Brighton Golf Finds Championship Mix
October 15, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
BRIGHTON – When Paul Parsell considers what each of his players brings to the Brighton girls golf program, he can’t help but think about the food.
The Bulldogs’ moms have fed the team incredibly well this season, and that contribution isn’t lost on the sixth-year coach.
The right ingredients make the difference – and it just so happens these moms are fueling what could end up the most accomplished team in Brighton golf’s storied history.
This season’s team is an interesting mix of veterans, newcomers, phenoms and self-made standouts. And the Bulldogs hope it’s a winner as they try to cook up their first MHSAA championship beginning Friday with the first round of the Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University.
Brighton has never finished among the top two at an MHSAA Final, but enters this weekend having won all but two of its events and ranked No. 3 in the final LP Division 1 coaches poll.
“It was very fun to see it all come together," said Allie Erkkila, the lineup’s lone senior.
"Our skills are up to par. It's just up to our mental game. Our team is very close, and I think that if we keep a level mindset, we can do our personal best."
Erkkila’s perspective is a unique one on a team filled with them. Start with the top seven players.
There’s the veteran: Brighton finished fifth in Division 1 in 2012 and 12th in 2013, but didn't make last year's MHSAA Final. Erkkila is the only member of the team who has played in the final tournament of the high school season – she was in the lineup for the first round in 2013.
And the athlete: Now-sophomore Heather Fortushniak joined the lineup last season and shot the team’s second-lowest regional core. She’s the team’s best all-around athlete; she played hockey and tackle football growing up and also plays basketball at Brighton. This fall she’s become a more polished golfer, giving the team a strong third player behind a top two that can match any in the state.
The next in line: Freshman Annie Pietila is the middle daughter of five of what could be considered Brighton’s first family of golf. Her older sisters Hannah and Emmie both play at the University of Tennessee and were regulars among the top 10 at their MHSAA Finals. In Annie’s high school debut, at the Traverse City Central Invitational in August, she set Brighton’s school record for 18 holes with a 68.
The standout who gave high school a try: Pietila’s score was tied a week later by a player also making her high school debut. Junior Julia Dean was a veteran of the American Junior Golf Association and already has committed to play collegiately at the University of Baylor. She said she’d always wanted to play on the high school team too, but couldn’t make it work with her schedule. This fall, she could – and joined the team a week in, shooting her 68 to win Brighton’s Coach Miller Invitational.
The elite gymnast: Freshman Autumn Blaney had ascended to Level 10 as a club gymnast before deciding to give golf a try, and that competitiveness has transferred over to a sport she’s played for only six months. Blaney has improved so quickly the Bulldogs used her 84 at their Regional.
And don’t forget 6 and 7: Sophomores Sophia Lowe and Emme Darkowski came to tryouts a year ago shooting in the 120s. Their averages have fallen into the low 90s and they’re pushing hard enough to make the lineup that Blaney had to defeat them in a nine-hole match last week to earn the fifth spot at the Regional.
They lead the way: Parsell has four children ages 6 down to 1 who easily could’ve been reasons for him to step away from the program – if he didn’t consider the team an extension of his family and his oldest hadn't been hanging out at practices since he was 18 months old. A major help has been the addition of assistant Jimmy Dewling, a former Brighton standout who played at Michigan State and returned to coach last fall. During matches they focus on golf-related things like course management. But just as important is the team bonding they foster to make the blend just right.
Dean averages 71 strokes for 18 holes, Pietila 79 and Fortushniak 84. Although maybe not this formidable, the Bulldogs have had similar strength at the top in the past – along with the older Pietilas, Jennica Long is a freshman playing at Florida Atlantic and Nicole Meyer plays at Hope College and three days ago was named Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Women’s Golfer of the Week.
But the biggest difference in this title hunt could be the players carding the fourth and fifth scores.
“What’s shown up for us is the growth of our program. We have really seven golfers that can play, and our five, six, seven probably could be top five for a lot of teams,” Parsell said. “I know a lot of teams out there struggle at four and five, and even three. To have that on our team makes it more competitive. They’re battling for position. You usually do that in college. We’re doing that here.”
And doing so together, which makes this a different and worthwhile experience for players like Dean and Pietila who were used to golf as an entirely individual sport.
“It’s been cool to have that camaraderie with the team and travel with the team, and everything is more of a team effort, which I really like and enjoy,” Dean said. “It’s different in golf; you’re not out there helping your own team. But it just motivates you to do that much better because you’re playing for your team.”
Brighton finished sixth at that Traverse City Central tournament before she joined. But the Bulldogs then won all of their matches and tournaments until the Oct. 1 Kensington Lakes Activities Association final at Pontiac Country Club, where they shot 345 to finish third – seven strokes back of No. 7 Plymouth and one back of Division 2 No. 4 South Lyon. Brighton came back a week later and won its Regional with a 317, 10 strokes better than No. 4 Novi.
The late Bill Miller laid much of the program's foundation during 28 seasons before he died in 2009. Parsell said he's worked to build on Miller's work, taking a top-10 team to one that can contend annually among the top three.
The Bulldogs made runs at the top with Annie Pietila's older sisters, who have visited practices twice this season and continue to cheer on the team as it goes for the ultimate accomplishment.
“They still love the team and they love the coach. They didn’t have a season quite like this, but they had good seasons too,” Annie Pietila said. “They think it’s great I get to experience this.”
Geoff Kimmerly joined the MHSAA as its Media & Content Coordinator in Sept. 2011 after 12 years as Prep Sports Editor of the Lansing State Journal. He has served as Editor of Second Half since its creation in Jan. 2012. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Barry, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston, Ionia, Clinton, Shiawassee, Gratiot, Isabella, Clare and Montcalm counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Brighton’s varsity golfers, from left, Autumn Blaney, Heather Fortushniak, Annie Pietila, Julia Dean, Allie Erkkila, Sophia Lowe, Sydnee Ellingson and Emme Darkowski. (Middle) The players pose with their regional trophy, coaches Jimmy Dewling (left) and Paul Parsell (right). (Photos courtesy of Brighton girls golf program.)
Preview: Parade of Past Champions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 15, 2020
Few MHSAA Lower Peninsula Girls Golf Finals weekends, at least in recent memory, have featured so many successful returning teams and individuals as this weekend's will at Michigan State University's Forest Akers courses.
Two programs riding consecutive championship streaks, Northville and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, could be on the cusp of record-book achievements. Meanwhile, all four individual champions from 2019 also are back for more, with a change in division pitting a pair of them this time around.
Because of COVID-19 precautions, this season's Finals will be different – just one round instead of the usual two, with Divisions 1 and 2 on Friday and Divisions 3 and 4 on Saturday. Play begins both days on the West course at 9:30 a.m. and on the East course at 10:30.
This season's Finals also will be different for a more fun reason; for the first time, they will feature hole-by-hole live scoring, available via the MHSAA Golf app designed by iWanamaker and available for both iOS and Android.
Click for the MHSAA "Tournament Home" including groupings for each Final, and see below for some of the teams and individuals to watch this weekend:
Lower Peninsula Division 1 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers East
Top-ranked: 1. Plymouth, 2. Grand Blanc, 3. Northville.
Northville has been the class of an always-strong division the last two seasons, following up its 31-stroke 2018 Finals win by taking last year’s title by 32 strokes ahead of the field. But Plymouth enters as the favorite this time, following a third place last season and runner-up finish in 2018. Grand Blanc is expected to be back in the mix as well after coming in fifth a year ago. Rochester Adams is ranked No. 4 but held the top spot for two weeks late this fall.
Plymouth: The Wildcats are pursuing their first Finals championship since winning Division 1 back-to-back in 2012 and 2013. They took over the top spot in the coaches rankings only last week after shooting a 326 to edge Northville by four strokes and win the Regional at Lake Forest in Ann Arbor. Junior Bridget Boczar was medalist and twin Grace Boczar tied for second with teammate Brooke Morris. Mara Bridges and Abigail Boyer also are returning this weekend from last season’s lineup. Bridget Boczar tied for fourth individually at the 2019 Final and Grace missed the top 10 by a stroke.
Grand Blanc: The Bobcats also shot 326 to win their Regional, at Lapeer Country Club, ahead of No. 6 Brighton and No. 7 Hartland. Kate Brody finished third at last season’s Final as a freshman and finished second at last week’s Regional with teammates Taylor Kondel and Madison Brigance tying for fourth and finishing ninth, respectively. Those three and Halee Frame – 12th at the Regional – were part of last season’s lineup as well.
Northville: The Mustangs held the top spot in the poll nearly the entire season and will try to become the ninth Lower Peninsula girls golf program to win at least three straight Finals championships. Senior Katelyn Tokarz, sophomore Samantha Coleman and junior Megha Vallabhaneni all were part of the lineup last season, and Tokarz was top five in 2018 as well. The entire current lineup finished among the top 12 at last week’s Regional, led by Haesol Park tied for fourth and Coleman sixth.
More individuals of note: Although last season’s individual champion Allison Cui of Okemos is playing in Division 2 this weekend, four more returning top-10 finishers join Bridget Boczar and Brody. Traverse City West senior Anci Dy will look to finish with her first championship after coming in second last season, tied for fifth as a sophomore and tied for sixth as a freshman. Utica Eisenhower senior Ariel Chang also will try for her first title coming off finishes of fourth last season, third as a sophomore and tied for sixth as a freshman. Grosse Pointe South’s Audrey Becker was seventh in 2019, and Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Amaya Melendez was ninth. Dy, Becker and Chang joined Boczar as Regional champions last week, along with Adams’ Laura Liu and Holt’s Nateda Her.
Lower Peninsula Division 2 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 2. South Lyon, 3. Farmington Hills Mercy.
Coming off last season’s 26-stroke Finals win, Forest Hills Northern will attempt this weekend to become just the second Lower Peninsula girls golf program to win four straight championships. South Lyon was last year’s runner-up and is expected to be the best challenger again as it plays for its first title in the sport. Mercy last won a girls golf championship in 2001, in Division 1, but came in fourth a year ago.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern: Only two golfers are back from last season’s lineup, but they give the Huskies as good of a start as any team enjoys. Senior Lilia Henkel tied for second last year, third as a sophomore and finished seventh as a freshman, while senior Anna Fay has finished fourth and ninth individually at the last two Finals. They came in first and second, respectively, at last week’s Regional at Muskegon Country Club, with teammates Juliana Mas and Meagan Cox tying for eighth during the 41-stroke win.
South Lyon: The Lions won their Regional at Farmington Hills Golf Club by 47 strokes, shooting 324 and placing all five golfers among the top 10 individuals with Katherine Potter first, Gabriella Tapp second and Isabella Campbell third. Tapp won last season’s Finals championship by three strokes, while Potter was fifth and Campbell and Sophia Joseph also back from the 2019 top five. Joseph came in sixth at the Regional last week.
Farmington Hills Mercy: Although Mercy was only third at that Regional with South Lyon, the Marlins easily could be in the mix for a Finals championship returning three starters from last season’s lineup – Chloe Vig, Leah Glover and Gabby Crespi. All three were among the top 25 finishers at the Regional, Vig placing fifth.
Other individuals of note: The four returning top-five individual finishers mentioned above make this field strong on their own. But they’re just the start. Fenton’s Brook Herbstreit also is back after finishing sixth in 2019. And reigning Division 1 champion Allison Cui of Okemos is back in Division 2 – she also finished runner-up in Division 2 in 2018, losing on a one-hole tie-breaker. Cui joined Henkel and Potter as Regional champs last week, as did Mount Pleasant’s Ashley Trost, Carlton Airport’s Kristen Reed and St. Joseph’s Maya Hunter. Reed tied for ninth in Division 3 last season. Another name to remember is Haslett’s Olivia Stoll, who finished only two strokes back of Cui and is the daughter of Michigan State University women’s golf coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. Teammate Sydney Dausman was just a stroke behind Olivia Stoll at the Regional and tied for fifth in Division 3 in 2019.
Lower Peninsula Division 3 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers East
Top-ranked: 1. Bloomfield Hills Marian, 2. Grand Rapids South Christian, 3. Grand Rapids Christian.
Marian broke through for its first championship last season, and now is anticipated to win a second straight. Grand Rapids Christian is attempting to become the next first-time champ this weekend, while South Christian is seeking its first title since 2009 and after finishing runner-up in both 2017 and 2018. Flint Powers Catholic is ranked No. 4 but easily could rise to the top after finishing second last season and winning the Final in 2018.
Bloomfield Hills Marian: Two-time individual champion Shannon Kennedy makes Marian immediately formidable; she won last season by three strokes and also as a freshman. She was medalist at last week’s Regional at Calderone Farms in Grass Lake as Marian shot 323 to win by 46 strokes, and was followed closely by teammates Ashley Carroll (second), Sarah Kuredjian (third), Lauren Sass (seventh) and Laura Emerson (eighth). The latter three also were part of the lineup during last season’s championship run, and Sass also will be playing in her fourth Final.
Grand Rapids South Christian: The Sailors fell back to 15th last season after those back-to-back runner-up finishes, but they’re on the rise again. South Christian won the Regional at Diamond Springs in Hamilton in a tie-breaker against Grand Rapids Christian, with all five of its golfers finishing among the top 10 individually. Tori Heyboer, Kate Hoekwater and Amanda Ormstad all played in the 2019 Final, and teammates Ashley Thomasma and Elle Bolkema led the Regional charge last week coming in second and fourth, respectively.
Grand Rapids Christian: As noted, the Eagles were second at their Regional because of the tie-breaker, and they’re expected to climb from last year’s 10th-place Finals finish with Ryann Breslin setting the pace. She was fifth individually last season and won the Regional last week. Sara Muir and Niya Couch also were part of the 2019 lineup, and Muir is coming off a third-place Regional finish.
Other individuals of note: Powers senior Jolie Brochu has finished second the last two seasons after tying for eighth as a freshman and should provide Kennedy with another titanic battle. Joining those two and Breslin from last year’s top 10 are Warren Regina’s Charlotte Thibault (eighth) and Ada Forest Hills Eastern’s Hailey Curry (tied for ninth). Brochu, Breslin and Kennedy won Regional titles last week, along with Big Rapids’ Lauren Posey, Battle Creek Harper Creek’s Lauren Reed and Macomb Lutheran North freshman Lauren Timpf.
Lower Peninsula Division 4 at Michigan State’s Forest Akers West
Top-ranked: 1. Montague, 2. Lansing Catholic, 3. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep.
Reigning champion Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian was ranked No. 1 all season until the most recent poll, when it dropped to No. 4. Montague moved ahead to the favorite spot as it aims for its first Finals championship in this sport. Lansing Catholic moved up to third last season and is seeking its first championship since 2012. Hackett has finished fourth and fifth the last two seasons and was back-to-back champion in 2014 and 2015.
Montague: This program is only five years old, but the Wildcats pushed all the way up to fourth last season. They won last week’s Regional at Grand Traverse Resort’s Wolverine by 54 strokes, shooting a 351 with all five golfers among the top eight finishers. Four of those golfers are back from the 2019 lineup – Megan Brown was third, Orianna Bylsma and Gabriella Moreau tied for fourth (with teammate Mackenzie Goudreau) and Katie Unger eighth at The Wolverine.
Lansing Catholic: The Cougars are coming off a 32-stroke Regional win at Hunters Ridge in Byron, where their top four placed among the top seven. Three of those high four finishers were part of the lineup last season as well – Amanda Melling (Regional medalist), Maya Blonshine (fourth) and Sailor Somerville (fifth).
Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep: The Irish are hoping to claim another championship trophy with a lineup also returning three from last season’s Final. Lauren Rex, Colleen McNally and Meg Christian all played Finals rounds in 2018 as well, and finished tied for third, fifth and sixth, respectively, as Hackett won at HawksHead in South Haven at a Regional that included NorthPointe and No. 6 South Haven.
Other individuals of note: A powerful group of returnees sets the bar high for the individual title race. Harbor Springs’ Jacque O’Neill is the reigning champion, while Wixom St. Catherine’s Sara Haupt was second, NorthPointe’s Sabrina Langerak third, Onsted’s Jaime Metzger tied for sixth and Durand’s Emme Lantis eighth at the 2019 Final. Langerak and O’Neill were Regional champs last week, as were Almont’s Brandi Kautz, Michigan Center’s Kamryn Shannon and Shepherd’s Madde Skeel.
PHOTO: South Lyon's Gabriella Tapp putts during last season's Lower Peninsula Division 2 Final; she finished as individual champion. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)