Avondale links up for first regional golf title
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
HOLLY — One week after winning its first-ever district, Auburn Hills Avondale made another huge chip shot.
The unranked Yellowjackets captured their first-ever Division 2 boys golf regional title, and with that, are making their first-ever trip to the state finals.
Avondale put together a play-five, count-four team score of 313 to win the title at Heather Highlands near Holly to advance to the state finals June 17-18 at Forest Akers East in East Lansing.
“We’ve had some good teams over the years that just missed, placing fourth or fifth at the regional,” said veteran Avondale coach Jim Maley. “We’ve been having some good scores this season and did well at some tournaments. I thought we might have a chance. Our only concern was finishing in the top three.”
The top three teams, plus the top three individuals not on qualifying teams, advance to the state finals.
Avondale is joined by regional runner-up and 10th-ranked Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, which shot 317, and South Lyon, which finished at 319, as team qualifiers. South Lyon edged South Lyon East, which also shot 319, on a fifth-man tiebreaker. South Lyon’s No. 5 golfer carded an 85 compared to South Lyon East’s 100 score from its fifth golfer.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s placed fifth (323), followed by Bloomfield Hills Andover (329), St. Clair (333), Marine City (335), Warren Wood-Tower (338), St. Clair Shores Lakeview (347), St. Clair Shores South Lake (368) and St. Clair Shores Lakeshore (380) in the team standings.
Matt Sherry of South Lyon East was medalist with a 72, also becoming one of the three individual qualifiers. Avondale’s Steven Carter was second with a 73 and South Lyon’s Gavin Garris (75), Bloomfield Hills Lahser’s Johny Fortuna (75) tied for third. Cranbrook’s Michael Pawelkowski was fifth (76) to round out the top five.
Tyler Viney of Marine City placed sixth (77), joining the aforementioned Sherry and Fortuna as the three individual qualifiers.
Avondale’s Carter, who was an individual qualifier last season, was joined by Spencer Jacobson (sixth, 77), Blake Blomberg (14th, 80) and Steven Turner (36th, 85) for the winning effort.
“We knew that there were a bunch of good team here, with Cranbrook, Andover, St. Mary’s, South Lyon and South Lyon East and it would be a fight between those teams,” said Maley. We knew if we played well that we would have a chance.
“I think we’re peaking at the right time,” continued Maley. “Last year Steven Carter qualified as an individual and he missed the medalist today by a stroke. He talked about that I was nice going (to the state finals) last year but would have rather gone with the entire team. Now, they finally get that chance.”
For runner-up Cranbrook, Pwelkowski, Griffin Smith (77), Gary Short (82) and Matt Vlasic (82) comprised the Cranes’ score, while South Lyon’s state-finals ticket included Garris, Zach Deline (79), Kyle Koehler (81) and Travis Tubbs (84) rounds.
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Category: Auburn Hills Avondale, High School, High School (M-Z), Prep Wraps
