LocalSportsJournal.com

The North Muskegon golf team will be competing for a Division 4 state championship this weekend, along with Muskegon Catholic.LSJ Logo incert

That’s a big relief for the Norse.

They finished last week’s regional tournament under the impression that they were a point behind MCC, which took second. Only the top three teams qualify for state, so it seemed as though North Muskegon’s season was in peril because other solid teams were yet to have turned in their scores.

But the score turned out to be an error, and the Norse actually tied the Crusaders for second, meaning both teams will compete in the Division 4 state finals Friday and Saturday at Grand Valley State University in Allendale.

The top shooter for MCC in regionals was Collin Powers, who finished second individually with a 76. His teammate Chase Mastella shot an 84 and finished 10th.

Connor McEvoy and Brenden Harris each shot an 84 for North Muskegon and tied for eighth.

Failure to quality for the finals would have been a major disappointment for the Norse, who were ranked high in the state for most of the season.

“It was good for (the players) to see that and be scared a little bit and know that they needed to focus a little harder,” said North Muskegon Coach Ty Love. “I was surprised by how we played. We went down the night before and played a practice round and Connor McEvoy hit his first hole- in-one.

“Hopefully this scare will trigger them into remembering that every shot counts and to not dwell on past holes.”

Pentwater’s Sam Wagner also qualified for the Division 4 finals after winning the individual title in the regional tournament.

In Division 3, Ludington qualified for the state finals at Michigan State University by winning a regional team championship. The Orioles’ Spencer Hackert won the individual title in the regional tournament, turning in a 71. Ethan Leavitt (75) finished third and Race Anderson (76) finished fourth. Chase Lakari shot an 80 to finish 10th overall.

In Division 2 , Reeths-Puffer’s Brandon Young finished third with an 81 at regionals while Spring Lake’s Ben Kramer took fifth with an 84. They both qualified for the state finals at MSU.

Mona Shores’ Mitchell White shot a fifth-place 76 at the Division 1 regional and qualified for the state meet at Ferris State University in Big Rapids.