Marquette Boys Repeat as Moore Takes Next Step to Top Finals Leaderboard

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

May 28, 2025

BARK RIVER— Marquette junior Boden Moore prides himself on being a team player and supporting teammates.

But he admitted finishing one shot behind teammate Kaleb Chipelewski at last year’s Upper Peninsula Division 1 Final provided incentive going into this year’s event. 

“It definitely motivated me a little bit,” Moore said.

This time, it was Moore who got to celebrate being on top of the leaderboard, as he carded a sizzling 2-under-par round of 70 on a tough Sage Run course to win the medalist honor Wednesday. 

Moore eagled the short par-4, No. 8 hole, and recorded birdies on two par-5s, Nos. 3 and 9. 

“I was just making all the six and seven-footers and hitting good drives,” Moore said. “I was throwing darts with the irons. The irons were locked in. Just putting them close and making some putts.”

Moore’s total and Marquette’s depth helped propel the Sentinels to their second straight team title. 

Marquette finished with a total of 311, 11 shots ahead of runner-up Escanaba. Menominee (331), Houghton (334) and Kingsford (335) rounded out the top five in the 15-team field. 

“We’ve had a really solid year as a group and individually,” Marquette head coach Ben Smith said. “Boden was playing the five slot today. Based on our scoring averages, that’s how it fell. These kids grind, they play really well together, they compete a lot, but they also know they are pulling for each other.”

Carter Campioni of Houghton gets ready to tap in a putt on the ninth hole. In addition to Moore, junior Easton Aho shot a 78, junior Jack Pond shot an 80 and sophomore Seve Swanson carded an 83, meaning Chipelewski’s solid score of 85 could be thrown out from the team total. 

“Today, they really didn’t have good vibes of things going the right way the whole time,” Smith said. “But they hung in there.”

On a pleasant day with little wind, individuals took advantage, with nine golfers breaking 80. 

Ishpeming Westwood senior Tanner Annala finished as the runner-up with a 1-over-par round of 73, while Iron Mountain senior Cooper Pigeon was third with a 77. 

For Escanaba, it was its best finish at the tournament since winning the second of back-to-back titles in 2018. Sophomore Carson Artley shot a 79 to finish in a tie for seventh and lead the way. Sophomores Jared Plourde (80) and Lincoln Bradfield (81), and junior Graham Johnson (82) weren’t too far behind and helped keep Escanaba within striking distance of Marquette.

“We’ve been looking at Marquette multiple times this year, and I think a lot of our success today was due to the fact we’ve been battling that team,” Escanaba coach Brian Robinette said. “Drafting off of them. We know they are going to play well, they’re not going to relent and not going to give us much. They made it a little interesting on the front nine, which allowed us to get a taste there. That’s just what golf does to you. As good as you are, you have to perform.”

PHOTOS (Top) Marquette's boys golf team poses with the championship trophy after capturing its second-straight UP Division 1 title Wednesday at Sage Run Golf Course. (Middle) Carter Campioni of Houghton gets ready to tap in a putt on the ninth hole. (Photos by Keith Dunlap.)

Pipkorn Emerges with Season-Best Score to Lead North Central's Repeat Run

By Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com

May 28, 2025

ESCANABA — Powers North Central’s Nathan Pipkorn hadn’t shot in the 70s all season, and he was golfing with the No. 3s at Wednesday’s Upper Peninsula Division 3 Boys Golf Final.

He was the No. 1 by the end of the day.

Pipkorn beat his previous season best by six strokes and became the champion by carding a 76 at Escanaba Country Club. He finished ahead of freshman runner-up Christian VanDamme of Rock Mid Peninsula by five strokes. 

“I really, really picked it up today and got it done,” Pipkorn said. “My chipping and putting was absolutely phenomenal today. I two or one-putt just about everything, and I went up and down all the time.”

Pipkorn also led the Jets to a second consecutive team championship, their third in the last four seasons. Lake Linden-Hubbell finished runner-up.

“That’s the one that matters the most,” Pipkorn said. “I’m glad we got it done.”

The sophomore was the first Jet to win a U.P. Finals title since Bryson Mercier won his third straight in 2022.

Mid Peninsula's Christian VanDamme chips toward the green during his Finals round. “I definitely didn’t expect it,” Pipkorn said. “I’m usually not in this type of situation. But I’m very excited.”

The day didn’t start well. He bogeyed the first three holes. 

“But after that I really picked it up,” he said.

The sophomore thought he was probably in the hunt after finishing even on the front nine. 

“It was when I saw the second-place guy bogey about four holes in a row,” he said. “Then I knew.”

They weren’t golfing together because Pipkorn was back with the 3s. Golfers keep score on their phones these days, and a side benefit is seeing where you stack up against the rest of the competition.

“He can score,” North Central coach Zeke Strand said. “When he’s playing well, he keeps the golf course in front of him. Chipping and putting, getting up and down, he’s a gamer, that kind of thing, too.”

It was a great day all the way around for the Jets, who added to their extensive MHSAA trophy collection. Besides their recent golf success, North Central has won five Finals titles since 8-player football started in 2011, and three straight Class D boys basketball titles from 2015-17, a stretch during which they never lost a game.

Strand was just worried about keeping their success on the golf course going.

“It’s my first year coaching golf, so our previous golf coach said I got to get it again,” Strand said. “We did. We played well, and we earned it. It feels great.”

The Jets’ Alex Pipkorn also finished among the top five. He and Lake Linden-Hubbell’s Tyler Axford both carded 82s to tie for third. Big Bay de Noc’s Parker Pederson finished with an 84 to round out the top five.

PHOTOS (Top) Power North Central's Nathan Pipkorn tees off Wednesday at Escanaba Country Club. (Middle) Mid Peninsula's Christian VanDamme chips toward the green during his Finals round. (Photos by Jason Juno.)