her chipping. The lone junior is Lizzie Yonkers, who played the second day of the Finals last year and has improved over the offseason.

“She is a well-balanced player from tee to green,” he said. “The special thing about Lizzie is she helps all of our players keep things light and fun, which helps balance out the intensity of our team.”

Lilly Locker, the only sophomore, was a “star of the JV team last year,” Schield said. “This is what you could easily consider the future of the girls golf program.

“She has length, understanding of the game and can perform well, iron play, short game and putting. All she needs now is experience in tournament play.”

Although she is just a freshman, Rylee Slater made varsity because “she’s athletically gifted and a quick learner,” Schield said. "She has this season with very little pressure on her to learn and develop herself as a player. She’ll be fun to watch.”

No matter who rounds out the roster, Hindbaugh said the team knows what to expect if they make it back to the Finals.

We played with East Lansing (last year), and one of the things they could do so well is they could get up to the green and chip in a putt and not screw up around the green,” she said. “That’s what we’re focusing on this year, that short game.”

***

One bonus of the Lober Classic trip was a chance to learn about nutrition and prepare food with Schield’s wife, Lindsey Stillian, a nutritionist at Thriving Bite in Kalamazoo.

“Golf is not as obviously an intense sport,” Schield said. “It’s a season where we have to play golf in different weather conditions.

"First and foremost, you have to take care of your health so that you’re available to play.”

Gernaat said she learned a lot from Stillian.

“As athletes, it’s important to keep a balanced diet, and also food is fuel for your body, so it’s important to make sure you’re getting the right food groups and enough of the right food,” Gernaat said.

“It made me feel more energized during the round. Instead of going to get fast food, homemade food was definitely better.”

Pam ShebestPam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Kalamazoo Christian senior Scarlett Hindbaugh putts during a recent practice, surrounded by teammates (from left) Ella Adams, Lilly Locker, Kennedy Gernaat, Lizzie Yonkers, Kyah Klok, Jordyn Bonnema and Rylee Slater. (Middle) Clockwise from top left: Bonnema, Gernaat, coach Mike Schield and Adams. (Below) Hindbaugh works on her chipping. (Photos by Pam Shebest.)