Preview: Reigning Champs Could Set Pace, but Contenders Ready to Climb
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 2, 2026
There are three strong repeat championship candidates teeing off at this weekend’s Lower Peninsula Boys Golf Finals.
But there are several more hopefuls hoping to enjoy that ultimate accomplishment for the first time, or first time in a while.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice in Division 1 and Auburn Hills Oakland Christian in Division 4 are both top-ranked teams seeking their first team titles in more than a decade. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Essexville Garber, Charlevoix and Muskegon Western Michigan Christian are teams ranked among the top three in their divisions seeking a first Finals win. There will be four new individual medalists as well, as all four of last season’s were seniors.
Play begins both Friday and Saturday at 10 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 Ferris State’s Katke Golf Course
Top-ranked: 1. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 2. Detroit Catholic Central, 3. Hartland.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice: The Warriors are seeking their first Finals championship since 2012, and after finishing sixth a year ago with just one senior in the lineup. Five of those golfers are back (including two who played a round apiece at the 2025 Final) and three placed among the top 11 individuals as Brother Rice won its Regional at Milford’s Mystic Creek in a tie-breaker over DCC. Sophomore William Smidt was the Regional medalist, senior Rocco Iabobelli tied for fourth and senior Joseph Karoutsos tied for 11th.
Detroit Catholic Central: The Shamrocks are seeking a third-straight Division 1 title and fourth over the last five seasons. Although they finished second with that tie-breaker at the Regional, senior David Krusinski tied for fourth, senior Jack Whitmore and junior Kyle Chong tied for seventh and senior Collin Davis tied for 11th. Krusinski, Whitmore and Davis were part of last season’s lineup, Whitmore finishing second in the individual standings and missing out on first by just a stroke. Krusinski and Whitmore were part of the 2024 championship lineup as well.
Hartland: The Eagles are seeking their first championship since winning Class A in 1997, and making their first appearance at the Finals since 2021. Hartland advanced this time with a Regional championship at Dunham Hills in Hartland, carding a 297 led by junior Aidan Oake tying for fourth individually. All five Eagles scored counted 73-76 strokes and placed among the top 10 (with ties), with senior Wyatt Johnson and junior Liam Kastamo tying for sixth and senior Michael Maurin and sophomore Jase Sensor tying for 10th.
Individuals: Five of last season’s top 15 (top 10 with ties) will return this weekend. Warren De La Salle Collegiate junior Julian Sinishtaj placed just behind DCC’s Whitmore last season, one stroke back in third, and Rochester Adams junior Nick Smith (sixth), Holland West Ottawa senior William Nagelvoort (tied for eighth) and Brighton senior Adam Forcier (tied for 10th) also are in the field this weekend. They’ll be joined by a new wave of contenders. Along with Brother Rice’s Smidt, Regional champions last week were Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern senior Mathieu Duflo, Midland Dow junior David Han, Utica Eisenhower junior Dylan Zahuranic, Brighton senior Brandon Lovejoy and junior Grady Bissett, and Berkley sophomore Jonah Sterling.
Division 2 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Christian, 2. Ada Forest Hills Eastern, 3. Grand Rapids Catholic Central.
Grand Rapids Christian: The Eagles won last year’s championship, their second in three seasons, by nine strokes and return the individual runner-up in senior Cooper Reitsma and third-place (tie) finisher in senior Sawyer O’Grady, plus another starter in senior Ty Erickson. O’Grady was first and Reitsma second as Grand Rapids Christian won their Regional at Clearbrook in Saugatuck with a 303.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central: The Cougars won Division 3 in 2021 and 2023, and will make a run at the Division 2 team title after sending only Tommy Preston to the Finals as an individual qualifier last season. He finished 17th as a freshman and leads a lineup that won its Regional by a stroke last week at Katke, as he finished fourth and sophomore Brady Berkemeier placed ninth.
Grand Rapids South Christian: The Sailors finished fourth last season and entered this postseason ranked fourth, and finished second and six strokes back at Clearbrook last week. Junior Harris Hoekwater – who tied for eighth at last year’s Final – tied for third and senior Caleb Krosschell tied for eighth at last week’s Regional. Junior Drew Vanderheide also is back from last spring’s championship lineup.
Individuals: Now-seniors Andrew Chang and Henry Delzer tied for third and fifth, respectively, in leading Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood’s Finals lineup last spring. East Grand Rapids’ junior JP Levan returns after finishing seventh, Ada Forest Hills Eastern junior Jack Klimek is back after tying for eighth, and Allendale junior Sumner Meekhof will return looking to build on his tie for 10th. Add in the Grand Rapids Christian pair and seven of the top 11 (top 10 with ties) will play again this weekend, with Meekhof, O’Grady and Chang winning Regional titles last week and joined as well by Detroit Country Day senior Yousef Darwich, Bay City Western senior Drew Goik and Parma Western freshman Bentley Coon in topping their respective standings.
Division 3 at Battle Creek’s Bedford Valley
Top-ranked: 1. Jackson Lumen Christi, 2. Essexville Garber, 3. Grosse Ile.
Jackson Lumen Christi: The Titans carded a 292 Regional score last week, 16 strokes lower than any other team in Division 3 as they prepare to play for a repeat Finals title. They placed four of the top five scorers at Cascades in Jackson – junior Gabe Cooper was medalist, junior Brandon Kulka second, junior Carson Spencer third and freshman Sam Swihart tied for fourth. Kulka tied for third as Lumen won last season’s Final by 13 strokes.
Essexville Garber: The Dukes finished fourth at last year’s Final and are seeking their first top-two finish since placing second in 1999. The top four scorers from last year’s championship weekend all are back, and all placed among the top 10 as Garber won its Regional last week by 26 strokes at Scenic Golf & Country Club in Pigeon. Senior Devin Dueweke was second, senior Jonah Williams and freshman Nicholas Zeilinger tied for third, senior Lucas Schiefer tied for seventh and junior Aaron Theisen was 10th. Williams tied for eighth at last year’s Final.
Grosse Ile: After finishing sixth at last year’s Final, Grosse Ile will make a run at a first title since 2003 starting five seniors including three from last season’s lineup. The Red Devils finished second to Lumen Christi at their Cascades Regional with those three seniors leading the way; Nicholas Joly-Naso tied for fourth, Braden Chessor tied for sixth and Luke Lazorka tied for 10th.
Individuals: Along with Lumen Christi’s Kulka, Chesaning junior Luke Skaryd and Grand Rapids West Catholic senior Owen Kotowski tied for third at last season’s Final. Clare junior Bryce Wieferich is back after tying for sixth, with Garber’s Williams gives this field five of last year’s top nine returning. Grandville Calvin Christian senior Will Orme also will play after finishing ninth in LPD4 last spring. Joining Lumen Christi’s Cooper among Regional champs last week were Elk Rapids sophomore Blake Springstead, North Muskegon junior Luke Jones, Schoolcraft freshman Toby Degroote, Saginaw Valley Lutheran sophomore Reid Schisler and Ann Arbor Greenhills junior Keating Holland.
Division 4 at Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, 2. Charlevoix, 3. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian.
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: The Lancers are pursuing their first Finals championship since 2011, and their 324 Regional score last week at The Fountains in Clarkston was the third-lowest in all of Division 4 even as it placed only second to Riverview Gabriel Richard’s 319 at that tournament. Sophomore Silas Combs was the medalist and could make a big jump this weekend after tying for 41st at least year’s Final in leading Oakland Christian to a 12th-place team finish. He’s one of four starters back from that lineup.
Charlevoix: The Rayders carded a 327 at their Regional at Birchwood Farms in Harbor Springs to finish first and book a return to the Finals. Seniors Bryce Boss and Joe Gaffney tied for third and junior Maxwell Drenth finished ninth at the Regional, and all three were also in the lineup when Charlevoix finished sixth at the 2024 Division 4 Final. The Rayders are seeking their first title and finished runner-up in 2014.
Muskegon Western Michigan Christian: WMC also is seeking a first championship and finished runner-up most recently in 2010. The Warriors advanced to the Finals for the first time since 2019 with a runner-up finish to No. 6 McBain Northern Michigan Christian at the Regional at Crystal Mountain’s Betsie Valley in Thompsonville. Junior Lucas Weare tied for third, junior Ian Vanderstelt tied for seventh and senior Zach Weare and junior Braeden Olsen tied for 10th.
Individuals: Senior Isaiah Ponstine from Wyoming Potter’s House Christian is the highest-returning placer from a year ago, when he tied for fifth, and NMC’s Blair Dezeeuw and Traverse City Christian’s Joey Mirabelli are back after tying for seventh. Joining Combs among Regional champs this time were Leland junior Hayden Vansteenhouse, NMC junior Dries Vannoord, Springport junior Brody Baum, Hillsdale Academy junior Edward Keaster and Bay City All Saints sophomore Robby Taylor.
PHOTO Essexville Garber’s Devin Dueweke tees off during last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
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.)