Cass Tech Makes History, Hopes to Inspire Future City Teams with Finals Trip
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
October 26, 2023
EAST LANSING – Players and coaches on the Detroit Cass Tech girls golf team did all they could to soak it in, but this had nothing to do with all the rain that plagued Forest Akers West during the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Girls Golf Final over the weekend.
Instead, everyone associated with the Technicians was doing all they could to soak in the experience and finish off a journey that not only illustrated how far the team had come, but also how far they want to go in the future.
It’s believed that Cass Tech sent the first high school girls golf team from the city of Detroit to qualify for an MHSAA Finals in the sport.
“It was very meaningful to make it as a team,” said Cass Tech senior Kennedy Watts. “It showed we can succeed, we are making progress and growing.”
The achievement was remarkable for a program that started just three years ago and still faces some obstacles.
The team doesn’t have a home course and has had to rely on alumni donations to purchase necessary equipment.
“It’s pretty hard for the girls to practice a bunker shot if they’ve never practiced a bunker shot before because we have no home course,” Cass Tech head coach Martin Siml said. “It’s like playing basketball without a basketball court. It’s like playing in somebody’s backyard and then showing up to compete on the basketball court.”
Cass Tech conducts practice sessions at the Royal Oak Golf Center, but was able to compete in various dual matches and tournaments throughout the year, including invitationals in Brighton, Rochester and Traverse City.
“Just not having the basic resources, but still being able to come and perform and be able to be here at states, is one of the best things,” said junior Sydney Evans.
The most memorable tournament obviously was the Regional at West Shore Golf & Country Club in Grosse Ile. The Technicians made history that day, punching their ticket to the Finals by finishing second with a score of 398. The top three teams at Regional events qualify.
From there, it was a whirlwind of preparation leading up to last weekend’s trip to East Lansing.
When word of the team’s accomplishment got out, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press were among media to feature the team.
Retired Detroit Lions wide receiver and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Calvin Johnson even showed up at a practice to offer congratulations and support.
At the Final, Cass Tech finished 17th behind Watts, Evans, sophomore Sienna Hawkins, senior Kalista Bennett and junior Nyla Joseph.
More important than competing at the Final was the bar the team set going forward by simply being there.
Not only does the program hope future teams qualifying becomes the norm, but that other programs in the city and Detroit Public School League will be inspired.
“I think the girls coming after us, they are going to have that legacy to go behind,” Evans said. “It’s something to strive for as well.”
Siml for one doesn’t shy away from having lofty ambitions for the future.
“I told them I want to start a dynasty,” Siml said. “That’s my goal. At Cass Tech, we have dynasties. We have basketball, we have football. We try to make dynasties.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties
PHOTO The Detroit Cass Tech girls golf team celebrates qualifying for the MHSAA Final from its LPD1 Regional. (Middle) The Technicians' Nyla Joseph putts during the Final. (Top photo courtesy of Faye Watts. Middle photo by High School Sports Scene.)
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, Napoleon's McCubbins clinch 1st Finals Titles
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
October 18, 2025
BIG RAPIDS – The first time was a charm for Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian girls golf coach Myrna Duflo and her freshman daughter, Izzy, at the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final this weekend at Katke Golf Course.
For Napoleon senior Anna McCubbins, persistence paid off in a major way.
In her first season as NorthPointe Christian’s head coach, Myrna Duflo guided the Mustangs to their first-ever Finals title. Izzy Duflo has been their No. 1 golfer all season and she was again this weekend, placing fourth individually with a two-day total of 166 (78-88).
Meanwhile, McCubbins cruised to her first championship in her fourth Finals appearance by firing a 155 (79-76) in clearing the rest of the field by five strokes.
“It’s awesome. It’s very surreal. I’m still in a little bit of shock about it,” Myrna Duflo said. “It’s my first year coaching it and I have a great group of girls, and they’re the ones that got the job done, not me. They did the hard work – I just encouraged them throughout the day.”
NorthPointe Christian shot 374 on Friday and 371 in soggy, challenging conditions Saturday. The second round was originally scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, but it was bumped to 9 a.m. in hopes of dodging some of the inclement weather before heavy rains forced a postponement to an 11 a.m. start after all.
NorthPointe Christian edged Lansing Catholic by one shot, as the Cougars came oh, so close to their second Finals crown in three years. NorthPointe Christian was runner-up last season, and Lansing Catholic also finished second in 2020 and 2021.
When the dust settled Saturday – or, more appropriately, as the wet course began to dry out a bit – Elk Rapids placed third (753), followed by Montague in fourth (755) and Napoleon fifth (778).
“It feels really good,” Izzy Duflo said as she cradled the championship trophy. “Being a freshman, knowing my team did well throughout the season, I’m happy.”
The word “happy” is not strong enough to describe the emotions McCubbins felt after she sealed the medalist honor. She birdied two of her first four holes Saturday and had three of them in her 4-over-par round.
McCubbins tied for 11th at the Final as a freshman, then placed seventh in both her sophomore and junior seasons.
“Seriously, I’ve dreamed about this moment at least four times,” said McCubbins, who will play next for Saginaw Valley State University. “It’s just such a crazy, surreal experience. Just happy tears, honestly.”
Rounding out the top 10 individual finishers were Bath’s Addilyn Duflo in second (160), Byron’s Adalen Brown third (165), Elk Rapids’ Piper Smith and NorthPointe Christian’s Izzy Duflo tied for fourth (166), Lansing Catholic’s Addi Rule sixth (173), Fowler’s Noelle Krepps seventh (177), NorthPointe Christian’s Natalie Kent eighth (179), Montague’s Cadence Fox ninth (180), and Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s Nora Kinsey 10th (182).
A Montague golfer’s bag of clubs went missing Saturday morning. On the driving range during warmups, McCubbins loaned her driver to the Montague golfer.
On top of the goodwill gesture, McCubbins said she felt a sense of fulfillment in capturing the individual title. Her life the past four years has been committed to golf and getting better, she said.
“Golf, it’s such a mental game. Just have a good, mental state the entire day. Stay calm, you know, don’t get super upset. Play with emotion without being emotional, and I feel like I really pulled that off today,” she said. “Especially with the weather being as bad as it was, I’ve had experience playing in bad weather, I know what that’s like, and I think that’s what gave me an advantage.”
NorthPointe’s Aila Ellis (196) and Clara Velting (204) rounded out their team’s top four scorers, while Kezia Beeke shot 221 for the Mustangs.
Beeke, who was one of two seniors on the NorthPointe squad, said that sticking with it and staying together were among the keys for her team.
“We were really encouraged. Coach did a lot of encouragement over the season and over today and yesterday, and I just think that encouragement and just knowing our team is so bonded and we’re so impacted by each other that we really just pushed through and we were able to win,” Beeke said.
“It’s proven that if you know your team well and you were loved and were cared for by your team and you know that, you significantly would do better. That’s what I think makes our team such a good team is because we can love each other well and support each other no matter what happens on the course.”
Izzy Duflo added team bonding and motivating each other also carried the Mustangs, who finished runner-up to Montague in the Regional by one shot.
Myrna Duflo quipped, maybe NorthPointe will win the Regional next year. For now, the Finals championship will suit the Mustangs just fine.
“Next year’s a new year and hopefully we’ll be standing here again,” coach Duflo said. “At the end of the day, this is what we trained for all season, and we’ve worked really hard.”
PHOTOS (Top) NorthPointe Christian's Izzy Duflo tees off during the opening round of the Division 4 Final on Friday. (Middle) Napoleon's Anna McCubbins follows an approach shot Saturday. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene. McCubbins photo submitted by the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association.)