Late Surge Pushes NorthPointe to D3 Win
June 8, 2019
By Tom Kendra
Special for Second Half
BIG RAPIDS – Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian trailed Big Rapids by eight strokes Saturday, with time running out.
Sensing his team needed a boost, both physically and mentally, fourth-year NorthPointe coach Erik Fahlen handed out Snickers bars to all five of his players with four holes remaining.
Those Snickers must have really satisfied.
The Mustangs staged a furious rally, with four golfers making birdies during the closing stretch to pull off a three-stroke victory in the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final over hard-luck Big Rapids, which was playing at home on Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids.
“We had an incredible final four holes,” said Fahlen, whose team repeated as a Finals champion after winning the Division 4 title last year. “We gave them those candy bars just as way of reminding them that it’s close and they need to finish strong.”
NorthPointe finished with a two-day total of 624, with Big Rapids second at 627. Grosse Ile was a distant third at 664, followed by Napoleon (672) and Grand Rapids West Catholic (676).
Erik Fahlen Jr., the coach’s senior son and reigning Division 4 medalist, placed second this time and led the way for his team with steady, back-to-back rounds of 73.
Junior Lance VanErmen bounced back from an 81 on Friday with a 77 in windy conditions Saturday. But the key score Saturday for NorthPointe came from freshman Luke Schrock, who followed up an 83 with a 79 to give the Mustangs three scores in the 70s and provide the winning margin.
“It feels really good to help the team win,” said Schrock, who stayed calm despite a mid-round triple bogey. “We knew it was going to be close. I just tried to focus on every shot and not mess up.”
Schrock’s clutch round capped off a memorable end of the season for the 15-year-old. His 83 as the fifth man actually delivered the Mustangs a Regional title May 29, after the top four players tied with West Catholic’s.
Also figuring in the scoring for NorthPointe at the Final were sophomore Sam Nelson (76-82-158) and senior Ben Ng (85-82-167).
Hanover-Horton junior Jack Brockie captured the individual medalist honor after firing an impressive 3-under-par 69 on Saturday. His two-day total of 2-under 142 (73-69) was good for a four-stroke victory over Fahlen and Cheboygan senior Zachary Gilder (72-74-146).
“My putting was much better today,” explained Brockie, who qualified for the Final as an individual. “The strength of my game is my driving, and when I struggle, it’s around the greens. But today I was good on the greens.”
It proved to be a tough result to stomach, once again, for Big Rapids, which placed second for the third straight year. The perennially strong Cardinals last won a Finals title in 2008, but since have finished second five times.
Last year, the Cardinals actually tied for first with Hanover-Horton, but lost on the fifth-man tiebreaker.
This year, it looked like they would take the next step after having four players shoot 80 or better on Friday and build a five-stroke lead over NorthPointe Christian. Plus, they had the advantage of playing on their home course, with their school located adjacent to Katke’s 12th fairway.
Big Rapids maintained its lead for most of Saturday, led by senior standout Pierce Morrissey (74-75-149), before NorthPointe’s late-round heroics.
“It just goes to show that you can’t ever give up during a round of golf,” said Fahlen Jr., who will play on the golf team next year at Taylor University. “It was really a total team win. I mean, to have a freshman like Luke Schrock shoot a 79 in these conditions, is huge. The wind really picked up later in the day, and it got pretty tough out there.
“I think that’s the best part about today – we came through under pressure.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Golfers watch from the tee during Saturday’s LP Division 3 second round. (Middle) A competitor fires an approach from the sand. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
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.)