Eichhorn, Carney-Nadeau Repeat in D3
June 2, 2016
By Amanda Chaperon
Special for Second Half
GLADSTONE – On Wednesday, Carney-Nadeau’s Hunter Eichhorn took the afternoon off school to play a practice round at Irish Oaks in Gladstone, where the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Division 3 Finals would be played the next day.
Last year, when Eichhorn won medalist for the second year in a row, he shot a 68 at that same course.
And Wednesday was no different. His practice round yielded a 69, so it's safe to say he was feeling pretty good heading into Thursday's round.
Unfortunately, his putting was nowhere close to what he would have liked. But that didn't stop Eichhorn from taking medalist honors for the third year in a row with an 18-hole score of 75.
“He's a tremendous kid,” Wolves coach Jake Polfus said. “He has a tremendous work ethic. He puts all the time in to be this good. You don't see that in many kids in any sport around here. He deserves everything he gets. He had a rough day today, but for him that's not that bad. That's where he's grown the most, is how he manages his golf game.”
Throughout the course of the season, Eichhorn has competed against himself. At most events, he was far-and-away the best golfer on the links. On Thursday, however, he had some competition from Cedarville's Avery Freel, who fell to Eichhorn by just two strokes carding a 77.
“I felt good about Avery's game today,” Cedarville coach Rob Freel said. “And I know he had the potential to give Hunter a run for his money. After 15 holes, they were all square. I knew it was probably going to come right down to the wire. Avery kind of had a bad tee shot on 16 and he ended up with a double bogey there, so that was a momentum-stopper for him.
“They're competitive players, and they both came right down to the wire,” coach Freel added. “Avery just fell a little short.”
Avery Freel's overall strategy was a pretty good one considering he was neck-and-neck with the two-time champ with three holes to play.
“I was just trying to match him shot for shot pretty much,” Avery said. “Overall, I thought I played pretty good. I shot even on the front (nine) and then I was just trying to stay with him, and on 16 I had that double (bogey) and that's when it fell apart.”
Despite the fact Freel was going up against “the champ” and one of the best prep golfers in the entire U.P. in any division, he didn't feel he had to change his game.
“It's not hard,” Freel said with a laugh. “You just play your own game.”
Which is exactly what his opponent, Eichhorn, did to earn himself the honor of top player at the tournament, and also help his team to its second straight U.P. Finals title.
Well, that, and knock in a few crucial putts.
One of those big putts was to birdie No. 17, a par three. While Eichhorn’s putts down the stretch saved him, he wasn't impressed with his short game overall.
“My putting was brutal,” he said with a laugh. “I made the two biggest putts that I had to make, but other than that, I didn't make anything.
“I played a lot better last year,” he added. “And I played here a lot better yesterday (Wednesday). I was getting beat by Avery with I think four holes to go, but I made those big putts to secure the win and to help our team win.”
The Wolves totaled a 344, comprised of scores from Eichhorn, Mason Linder (87), Cameron Kuntze (89), and Kage Linder (93).
“I think the way they practice is a huge strength,” Polfus said. “You know, how much time they put into it. And our one through five. We used our fifth golfer's score today instead of our number four, so I just think that helps out a lot. I feel like we're deep, and just their work ethic is always a good thing.”
Avery Freel's score factored into his team's runner-up finish. The Trojans shot a combined 358, helped also by Mike Haske (93), Chase Fisher (94), and Trevor Kohlmann (94).
The top five individual scores were rounded out by Mitchell Borseth of Ontonagon in third with a score of 81, followed by Painesdale-Jeffers' Jacob Zerbst with an 82 and Lake Linden-Hubbell's Jason Sutherland with an 83.
The Wolves and Trojans were followed in the team standings by Chassell with a score of 361, Ontonagon with a 362 and Painesdale-Jeffers with a 374.
PHOTOS: (Top) Carney-Nadeau's Hunter Eichhorn watches his drive on hole No. 15 at Irish Oaks Golf Club in Gladstone during Thursday's Division 3 U.P. Final. Eichhorn was medalist with a 75. (Middle) Cedarville's Avery Freel putts on hole No. 17. Freel finished second overall with a 77. (Photos by Amanda Chaperon.)
Lumen Christi Flips 2024 Result to Finish on Top, Crockett Makes Shepherd History
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
June 7, 2025
ALLENDALE – This year’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Boys Golf Final figured to be similar to last year’s with two experienced teams battling for top honors.
And the emerging rivalry between Jackson Lumen Christi and Traverse City St. Francis was on display once again Saturday – but this time the final outcome was flipped from a year ago.
Lumen Christi outdueled St. Francis with two stellar rounds at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University and clinched its first Finals championship since 2017.
The Titans shot a two-day total of 626 (310-316), while the runner-up Gladiators finished 13 strokes back with a 639 (315-324). Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian was third. Shepherd senior Christopher Crockett won the medalist honor.
St. Francis had won last year’s Final by 18 strokes over Lumen Christi.
“Going in, the mindset was that we came close last year and we knew (St. Francis) had everybody back from last year, and so we knew it was going to be another tight one with them,” Lumen Christi coach Dave Swartout said. “So that was the focus all year long. Everything was practice, and every tournament we played led up to these two days.
“I was very proud of what they did and the decisions that they made. Mentally they played very well, and that was a huge difference. We talk so much about course management, and you have to know where to hit it. This is a very nice victory for them.”
The Titans, who returned four of their top five golfers from last year’s Final, was paced by sophomore Brandon Kulka’s 152 (75-77), which was good for a tie for third individually.
Senior Charlie Saunders placed 10th with a 155 (77-78). He was followed by sophomore Gabe Cooper (159) and seniors Adam Fuller (163) and Anthony Kulka (168).
“Last year we knew we were good enough to win it, but we just got outplayed the second day so it was nice to come back and win,” Saunders said. “This year we knew we were going to be good all year, and we were hungry to win. We knew if we kept playing well and had two good days that it would be hard to beat us.
“(Today), we just wanted to go out and play another good round, treat it like another round because five strokes is nothing. We were good across the board, and any one of us could go out and post a good number.”
The Titans held a slim five-stroke lead entering the final round before pulling away.
“Having a good rivalry like we’ve had with St. Francis the past two years is so much fun, and it’s someone to push you,” Anthony Kulka said. “It feels so good to win, especially with my brother being on the team and my dad as a coach. I’ve just been thinking about today since last year and a lot of work in the summer, fall and winter led us to this point.”
Shepherd’s Crockett, who finished with a 145 total, fired a 1-under-par 70 on Friday to grab the lead and added a 75 to become the school’s first individual Finals champion in boys golf.
He bested Midland Bullock Creek’s Colton Lower by three strokes.
“It was very nerve-racking because you know what’s on the line, but this was obviously the goal since I started golf and it almost feels surreal, like it hasn't clicked yet that I won,” Crockett said. “I just wanted to give myself a decent first day so I could go on out the second day and have a chance of winning it.
“My goal coming into the weekend was to have fun because it was my last tournament. I won't have the chance to play high school golf again, so I just wanted to enjoy it.”
St. Francis was led by David Ansley, who finished with a 153 (74-79) and tied for sixth individually. He was followed by Casey Jackson (75-85-160).
Gladiators coach Jim Hornyak said a poor start to the round thwarted any thoughts of a repeat.
“They got off to a rough start and they got down,” he said. “But I was proud of them because midway through the round they started to make a little push. We got it back within striking distance, but just couldn't pull it off.
“I’m proud of these boys. It is not easy to defend, and they put a lot of pressure on themselves and that was part of the problem.”
(Click for more photos from High School Sports Scene.)