Recent Whiteford Grad Ovall Leading Bobcats' Inaugural Girls Golf Team
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
September 2, 2026
Addison Ovall might be the youngest varsity head coach in the state of Michigan this fall.
Ovall, who graduated in June from Ottawa Lake Whiteford, had barely taken off her cap and gown when she found herself as the new head coach of the Bobcats girls golf team. She’s also a pioneer of sorts – she helped lead the crusade for Whiteford to field a team in that sport for the first time.
The five girls on the squad tee it up for the first time Tuesday.
“I always wanted to start a girls golf team while I was a student here, but there didn’t seem much interest in it,” Ovall said. “Once I graduated, I shared my story about having played on the boys team and I think that garnered some interest. It’s something I’ve always wanted.”
Ovall was going to golf in college, but a traffic crash during which she suffered a broken wrist put those plans on the backburner. For now, her work on the course is dedicated to helping five novice golfers learn the game.
“That just led me here to coach,” she said.
Ovall learned the game when she was a kid from her father.
“Ever since I was little, I had a club in my hand,” she said. “It seems like I’ve been playing forever.”
She started high school in Toledo and played on a girls golf team as a freshman at St. Ursula Academy, a private school in northwest Ohio. She moved to Whiteford as a junior and was set to be a one-person golf team in the fall of 2025 with her mom as the head coach. That’s when she was injured in the crash and couldn’t continue the season.
Whiteford athletic director Miranda Green went through the MHSAA to get clearance for Ovall to join the boys team in the spring.
“She had played in one competition in girls golf, then got hurt,” Green said. “I had to write a letter to the MHSAA, and she was approved to play on the boys team, but she had to sit one match. She was excited to still be able to play.”
Ovall said it was a difficult transition.
“It was terrifying, to be honest,” she said. “I had to hit from the men's tees, had to learn everything, but I think it made me a better golfer and a better person overall. I met new people, which was cool. I had college opportunities, which was awesome.”
Her season was hampered by the wrist injury, but she didn’t let it stop her. It did get in the way of playing at the college level, however.
“It was sort of difficult, but I was better off for it,” she said.
While still in high school she started lobbying other girls in school to sign up for golf.
“Toward the end of the year we had girls start showing interest in it,” she said. “That was really cool. When the school asked me to come back to coach, I was pretty nervous. I didn’t think anyone was going to come to tryouts.”
She ended up having five girls join the squad, which gives them enough to compete in dual matches and tournaments.
“It’s just been fun to get to know the girls,” she said. “We are a very young team. We are just starting out so we are trying to see what our strengths and weaknesses are.”
While the first match isn’t until next week, they have been playing daily at Whiteford Valley Golf Club, the same home course the Whiteford boys team plays on. Ovall said they typically spend an hour on the driving range, then chipping and putting for the last 45 minutes of practice. One day a week, the girls play nine holes.
“It is good to see how the game is coming together and to see what we need to improve on,” she said.
Because there are so few members on the team, Ovall can spend about 15 minutes with each golfer daily.
“After we play a round, the next day I will focus on what their biggest weaknesses were on the course,” she said.
Ovall said teaching the game is a rewarding experience.
“We have one girl who is an experienced golfer, but everyone else is really brand new to the game,” she said. “We want them to go out and have fun. We’re all able to hit the ball, which is good. Right now, we just keep going over everything getting ready for that first tournament and going over all of the rules. We’ve had a month to prepare.”
Charlie Weiser is one of the freshmen on the team. She said she decided to go out for golf because her whole family golfs. The team is getting to know the rules and having fun together, she said. In practice, she likes to focus on driving and putting, but is getting pretty good with her 8-iron.
“I just started at the beginning of summer, but it’s been going pretty good,” she said. “There have been good days and bad days.”
Green said she didn’t have any apprehension about turning the new program over to Ovall.
“Honestly, it was a no-brainer,” she said. “She is the perfect person to do it. I’m excited for her. Hopefully she can keep the program growing.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) This fall’s Whiteford girls golf team is the school’s first. Top row: Coach Addison Ovall. Middle row: Grace Grosteffon and Avee Ingram. Bottom row: Addy Emch, Charlie Weiser and Brenna Allen. (Below) Ovall. (Photos by Doug Donnelly.)
Vicksburg's Offord Jr. Beginning 50th, Final Season Coaching Teams to Net Gains
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
March 26, 2025
VICKSBURG — Warner Offord Jr.’s was hardly impressed the first time he played tennis.
That was 55 years ago, when he was heading into his sophomore year at Paw Paw High School.
Still, he continued to play with neighbor boys all that summer, and figured it would end there – until the following spring sports season, when he joined the tennis team.
“I go, it’s not a bad sport after all,” he laughed.
Offord ended up at No. 1 singles his final three years at Paw Paw, graduating in 1973.
Now, at age 70, he is ready to retire at the end of the upcoming Vicksburg’s girls season after 50 years of coaching tennis.
After graduating from Paw Paw, Offord stayed in the area, helping the basketball team and coaching boys and girls tennis there. He coached at his alma mater 28 years, first as an assistant before taking over the tennis programs.
When he heard about a basketball coaching opening at Vicksburg 22 years ago, he applied for the job.
He did not get the head hoops gig, but athletic director Mike Roy offered him a job coaching the girls tennis team.
“I said I’ve got to talk to my wife (Linda Connor-Offord),” Offord said. “I don’t do nothing without talking to my wife, or I’ll be in the doghouse.”
Two days later, the boys tennis coach resigned and Roy offered Offord that job as well.
Once again he consulted his wife, who he gave him the thumbs up.
Offord soon discovered there is a bit of a difference between coaching boys and girls.
“Girls are feisty,” he said. “Girls listen to you. Boys, sometimes they want to do their own thing. When they do that, I say ‘end zone to end zone’ and then they get back to, ‘OK, we’re going to listen to our coach now.’”
He also has rules on the court.
“I believe in discipline. If you curse on the court, it’s an automatic two miles,” he said. “If you throw your racket, it’s an automatic two miles.
“No matter what, we’re going to run. I try to get the kids in shape for the third set.”
With the girls season just underway, Offord has some definite goals.
“We’re going to try to win (Wolverine) conference for the first time in school history,” he said. “The boys did it last year for the first time.
“Before I leave, I’d like to bring home that Regional trophy for the girls. It would be nice to bring home that trophy my last year.”
He is also challenging the girls not only to get back to the MHSAA Finals, but to improve on last year’s finish.
“Two years ago we finished 18th (in Lower Peninsula Division 3). Last year, I told the girls, let’s get up to 15th of 24 teams, and we got 14th.
“This year, if we go to state again, I’m going to tell then, let’s get down to 10.”
Game changer
Offord said today’s high school players are faster and stronger than when he picked up tennis because they use the weight room and do conditioning.
The equipment also has evolved.
“If I had the racket they have now and I could take that back in the ’70s, the racket is so big,” he said. “I had an Arthur Ashe (wooden) racket, I had a Wilson T3000 racket, I had a Kramer and I had a Davis.
“The technology now is unbelievable.”
Offord, who is affectionately called “Doctor O” or the abbreviated “Doc O” by the Vicksburg community, has changed with the times.
“Dr. O’s unwavering passion and exceptional dedication have transformed the program,” Roy said. “His deep understanding of the game, paired with his ability to teach strategy at an elite level, sets him apart.
“Beyond his technical expertise, Dr. O instills a culture of excellence by holding athletes to high standards while maintaining fairness, consistency, and approachability – earning the trust and respect of his team.”
Roy noted that Offord has support around him.
“Since taking the reins, Dr. O has cultivated a winning culture, building on the foundation laid by coach Scott Wills, who continues to lead our summer youth programs,” Roy said.
“Recognizing the importance of strong leadership, Dr. O brought in Nick Foley, a former standout at Sturgis, as his assistant. Together these three men have ignited a culture shift, elevating the team to compete at an exceptional level. Their collective vision, tireless work ethic and commitment to growth has positioned the program for sustained success.”
Offord said he learned from the coaches he had growing up, who instilled not only a competitive spirit but confidence in playing and acceptable conduct on the court.
He mentioned retired Allegan tennis coach Gary Ellis as a mentor.
“Anytime I needed to know anything about tennis, I’d call him and he always had the answer,” Offord said. “I thought the world of him and what he did for that program. I’m trying to do the same thing at Vicksburg.”
Ellis said that Offord “definitely got the kids excited about playing tennis for Vicksburg and enjoying the sport. His kids get better and better during the season.”
The players at Vicksburg and Paw Paw are not the only ones who blossomed under Offord’s coaching.
His son, Warner Offord III, is an assistant to Matt Boven at Mattawan and has been a certified tennis pro for 20 years.
One final run
Offord Jr.’s decision to retire after half a century came at a perfect time, said senior Scarlett Hosner, the Bulldogs’ No. 1 singles player.
“I feel it’s a good ending point because he coached my sister (Josephine, a 2016 grad), too, and he saw me growing up playing tennis,” Hosner said. “It’s like a full-circle moment because it’s my last year and his last year.
“He brings really positive energy. He’s such a nice, fun guy. He makes us enjoy the game, but he can also be serious at times. When we’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing, he’s like getting on us.”
In retirement, Offord and his wife plan to do some traveling because “we want to enjoy life while we’re young,” he said.
“It’s been a wonderful 50 years coaching tennis, and it’s going to be sad. It hasn’t hit me yet for the boys, and once the girls season is over, then it will probably really hit me.
“I take great pride in seeing my players excel professionally, academically and as an athlete. I feel good knowing I played a part in that person’s success.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Vicksburg girls tennis coach Warner Offord Jr. talks with his team at the start of this spring season. (2) Offord and son Warner Offord III hold up their Regional championship trophy won for Paw Paw in 2003. (3) Offord hits with his players during practice. (4) Scarlett Hosner headshot. (Current photos by Pam Shebest; 2003 photo courtesy of Warner Offord Jr.)