Swartz Creek Claims 1st Title Since '67
June 7, 2014
By Mark Meyer
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING – Scratch and claw, chip and putt. Scratch and claw, stay composed. Scratch and claw, win MHSAA title by the narrowest of margins.
The Swartz Creek boys golf team hoisted its first MHSAA golf title since 1967 on Saturday in the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final at Forest Akers East after finishing one shot better than Detroit Catholic Central, 584-585, and by five fewer than third-place Rockford (589). The Dragons had entered the final round tied with Catholic Central at 293 and ahead of Rockford by one shot.
Swartz Creek senior Ben Zyber shot a 3-under-par 69 to tie for overall medalist honors with a two-day total of 141, while fellow senior Mike Kelley (72-70) was one stroke off the pace at 142. Senior Jack Weller carded a 77 on Saturday to finish at 146, while junior Hunter Hull rebounded from a 91 on Friday to shoot 75 on Saturday.
“We liked our chances coming into the finals,” said fifth-year Swartz Creek coach Wesley Hull. “These three seniors have played varsity for four years, and lately they’ve been playing excellent golf. We’ve been struggling to find a fourth, but (Saturday) we had a junior come in special for us after a bad round yesterday.
“They played their hearts out today. We’re a grinding team, not a country club team. Every hole counts for us.”
Aside from the MHSAA title, the last time Swartz Creek qualified for the Finals was 1969. Hull’s message to his team prior to the final round was fairly straightforward.
“We have nothing to lose, so let’s go out and have fun,” said Hull, a 1982 Swartz Creek grad who played four years of golf for his alma mater. “This is the chance of a lifetime.”
Midland Dow junior Ben Roeder made the most of his weekend by winning the individual title in a three-hole, five-man playoff over Seth Terpstra of Grandville, Jordan Bohannon of Birmingham Groves, Joel Pietila of Rockford and Zyber.
Roeder made consecutive pars at hole Nos. 1, 9 and 10 to claim the title over Terpstra. On the third playoff hole, Roeder’s gap wedge from 118 yards left him within two-putt range while Terpstra struggled to recover after an errant tee shot.
“I’ve put in a lot of hard work over the past years and knew that one day it would all come through,” Roeder said. “(The playoff) wasn’t as nerve-wracking as I thought it might be. It was great having a big crowd around us with everyone watching.”
Roeder, who reached the MHSAA Finals by capturing one of two qualifying spots in a five-man Regional playoff, kept his head low when Terpstra was attempting to save par on a chip shot from just off the green.
“I’ve watched enough golf on TV where someone made a great shot to continue a playoff, so I didn’t want to get my hopes too high until it didn’t go in,” Roeder said. “I definitely had some help from above because my approach (on the third playoff hole) took a favorable kick into the green.”
Bohannon and Max Rispler of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central tied for lowest score Saturday with identical 4-under-par 68s. The remainder of the individual two-day leaderboard consisted of James Piot (Detroit Catholic Central), Charlie Bolton (U-D Jesuit) and Kelley at 142, while Rispler was joined by Chris Kozler (Plymouth), Justin Pahl (White Lake Lakeland) and Andrew Walker (Battle Creek Lakeview) at 143.
Grandville (596), Plymouth (597) and White Lake Lakeland (598) completed the team top six followed by Detroit U-D Jesuit (604), Battle Creek Lakeview (605), Saline (610) and Ann Arbor Skyline (613).
Fenton junior John Lloyd aced the par-3, 13th hole on Friday to complete a rare double for a pair of classmates. At the 2013 girls Final in October – also on the East course at Forest Akers – Fenton sophomore Madi Shegos aced the par-3 18th hole.
PHOTOS: (Top) Swartz Creek accepts its first MHSAA golf championship trophy since 1967. (Middle) Midland Dow’s Ben Roeder follows through on a drive at Forest Akers East; he won the individual championship after a playoff. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
DCC Runs Golf Championship Streak to 3 with 2nd-Round Surge
By
Todd VanSickle
Special for MHSAA.com
June 6, 2026
BIG RAPIDS – Detroit Catholic Central clawed its way back Saturday to claim its third-consecutive Lower Peninsula Division 1 boys golf championship at Ferris State’s Katke Golf Course.
The Shamrocks finished with a score of 590 over the two-day 36-hole tournament.
“We started the day nine strokes back,” said Detroit Catholic Central coach Mike Fras. “We had to chase Brighton and Brother Rice, and we know how good they are. Everything really worked. We felt the pressure, but we handled it.”
DCC’s top placer was senior Jack Whitmore, who finished with a two-round 145. He shot a 69 on Saturday, with an eagle on hole 18 during the second round.
“I holed out from about 65 yards for eagle,” said Whitmore. “It was crazy. … We have won it in the past, so we knew we had it in us. We knew that we needed a low one today. All day the vibes were high.”
At the end of the second round, Whitmore was congratulated with high-fives and hugs from his teammates and coaches. He said winning a third-straight team championship is an indication of the program’s consistency.
“We practice all year long,” Whitmore said. “We are all friends and have team camaraderie. I think we are the strongest team out here bonding-wise.”
All told, the Shamrocks had four seniors competing at the Finals who had all made appearances in last year’s tournament, including David Krusinski, who shot a 79 on the first day and improved by four strokes Saturday. Collin Davis shot 146 and Luke Slankster finished with a 149.
The Shamrocks’ only freshman, Sal Camalo, ended the tournament with a 150.
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice took home the second-place team trophy with a score of 592. Senior Rocco Iacobelli was Rice’s top golfer with a 145 after carding a 71 on the final day. Teammate Joseph Karoutsos finished with a 150 and shot a 70 on the second day.
The Warriors shot a 292 on the first day and 300 on Saturday.
“We set out today to replicate what we did yesterday,” Brother Rice assistant coach David Sass said. “But we had a couple guys fall short. I am still proud of them. Nobody quit. I have to hand it to CC, if you shoot one-under on the day – that is pretty good – they deserve it.”
Brighton took third with 595, while Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern shot a 602 for fourth and Rochester Adams was fifth at 604.
The top individual golfer was decided in a playoff between three on hole 10.
Rochester Adams’ Ben Vento, Flushing’s AJ Gasper and Midland Dow’s David Han ended the first 36 holes tied at 142.
All three golfers had strong drives to begin the playoff hole, all well past the 150-yard mark down the middle of the fairway.
On their second shots, Vento and Gasper each chipped onto the green coming within three feet of the hole. Han also landed on the green, but missed his 30-foot putt to stay in contention for the top spot.
Vento was next up and sank his short putt in front of a large crowd of fans and golfers who gathered to watch.
“I think this is the biggest tournament I have ever played in,” Vento said. “I don’t think I have ever experienced a crowd like that. I think it was like 100 people. I was shocked that they all came out. My team was cheering pretty big for me. I really appreciated it.”
Gasper was the last to putt, but he narrowly missed the hole giving the Rochester Adams freshman the win.
“I kind of blacked out on all of my shots,” Vento said. “On my drive, I just swung as hard as I could. The chip was pretty good and the putt caught the left edge of the hole.”
Vento finished with a 70 on the first day and a 72 during the second round. He noted he had “good wedges all day.”
“My approach play was good all tournament, but I struggled off the tee,” he said. “Thanks to my coach for replacing my driver halfway through.”
Vento discovered a crack in his driver head, and after checking with officials they allowed him to replace it during the tournament.
“My coach came through clutch for me,” he said. “I hit the ball right down the fairway on the playoff hole.”
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Catholic Central’s golf team poses for a photo after completing its championship victory Saturday. (Middle) Adams’ Ben Vento lines up a putt. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)