Powers Rises, NDP Star Claims 3rd Title
October 20, 2018
By Jason Schmitt
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING – Jack Snow was a longtime fixture with the Flint Powers Catholic golf program – a mainstay who helped build the girls program into one of the best in the state of Michigan.
He wasn’t at Forest Akers East in East Lansing on Saturday as the Chargers captured the Lower Peninsula Division 3 championship. But somewhere from up above he was smiling down as his younger brother, Jim, was leading his team to another MHSAA Finals title.
Jack passed away two summers ago. He started the girls golf program at the school and won three championships during his nearly-20 year tenure. The Chargers’ championship on Saturday was Jim Snow’s third with the program – matching his oldest brother’s total.
“He was the one who got me into the program to begin with, when the boys needed a JV coach,” said Jim, who took over the program from his wife, Michelle, back in 2006. “I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to match (his three championships). He always joked with me, saying, ‘When you get three, come talk to me.’”
Jim won the first two of his titles in back-to-back years (2007-08). Jack won his in 1989 and again in 1993-94. Jack is in the Michigan Coaches’ Hall of Fame.
Snow’s team finished fifth at last year’s Finals, but returned four of five starters this season – so expectations were high for the top-ranked Chargers. Over the weekend that experience overwhelmed the rest of the field. Powers shot a 328 on Friday and followed it up with a 331 on Saturday, good for a two-day total of 659. Those scores were the two best the Chargers have shot this season.
Sophomore Jolie Brochu led the way with her 152, which landed her atop the leaderboard at the end of the tournament, along with Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Danielle Staskowski. The Irish senior bested Brochu in the first hole of the playoff.
Junior Maggie Knight’s 156 was fourth best, while senior Gina Canavesio (176), junior Olivia Canaday and freshman Allie Sexton all contributed to their team’s season-best performances. Canavesio’s 80 on Day 1 was a career-best, while Canaday’s 86 on Saturday was her best round of the year.
“This was a fantastic team effort,” Snow said. “I’ve never been happier for Gina. She played the round of her life on Friday. It really helped us build a solid lead. I’m going to miss her because she was my sidekick out there on the golf course.
“Everybody kind of gelled this week as a team, and it was fantastic.”
The Chargers had a 21-shot lead over Freeland after Friday’s first round. The two teams tied at last week’s Regional tournament, where Powers won the tie-breaker with the fifth golfer’s score. Freeland, led by senior Olivia Pumford’s 163, finished third this weekend. Grand Rapids South Christian shot a 333 on Saturday to slide into second place. Junior Maddie Wieringa (161) and senior Natalie Samdal (166) finished fifth and eighth, respectively, to lead the Sailors.
Detroit Country Day finished fourth (714), and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep tied for fifth (725).
Staskowski won her third consecutive individual title, beating out Brochu in the playoff. Staskowski, who also won in 2016 in a playoff, came from two strokes down after Day 1 to force the playoff with Brochu.
In the playoff, the two golfers returned to the first hole, where Staskowski hit the back of the green with her approach and parred the hole to win it.
By winning her third straight individual title, Staskowski joined some rare company. She became the fifth Lower Peninsula girl to win three Finals championships, joining Traverse City West’s Anika Dy, who won her third straight Division 1 title earlier Saturday, along with Maple City Glen Lake’s Nichole Cox (2014-16), Okemos’ Elle Nichols (2011-13) and Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Kate Loy (1993-95).
Country Day senior Kristina Roberts was third overall with a 154. Marshall’s Karlee Malone was fifth (161), while Wieringa, Pumford, Samdal, Spring Lake’s Hannah Klein (166), Carleton Airport’s Kristen Reed (168), Marysville’s Madeline Blum (168) and Big Rapids’ Hope Thebo (168) rounded out the top 10.
All golfers battled extreme weather conditions over the weekend, particularly on Saturday.
“We’ve probably had worse weather, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen what we did on Saturday,” said Snow, speaking of the below-40 temperatures and periods of sleet, which halted play on two occasions. “In that weather, to hang in there. The scores that we had were absolutely phenomenal in those conditions.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Flint Powers Catholic freshman Alexandra Sexton tees off during the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals. (Middle) Pontiac Notre Dame Prep’s Danielle Staskowski sends a drive during Saturday’s second round. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
In Just 5th Season, Montague Finishes #1
October 17, 2020
By Tom Lang
Special for Second Half
Montague pulled off an amazing feat Saturday at Forest Akers West by winning its first MHSAA Finals team championship in just the fifth year of the program’s existence.
The Wildcats scored 343 at the Lower Peninsula Division 4 tournament to set a new school record, besting Lansing Catholic at 370. All five Montague players finished among the top 16 individuals, with junior Orianna Bylsma leading with a top-five finish at 81, and senior Megan Brown coming in 8th with 84.
“My mind is racing,” said head coach Phil Kerr. “I’m just so happy for the girls. They earned this. We thought we could do this; we brought four players back from last year. We wanted to win a county championship, win the Regionals, and then just see what happened at states. It’s unbelievable.”
The team finished fourth at the Final last year in its first-ever two-round tournament. Kerr said in 2019 the Wildcats played much better on the second day, which elevated the team into the top five. So, there was some nervousness coming into the tournament this year knowing it would be reduced to one 18-hole round, not the traditional 36 holes over two days. The cutback was due to COVID-19 protocols for distancing and to allow teams to make one day trip instead of needing to stay overnight.
“It’s definitely different, and there’s more urgency for sure,” Kerr said about the reduction to 18 holes. “Getting off to a good start is huge. There’s no time to make up for it. We really focused on, how do we come out, where do we stand after the first three or four holes, and make sure we take care of that.”
Jump out they did.
The Wildcats were ahead by as many as 15-20 strokes very early in the day before sealing the win by the large margin over Lansing Catholic, Michigan Center (371) and 2019 champ Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian (372).
“On the front nine you never know, something can always happen,” Kerr said about building the original lead. “I think we got comfortable toward the back of the front nine and we relaxed a little bit, but we still shot an amazing score.
“I’m really happy for our seniors, Megan Brown and Katie Unger (tied for 12th). Megan’s been on varsity since she was a freshman. I think she shot 145 at the Regionals that first year, and just shot 84 today to help set our school record and (win) a state championship. Just a credit to hard work. Special kids who love grinding and working hard. I hope they see the rest of their lives if they put their heart and soul into something, they’ll see the results like this.”
Junior Kamryn Shannon of Michigan Center was medalist at 2-over 74, just ahead of Jacquelyn O’Neill of Harbor Springs at 75. Shannon had a troubling day at Regionals scoring an 87, but turned it around for the Final. She admitted the 87 rattled her a little heading into the season’s final event.
“I’ve been working on my driver a lot recently, and today I was hitting almost every fairway, and if not I was just off on the edge,” Shannon said after accepting her first-place medal. “My putting was pretty good today also.”
Shannon said she finished outside the top 30 last year as a sophomore with scores in the 90s.
“I got new clubs and immediately my average started dropping,” she said about getting properly fitted. “I’m super proud all of my hard work paid off in the long run.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Montague’s Orianna Bylsma sends an approach from the 16th fairway during Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final. (Middle) Michigan Center’s Kamryn Shannon holds up her first-place medal. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)