'I Wouldn't Have Done it Any Other Way'
June 27, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Gray Raymond would like to believe every high school golfer would’ve made the same call as he did on the final hole of his Regional this spring. And he hopes those who wouldn’t might hear about his story and reconsider next time they have the opportunity.
Three weeks after calling out an otherwise-unseen stroke on himself – which eventually may have kept him from an opportunity to advance to the MHSAA Finals – the Maple City Glen Lake now-junior can’t imagine making any other decision.
His story received some publicity close to home, but in case you hadn’t heard: Raymond finished his sophomore season by shooting a team-best 85 to lead Glen Lake to a fifth-place Division 4 Regional finish May 29 at Treetops’ Tradition in Gaylord. On the final hole, after his playing partners had finished up, Raymond approached his ball for a 5-inch tap in – and accidentally nudged the ball, by rule a stroke.
No one else saw it. No one else would’ve ever found out. But Raymond would’ve known – and he immediately called out the unintended hit so it could be recorded on his card.
Strokes are lost and gained throughout a golf round, so it shouldn’t be said that one made the difference. But when results for the day were posted, Raymond found out he potentially missed qualifying for the Finals by one shot. Taking a shot off his score would've put him in a tie for the third and final individual qualifier spot and set up a playoff with Mackinaw City's Kal O'Brien. Instead, O'Brien claimed that last Finals berth unopposed.
“I wouldn’t have done it any other way. That’s not the way I was taught, and definitely not the way I was raised,” Raymond said Wednesday as he loaded up a bucket of balls at the driving range. “I’d rather lose than be a cheater.
“At the time, I was just upset that I lost, pretty much. I didn’t think anyone really would care how it happened. I didn’t think anything of it until I got to school on Monday and my teachers were congratulating me and stuff like that.”
Raymond’s sportsmanship made a longer-lasting impression than probably most of the rounds played across the Lower Peninsula at Finals the following weekend. The story was picked up by the local Leelanau Enterprise for a story June 5, and last week Raymond was honored by Glen Lake’s board of education with the “Anchor Up!” Award,” which he said is given to adults for their contributions to the school district. He thinks he was the first student to receive it.
Raymond also was the subject of a now well-traveled email to members of the Northwest Conference from Suttons Bay’s four-time Division 4 champion coach Todd Hursey, who wrote in part, “My heart goes out to him, but my heart is also warmed by his integrity. These moments should be celebrated as much as the golfing accomplishments.”
Raymond learned the game in large part from his father Ron, who played in high school and college and who “made it clear at a young age, no matter what happens out there, rules come first. I definitely learned from classroom to green to tee,” Gray Raymond said.
The golf community can become close-knit, especially among the top players at the high school age levels, and Raymond said he’s received texts from quite a few competitors from other schools telling him “that was a really bold move” and offering plenty of support – including reminding him of the big picture, and how missing these Finals will end up just a detail in what should be two more great years of high school golf.
And Wednesday included, Raymond already is getting ready. He’s definitely going to adjust his approach next time. At this Regional, he was playing with that day’s eventual winner Will Newbold, and knowing he was a number of strokes back of the Frankfort ace figured he didn’t have a chance to qualify and let that sink his mental game – when in reality he was right in the running. Raymond would’ve played at least one hole a little differently to give himself a better shot.
And absolutely, it will be that much more rewarding when Raymond, perhaps inevitably, does qualify for the Finals over the next two seasons.
“I wouldn’t have been able to call myself a golfer, honestly, if I’d walked out to that first tee box at states, Raymond said. “People are saying not many high school kids would do that, to immediately just call (a stroke) on yourself. But it never crossed my mind not to.
“I would like to say they would (call it), but honestly I don’t know. I would hope so. I hope everyone has the mindset of well, I messed up. There’s always a consequence of something, positive or negative, and if I walked away there’s no consequence – so what’s the lesson learned there?”
PHOTOS courtesy of Maple City Glen Lake’s athletic department.
Preview: Game On at LP Boys Golf Finals as Familiar Foes Set to Meet Again
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 5, 2025
This weekend’s Lower Peninsula Boys Golf Finals will see several returning standouts from championship tournaments of the recent past – and provide several rematch possibilities at the top of the standings.
The three highest-ranked teams playing in all four divisions return at least three golfers who competed at last season’s Finals, and the Division 3 and 4 tournaments in particular return nearly full lineups for most of the favorites.
Play begins both Friday and Saturday at 9 a.m. See below for more on a number of teams and individuals who could be in contention, and check out the Boys Golf page for full lineups and more.
Division 1 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Detroit Catholic Central, 2. Rochester Adams, 3. Traverse City West.
Detroit Catholic Central: The Shamrocks are seeking to repeat as champions and win their third title in four seasons, returning three golfers who played at least one round at last year’s Final. DCC won its Regional last week at Twin Lakes in Oakland Township with a 285, edging No. 8 Bloomfield Hills and No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice. Junior David Krusinski, one of the returners from last season, finished second individually at the Regional, while senior Dillon Che tied for fifth and junior Collin Davis tied for seventh.
Rochester Adams: After finishing second in 2023 and third last season, Adams will pursue a first championship since 1978 this time coming off a second-place Regional finish (one stroke back) at Greystone in Washington Township. Three golfers return from last year’s lineup, including senior Jack Vogel after tying for 13th at last year’s Final. Sophomore Drew Rzeppa led the Regional push this time tying for fourth.
Warren De La Salle Collegiate: The Pilots are ranked No. 4 and coming off a Regional title at Lakes of Taylor. They finished fifth at last season’s Final with only one senior in the lineup, and the top three from that team will be back this weekend led by junior Troy Nguyen, who tied for third individually in 2024. All three returning players finished among the top seven at last week’s Regional, senior Max Teschendorf second and Nguyen and sophomore Julian Sinishtaj tied for seventh. Sinishtaj also tied for 13th at last year’s Final.
Individuals: With Nguyen, four more of last season’s top eight (with ties) will play again this weekend, including Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern senior Will Pollack and junior Mathieu Duflo, who tied for eighth a year ago. Okemos senior Ian Masih is back after finishing seventh, and Lake Orion senior Connor Fox returns after tying for fifth. Masih and Fox won Regional titles last week, as did Muskegon Mona Shores freshman Cruz Beckstrom, Bloomfield Hills senior Dominik Dostal, Ann Arbor Huron senior Adam Thanaporn and Detroit U-D Jesuit senior Aidan Treharne. Brother Rice senior Leandro Pinili was second in Division 2 last season and tied for seventh at his Regional last week.
Division 2 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Christian, 2. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 3. Richland Gull Lake.
Grand Rapids Christian: The Eagles won Division 2 in 2023 and finished runners-up last season just one stroke behind St. Mary’s. Three returners who all placed among the top 22 at that Final will try to take the next step again this weekend, and after Christian edged No. 7 South Christian to win the Regional at Stonehedge North in Augusta. Senior John Cassiday was medalist, junior Sawyer O’Grady tied for fourth and junior Cooper Reitsma tied for ninth at the Regional; they finished tied for 22nd, tied for 19th and tied for fourth, respectively, at last year’s Final.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s: The Eaglets also bring back three golfers as they seek a repeat, and after edging No. 6 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood by a stroke to win last week’s Regional at Flint Golf Club. Junior Blaise Krol tied for seventh at last year’s Final and third at last week’s Regional, the latter with senior teammate Tim Humes while junior Mikey Karwaski and senior RJ Galacz tied for 12th.
Richland Gull Lake: Two golfers return from last season’s third-place finisher as Gull Lake again pursues a first championship. Those two helped set the pace as Gull Lake finished just a stroke off the lead at their Regional at Island Hills in Centreville; senior Joseph Blondia tied for seventh individually and senior Hank Livingston tied for 10th in part with senior teammate Carter Dominowski. Livingston also was in the lineup as a freshman at the 2022 Final, when Gull Lake finished a program-best second overall.
Individuals: South Christian sophomore Harris Hoekwater tied with Reitsma for fourth last season, and they are the top placers back this weekend. East Grand Rapids sophomore JP Levan tied with Krol for seventh last season and also returns, as does Allendale sophomore Sumner Meekhof after tying for 10th at the 2024 Final. Meekhof joined Grand Rapids Christian’s John Cassiday among Regional champions, as did Battle Creek Harper Creek senior Joey Mario, Bay City Western junior Drew Goik, Cranbrook’s Henry Delzer and Adrian’s Cayden Staib.
Division 3 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State
Top-ranked: 1. Jackson Lumen Christi, 2. Traverse City St. Francis, 3. Grosse Ile.
Jackson Lumen Christi: Last season’s runner-up finish was the Titans’ highest since winning Division 3 in 2017, and four golfers from that lineup are back this weekend including senior Charlie Saunders after placing a team-best tied for 16th a year ago. Lumen won its Regional at West Shore in Grosse Ile by 12 strokes ahead of No. 3 Grosse Ile and No. 8 Ann Arbor Greenhills, with sophomore Brandon Kulka the medalist, senior Adam Fuller and sophomore Gabe Cooper tying for second, Saunders placing eighth and senior Anthony Kulka tying for 12th.
Traverse City St. Francis: The Gladiators won last season’s championship by 18 strokes and without a senior in the lineup – and four of those five starters are back this weekend including reigning medalist David Ansley, now a senior. He tied for sixth during the team’s 22-stroke win at their Regional at Belvedere in Charlevoix, as senior teammate Josh Slocum was first, junior William Gibbons also tied for sixth, sophomore Casey Jackson tied for eighth and junior Ben Wolff tied for 11th. Jackson tied for ninth at last season’s Final.
Grosse Ile: The Red Devils are expected to make a big jump from last year’s tie for 14th, and although they finished second to Lumen at West Shore their 316 score was the fourth-lowest among teams at any Division 3 Regional. Three golfers are back from a year ago and all five placed among the top 12 at the Regional – juniors Luke Lazorka and Michael Olenchak tied for fourth, junior Braden Chessor finished 10th and juniors Nicholas Joly-Naso and Palmer Kehoe tied for 12th.
Individuals: In addition to the St. Francis pair, five more are back from last year’s top 10 (plus ties). Millington senior Brad Coleman was third a year ago, Tawas senior Austin Baker and Pinconning senior Cole Brady tied for fourth, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian senior David Formsma tied for sixth and Midland Bullock Creek senior Colton Lower tied for ninth. Joining Slocum and Brandon Kulka among Regional champions last week were Grand Rapids Covenant Christian senior Aidan Pipe, Comstock senior Cayden Schultz, Shepherd senior Christopher Crockett and Lansing Catholic senior Hayden Riley – Riley after a playoff with Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett senior Steve McMahon.
Division 4 at Ferris State’s Katke Golf Course
Top-ranked: 1. Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central, 2. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, 3. Clarkston Everest Collegiate.
Saginaw Nouvel: The Panthers are seeking their first championship and highest finish since placing second in 2013. Nouvel came in fourth a year ago with only one senior in the lineup, and the other four golfers are returning led by senior Alex McCarthy off tying for eighth in 2024. Nouvel won its Regional at Mount Pleasant Country Club by 22 strokes, with junior Ian Ziegelmann finishing third individually and McCarthy, senior Rodney Iamurri and junior Ty Iamurri all among those who tied for sixth.
Kalamazoo Hackett: The Irish will bring four seniors and a junior in pursuit of a championship to add to their most recent won in 2021. They finished fifth last spring with the same lineup, as now-seniors Chris and Andrew Ogrin tied for 11th individually. Chris Ogrin defeated his brother in a playoff to finish as medalist at the Regional at Hampshire in Dowagiac, with junior Justin Tyler placing third and senior Noah Emmer 12th.
Clarkston Everest: The Mountaineers have won the last two Division 4 championships and return four golfers from last year including reigning medalist senior Will Pennanen and senior Parker Stalcup, who finished fourth last season and second in 2023. Everest won the Regional last week at Fountains in Clarkston by 21 strokes with Stalcup second, junior Nolan Alban fourth, Pennanen fifth, junior Dominic Walker tied for 12th and senior Mark Cross tied for 14th.
Individuals: In addition to the Everest and Nouvel standouts mentioned above, Maple City Glen Lake senior Michael Houtteman (second) and Grandville Calvin Christian junior Will Orme (seventh) are back from the 2024 top 10. Houtteman joined Ogrin among Regional champs last week, as did Novi Christian junior Nate Spaude, Portland St. Patrick senior Landon Simpson, Wyoming Tri-unity Christian senior Hezekiah Nobel and Petersburg Summerfield sophomore James Feudi – who won a playoff against Riverview Gabriel Richard freshman Ben Allen.
PHOTO Jackson Lumen Christi’s Charlie Saunders launches an approach during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)