Work Pays Off as GR West Catholic, Elk Rapids' Springstead Claim 1st Finals Wins
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
June 6, 2026
BATTLE CREEK – The first Finals championship for the Grand Rapids West Catholic boys golf team was months in the making.
Not even a little rain during the final eight holes of Friday’s first round, nor two accidental fire alarms going off in the middle of the night at the team's hotel could deter the Falcons from achieving their goal at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 Final.
West Catholic fired a team score of 311 over the final 18 holes Saturday at Beford Valley Golf Course to take home the first-place trophy. The Falcons held a five-stroke lead after the first day of competition after recording a 314 and finished the two-day 36-hole tournament in first with 625 strokes.
"I know we had an individual win a state title before, but as far as I can remember this is the only time we've won state as a team,” Grand Rapids West Catholic coach Daniel Karamol said. "We started working back in November when the snow was starting to fly. ... We overcame some sickness and a couple injuries during the season, but we were able to overcome it. The kids knew they had the talent, and this meant a great deal to them after they won Regionals a couple weeks ago. I thought the most crucial factors this weekend was our steady play, avoiding critical mistakes and the boys charted and prepared very well. Understanding that every stroke counted was a big key as well."
West Catholic rode the solid play of seniors Owen Kotowski (78-75, 153), Alex Bartish (74-80, 154) and Callahan Peterson (85-79, 164) along with a career weekend from freshman Brendan Morgan (77-77, 154) and sophomore Aaden Stellini (87-86, 173).
Bartish added that the team title required him and his teammates to give of their time unselfishly.
"Many of the guys on this team have a billion things to do besides golf. It was all about playing for one another and not ourselves. This is a very positive group of guys and I'm just proud to be a Falcon. You have to play each hole individually and not get caught up in thinking you have six hours of golf that you have to play," said Bartish, who will next major in pre-law and play men's golf at Calvin College.
Kotowski, who will major in sports management and play his collegiate golf at Davenport University, stated the key has been the team's togetherness.
"All of the guys have worked hard. We support one another and this weekend everyone went insane once we knew Brendan had broken 80," Kotowski said.
Traverse City St. Francis (319-319, 638) finished as runner-up followed by Kalamazoo Christian in third (329-314, 643). Jackson Lumen Christi (325-322, 647) and Grand Rapids North Pointe Christian (334-319, 653) concluded the top five finishers.
The individual medalist honor went to Elk Rapids' sophomore Blake Springstead after he recorded back-to-back rounds of 73 and ended his first appearance at the Finals with a low total of 146.
"I missed qualifying for state my freshman year by one stroke and it kind've upset me,” Springstead said. “I used that as motivation, and I was really focused at Regionals this time and won that by seven strokes.
“I play around 10 junior tournaments each summer. I think wedges are my strongest clubs, but I've really been working on improving my drives and being more calm on the course. It feels really great to win state as a sophomore, but I hope to win it a couple more times.”
Springstead turned to his putting game to wrap up the title over the final three holes.
"On the third-to-last hole I hit my first putt too far and had a two-foot breaker and ended up making that one. Then on my second-to-last hole, I made a 15-foot putt. I had a 60-foot putt on the last hole that I hit within six feet of the cup, then I dropped it in on my next try," Springstead said.
Elk Rapids head coach Hayden Carpenter called Springstead a long-time student of the game.
"Blake's consistency from the fairway to the green is his biggest strength. He is very competitive and can grind it out and make back-to-back birdies if he needs to,” Carpenter said. “He gutted it out today with some incredible putts. He is a big leader on our team for being one of the younger guys."
Other top individual finishers included Jackson Lumen Christi’s Brandon Kulka (73-74, 147) in second place, Ann Arbor Greenhills’ Keating Holland, Lumen Chriti’s Gabe Cooper (73-77, 150) and Grandville Calvin Christian’s Will Orme (79-71, 150) all tied for third; and Kotowski (78-75, 153) and Saugatuck's Grant Schrotenboer (84-69, 153), who tied for the sixth.
(Click for more photos from High School Sports Scene.)
Calvin Christian's Outstanding Ending to 2024 Sparking Strong 2025 Start
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
April 24, 2025
GRANDVILLE – If only last year’s Division 4 Boys Golf Final had been extended another day.
Grandville Calvin Christian played its best during the final round of the 2024 season, and it resulted in the team’s highest Finals finish since 1990.
The Squires finished runner-up to repeat champion Clarkston Everest Collegiate at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University, just eight strokes back after entering the final round in fifth place and trailing by 17.
“Last year I think the guys really didn’t know what to expect going into the state tournament,” Calvin Christian coach Herm Medema said. “But they were ready to play and were familiar with the golf course, which really helps. They found out they could play with some of the higher-echelon teams that we are trying to chase and emulate. That we can do as well as they have in the past.
“We had a really good second day so we are kind of feeding off of that, and they were wishing it was a three-day tournament.”
The Squires recorded the best team total on the second day of the Final, posting an impressive 322 – a 28-stroke improvement from their first round.
Three golfers improved by nine strokes or more from the first round, including junior Will Orme. He fired a second-day 75 after an opening-round 87 and jumped into seventh place individually.
As this year’s No. 1 player, Orme, a returning all-state selection, is one of four starters back from that Finals lineup. The experience and veteran leadership has created lofty expectations.
“Coming into the season, we had thoughts of being a good team because of how well we did last year,” Orme said. “Even though we got second, we knew we were only losing one guy, so coming back this year I think our confidence was higher than ever.
“We were all excited to see how well we could do and get our revenge this year.”
So far, the Squires have built off their success from a year ago.
A win in their first Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver jamboree was a promising start, and they followed with a victory at the 15-team Kent City Invitational.
“We’ve played pretty good this year, and anytime you can have experience then it’s really going to help,” Medema said. “And they really like each other. These guys really care for each other, and they do a lot of things together. They go on spring break together, they hang out together and they play other sports together.
“Most of them are multi-sport athletes too. Two of them play basketball and did really well, and our No. 3 guy was an all-state hockey player. I think it helps a ton to have multi-sport athletes.”
Three seniors – Josh VanderWal, Mason Schroeder and Caleb Teusink – occupy the next three spots after Orme.
Schroeder has been playing exceptionally well early this season with a second-place finish Monday at Egypt Valley Golf Course and the medalist honor in Kent City.
It’s been a positive sign that any of the top four can go low on any given day.
“I think our biggest strength is any guy can go out and just have a great round,” Orme said. “And when one of us doesn't, then the others can cover for each other because we’re pretty consistent. We don’t have really bad rounds, and we play well off each other. We mesh really well.”
The Squires have steadily moved up in their Finals standings over the last few seasons. They placed ninth in 2022 and seventh two years ago before last spring’s runner-up finish.
“We’ve been to the state tournament three years now, and it’s about experience,” VanderWal said. “Each time it’s gotten easier. The nerves are going to be there, but it’s about how you deal with them, and all of us have another year under our belt.
“We have a deep team this year, so everyone is picking each other up and we’re doing well. It's been fun, but I’m hoping for warmer weather and less wind.”
While the MHSAA Tournament is still several weeks away, Calvin Christian is simply trying to make strides in the meantime in hopes of competing once again for a Finals championship.
“I think we all want it pretty bad,” Orme said. “We had a great time and it was a great experience last year getting runner-up, but we are all hungry this year and want to get what we wanted last year. I think we have just as good, if not better, chance this year.”
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Calvin Christian’s Caleb Teusink sends an approach shot during last season’s Division 4 Final at The Meadows. (Middle) The Squires take a team photo after last year’s runner-up finish; all but one golfer is back this spring. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)