Trio of area teams heading to two-day MHSAA golf state finals beginning Friday

By Craig Beilfuss
LocalSportsJournal.com

MUSKEGON—Mona Shores, Pentwater and Spring Lake are heading to the two-day MHSAA golf finals, which start Friday at various sites across the state.

The Division 1 finals will be hosted at Katke, on the campus of Ferris State University in Big Rapids. Mona Shores is the lone area representative.

Mona Shores comes into the tournament with a record of 194-8, including impressive victories in the GMAA tournament, the Corporal B Invite at American Dunes, Eagle-Buc Invite at Katke, Ranger Invite at The Meadows and the Mona Shores Invitational. The Sailors were runner-up at the Brother Rice Invite, the Division 1 regionals and the conference.

Competing for the Sailors will be junior Nicholas Taylor, senior Chase Knowlton, senior Jeff Lenartowicz, junior Owen DeLong and senior Alex Eckerman.

“Our expectation is to do what we always try to do-hit at least 10 greens in regulation, no 3-putts, no double bogeys,” said Shores coach Scott Volkmann. “We have yet to all do that. Those 3 simple things will guarantee we play well as a team and everyone of our guys can do it. We talk about it almost daily.

“We want to be in the last group on Saturday with a chance,” he said. “We are the underdogs and there are people saying this is a 2-horse race between Detroit Catholic Central and Ann Arbor Skyline. They are the two best teams on paper and we are the underdog for sure. There are other teams that are also very good, but so are we. If we play well, we can compete against anyone on any course.”

On the way north, Shores will be playing Arcadia Bluffs before heading over to Katke.

“I look forward to this time with these guys and value the relationships we have,” Volkmann said. “We had a mini-alumni event on Tuesday and to see the bond between generations is something special. We will be ready to go come Friday.”

Tee time is set for 9 a.m. with a shotgun start on both days.

In Division 2 the Spring Lake Lakers head to Allendale and play at The Meadows on the campus of Grand Valley State University.

The Lakers had a dozen first-place finishes this season, along with three runnersr-up finishes and one each fourth- and fifth-place finishes. They won the conference title, the Ludington Invite, Gull Lake Invite, Ottawa County Invite, and most recently, the Division 2 regionals.

Competing for the Lakers will be seniors Evan McDermott, Dylan Lisman, RJ Lisman and Braiden McClain, along with juniors Max Brown and Conrad Bush.

“I expect our guys to play well and compete,” Spring Lake coach Dan Start said. “There’s a lot of good competition in our division, so I look forward to watching our guys battle it out. They’ve been playing better as the season has progressed and I’m excited to see how they play.”

The Lakers will start play at 9 a.m. each day.

Competing on an individual basis in the Division 2 finals will be Tyler Tallefson from

Reeths-Puffer. Tallefsons’ scoring average for the season is 82. He was an all-conference player and finished in the top 5 at Stonegate Golf Club in the GMAA tournament.

No local teams will be representing the area at the Division 3 state finals, which will be played at the Fortress in Frankenmuth.

However, Montague senior Danny Flanagan will be participating. He qualified during regional play.

Flanagan was first team all-conference in the West Michigan Conference. He was a Top 10 finisher in the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association tournament and earned  All-Area honors. Flanagan led Montague with an average of 44 for nine holes and an 88 for 18 holes.

He fired an 83 at regionals to get himself into a three-man playoff for one of the final two spots for the state finals. Flanagan punched his finals ticket with a par on the first hole.

“He is an example of what every student-athlete should be on and off the course,” Montague coach Brad Tate said. “The entire community of Montague wishes Danny the best at the state finals and congratulates him on an outstanding season of golf.”

The Division 4 state finals will be played at Forest Akers West on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing.

The Pentwater Falcons qualified after a solid season. The Falcons won the West Michigan D League conference. They also took second at the Sacred Heart Invitational in Mt. Pleasant.

Competing for the Falcons will be junior Andrew Kolenda, freshman Mikey Carlson and 3 sophomores, Alivia Kolenda, Hunter Cornelisse and Nathan Matcher.

Pentwater will be paired with some of the best golf teams in the state (Kalamazoo Hackett  and Charlevoix). Hackett is the reigning Division 4 champions from a year ago.

“Our team is filled with happiness and laughter,” Pentwater coach Alicia Kolenda said. “Last year our goals were to learn something. This year we know we are still growing individually and as a team. But we are much calmer going in. We just hope to finish proud of what good shots we can accomplish.”

Muskegon Catholic senior Trevor Hilson and Holton senior Wyatt Monette will compete as individuals.

Hilson finished in the top five at regionals and was a first-team selection in the Lakes 8 after being a second-team selection as a junior. 

Monette is a three-year varsity player.