2012 ALL-NORTH OAKLAND AREA BOYS GOLF TEAM: Talented cast shoots for top honors
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
There were no state championships celebrated by area boys golf teams in 2012. But that was about the only thing that didn’t occur in the www.northoaklandsports.com coverage area this past season.
There were five local golfers that placed in the top 10 at one of the respective state finals and four area teams that qualified for the season’s final weekend.
Eight area stars found their way onto the All-State squads and five made the All-Oakland County First Team. All of this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of success for teams and players on the local golf scene.
To accommodate the plethora of talent, the 2012 All-North Oakland Area Boys Golf team has expanded to two teams, with the first team honoring 10 players and the second team listing 12 players. The squads were selected by NOS staff in conjunction with area coaches’ opinions.
Veteran Jim Maley of Auburn Hills Avondale is named Coach of the Year for leading the Yellowjackets to one of their best seasons in school history.
Below is a brief profile of all of the area’s top players:
MAKING THE READ: Oxford’s Nick Hocker did a fine job on the golf course this season and earned All-Area First Team honors among numerous postseason accolades. File Photo | Dan Stickradt
FIRST TEAM
ERIC SHYU, Rochester: A four-year varsity veteran and three-time All-OAA Red Division selection, Shyu ended his prep career by tying for seventh at the Division 1 state tournament (73-77—150). Shyu had multiple top-10 finishes this season, winning the Holiday Inn Express tournament (71), landing second at the Boulder Pointe regional (72), fourth at the second OAA Red Division league tournament (77), seventh at the first league tournament (81) and 10th at the Bald Mountain district (75). A three-time Team MVP, Shyu will attend the University of Michigan in the fall. He averaged 77.2 for tournaments and 37.8 for nine-hole matches.
BRANDON BORROWS, Rochester Adams: Ranked among the best freshmen in the country, Barrows missed the first half of the season with an injury but made a big debut to aid Adams’ run to the OAA Red Division and district championship. Barrow, a state qualifier, placed 50th at the Division 1 state finals (84-75—159). The All-Oakland County First Team and All-OAA Red Division honoree also won the Bald Mountain district (71), finished second at the second league tournament (75), third at the County Division I Tournament (73), fifth at the Boulder Pointe regional (73) and 16th at the Huron Valley Invite (75).
“We knew he was going to be a good one and he proved that with a lot of top-10 finishes,” said coach Dan Picot. “I think he could be one of the all-time best golfers before he graduates from Adams.”
ERIC BUSA, Rochester Adams: Busa improved by leaps and bounds this season to earn All-OAA Red Division, All-Oakland County First Team and All-State Honorable Mention status. Finishing with 36.2 average for nine holes and 76.7 for 18 holes, Busa ended up garnering Team MVP honors. He was second at the first OAA-Red tournament (76) and sixth at the second league tournament (78), placed fifth at the Bald Mountain district (74), seventh at the East Lansing Classic (72), 13th at the Bay City Western Invite (82), 14th at the Traverse City Invite-Spruce Run (78), 16th at the Huron Valley Invite (75), 17th at the Traverse City Invite-Wolverine (76), 21st at the Azure Dynamics Invite (73), 32nd at the Oakland County D-I tourney (80) and 43rd at the Holiday Inn Express tourney (80). He was injured at the Boulder Pointe regional, which cost the Highlanders a likely spot in the state finals.
“Eric improved a lot since last season and became our most consistent golfer this season,” said Picot.
ZACH PREUSS, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: Preuss capped a brilliant four-year prep career, two at Oakland Christian and two at Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, with his third straight top-five finish at the Division 4 state finals. Preuss, who signed with NAIA Cornerstone University, posted a 76.2 tournament average, one of the best in school history, and also cracked the top 10 at 10 different tournaments as a senior. The MIAC League MVP and three-time All-State First Team honoree also earned All-Oakland County First Team status. Preuss won the Heather Highlands district (72) and 45th Parallel Invite (76) to go along with wins at the first (77) and third (71) MIAC league tournaments. He was also third at the D-4 state finals (74-74-148), fourth at Westwynd regional (79), seventh at the Birmingham Seaholm Invite (81) and ninth at Millikin Millworks Invite (80). He was state medalist as a sophomore and fourth as a junior, the year that Oakland Christian won the D-4 team state championship.
“He’s one of the best we’ve ever had at Oakland Christian. It’s too bad he was only here for two years,” said coach Randy Johnson. “Zach is a great kid who is also a great competitor. Not too many players can say they were top-four at the state finals three years in a row.”
AARON KNUTSON, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep: One of the state’s better talents, Knutson has finished in the top 10 in the state at the D-3 finals each of the past three seasons, including first last year and second this past spring. He won the Pine Valley district (71), placed second at both the CHSL A-B league tournament (71) and D-3 state finals (70-70—140), fifth at the Cracklewood regional (80), ninth at the Temperance Bedford Invite (74) and 15th at the Oakland County Division I Tournament (77). His 74 average was tops in the area. An All-County First Team and All-State First Team selection, he has signed with Division I University of Detroit Mercy.
NICK HOCKER, Oxford: Hocker, also a fine four-year varsity performer in hockey who earned All-Area status in that sport as well, took over the reigns as the Wildcats’ No.1 golfer this season and had one of the best seasons in school history. Graduating with a 3.8 GPA, Hocker posted a 38.0 nine-hole average and 78.0 tournament average, which helped him gain All-OAA Blue Division status along with being named All-County Honorable Mention and All-State Honorable Mention Division 1. He was second at both the Lapeer Tune-Up (77) and Boulder Pointe regional (72), finished third at the first OAA Blue Division league tournament (76) and sixth at the second league event (78), placed 12th at the Grosse Ile Invite (78), 17th at the Bald Mountain district (77) and 64th at the Millikin Millworks Invite (90). He also placed seventh at the Division 1 state finals (74-76—150), believed to be the highest individual state finish of any golfer in school history. Hocker will play next season at Adrian College.
“Nick’s one of the best golfers that I‘ve ever coached,” said coach Terry Kelly. “He was a two-year captain and a great leader, a hard worker. He kept getting better and better each year. We’ll miss having him around next year.”
ALEX WAELCHLI, Lake Orion: This junior came up short of making the cut for the state finals again this season, but he still garnered All-State Honorable Mention status. Also selected to the All-OAA Red Division and All-County Honorable Mention lists, Waelchli still had numerous top-flight finishes. He was second at the Millikin Millworks Invite (76), placed fourth at the first OAA-Red tourney (80), fifth at the Bald Mountain district (74), sixth at the Traverse City Invite-Wolverine (73), eighth at the County Division I tourney (76), eighth at the Huron Valley Invite (75), eighth at the Holiday Inn Express tournament (75), 14th at the Azure Dynamics Invite (72), 27th at the second league tournament (85), 28th at the Traverse City Invite-Spruce Run (80) and 33rdat the Boulder Pointe regional (82). He averaged 35.6 for jamborees and 77.6 for tournaments.
CLEANED UP THE GREEN: Lake Orion’s Alex Waelchli did a fine job of course management in 2012, enough to post one of the area’s top averages and earn All-State Honorable Mention and All-Area First Team honors. File Photo | Dan Stickradt
MASON GORRIS, Lake Orion: Joining Waelchli for a fine 1-2 punch, Gorris averaged 36.6 for nine holes and 77.6 for tournaments this season as a junior. Named All-State Honorable Mention Division 1, All-County Honorable Mention and All-OAA Red Division, Gorris won both the Bald Mountain district (71) and first OAA Red Division league tournament (75). He was also seventh at the Boulder Pointe regional (74), 10th at the Traverse City Invite-Wolverine (75), 14th at the Azure Dynamics Invite (72), 16th at both the second league tournament (82) andMillikin Millworks Invite (82), 28th at the Traverse City Invite-Spruce Run (80), 43rd at the D-I County (81) and 80th at the Holiday Inn Express tournament (84). At the three, nine-hole OAA Jamborees, Gorris was also fourth (38), 10th (41) and first (31), the latter which is a school and OAA divisional record for a nine-hole event.
TYLER LEWIS, Ortonville Brandon: A junior, Lewis’ season was highlighted by finishing as a co-medalist at the Flint Metro League championships (74), earning All-FML First Team honors and also becoming an individual state qualifier. Lewis was also third at the Flint Elks district (75), fifth at the Pohl Cat regional (79), eighth at the D-I County tourney (76) and 35th at the Division 2 state finals (83-75—158).
TYLER COYNE, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: Another four-year veteran and repeat selection to the All-Area First Team, Coyne finishes up with All-MIAC, All-County Honorable Mention and All-State Honorable Mention Division 4 status. This season Coyne won the Millikin Millworks Invite (73), finished third at both the Westwynd regional and 45th Parallel Invite (77) and was 15th at the D-4 state finals (81-77—158). At the three MIAC league events, he claimed second (78), fourth (81) and sixth (82), respectively. Coyne posted a 79.7 average and was All-State all four years. He has signed with Cornerstone University.
“Over the last four years, Tyler has led us to three, top four state finishes,” said Johnson. “He’s one of hardest working kids that I have ever coached and just a great kid overall. He’s going to be a great coach someday. He is the type of kid that always was encouraging to his teammates and always willing to help others. He’s meant a lot to this program.”
SECOND TEAM
MIKE MURRI, Rochester: A sophomore who also plays varsity basketball and soccer, Murri was the Falcons’ No. 2 player this season with many noteworthy performances. He tied for third at the Oakland County Division I Tournament (75), placed fifth at the Bald Mountain district (74), was 10th at the second OAA Red Division tournament (79), 17th at the Bay City Western Invite (77) and 21st at the Boulder Pointe regional (79).
BEN VANORMAN, Rochester Adams: A four-year varsity performer and team captain, VanOrman was consistently one of the Highlanders’ top players this season and earned All-OAA Red Division and All-County Honorable Mention honors. A two-time all-league player, VanOrman had a 78.9 tournament average and a 37.2 nine-hole average as a senior. He was runner-up at the second OAA Red Division league tournament and fourth at the first league tournament (80). He also claimed third at the Huron Valley Invite (70), 10th at the Traverse City Invite-Wolverine (75), 15th at the Bald Mountain district (76), 17th at the Bay City Western Invite (83), 28th at the Holiday Inn Express (79), 33rd at the Azure Dynamics Invite (75), 35th at the East Lansing Classic (76), 43rd at the Traverse City Invite-Spruce Run (82), 52nd at the Boulder Pointe regional (86) and 90th at the County D-I Tournament (88).
JOHN VAN NOORD, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: Van Noord cracked the lineup as a freshman on a state championship team last year and became one of the Lancers’ more dominant players as a sophomore. Named to the All-State Honorable Mention list in Division 4, along with All-County Honorable Mention and All-MIAC honors, Van Noord posted an 80.1 tournament average and had nine top-10 finishes at tournaments. He won the Westwynd Tournament (77), placed third at the Heather Highlands district (77), fourth at the 45th Parallel Invite (81), seventh at the Westwynd regional (81), 13th at the Millikin Millworks Invite (81) and was 21st at the County D-I Tournament (79). He was also seventh (82), first (76) and third (77) at the three MIAC league events and capped the season by placing eighth at the D-4 state finals (78-77—155).
BEN STOWERS, Ortonville Brandon: A senior in his fourth varsity campaign, Stowers was one of two Blackhawks named to the All-Flint Metro League First Team. This season he was co-medalist at the FML conference tournament (74), third at the Flint Elks district (75), eighth at the County D-I tourney (76) and 11th at the Pohl Cat regional (81).
SPENCER LENDZION, Rochester Stoney Creek: A transfer from Birmingham Brother Rice, Lendzion became the Cougars’ No. 1 player this spring as a junior. Lendzion won the second All-OAA Red Division league tournament (74) and placed third at the County D-I tournament (75) among his better finishes. He was also 10th at the Bald Mountain district (75), 23rd at the Farmington Invite (77), 30th at the Boulder Pointe regional (81) and 55th at the u Valley Invite (83).
MICHAEL LINIHAN, Rochester Stoney Creek: Part of a very strong sophomore class in the area, Linihan was consistently one of the Cougars’ top performers in his second varsity campaign. He was seventh at the first OAA Red Division Tournament (81) for his only top-10 tournament finish. Linihan was also 15th at the Boulder Pointe regional (77), 16th at the Farmington Invite (75), 25th at the Bald Mountain district (78), 46th at the Huron Valley Invite (79) and 80th at the County D-I Tournament (88).
JIMMY DELNICK, Clarkston: A four-year varsity veteran, Delnick finishes as a three-time All-OAA Red Division honoree. Holding the Wolves’ best average the past three years, Delnick was either first-team or second-team all-area each season in that time span. This season as a senior, he was 10th at the first OAA Red Division league tournament (84) and fourth at the second league tourney (77). He also claimed fourth at the Bald Mountain district (73), 14th at the Azure Dynamics Invite (72), 15th at the Huron Valley Invite (77), 21st at the Boulder Pointe regional (79) and 79th at the County D-I Tournament (86),
STEVEN CARTER, Auburn Hills Avondale: One of three Yellowjackets to play four years of varsity golf, Carter was among Avondale’s top golfers all season. Carter had the Yellowjackets’ best score at the D-2 state finals (78-78—156), good for 29th overall. He won the second OAA Blue Division tournament (73) and was seventh at the first league tourney (83). He was also 21st at the Heather Highlands district (87) and 22nd at the Fieldstone regional (84).
BLAKE BLOMBERG, Auburn Hills Avondale: The Yellowjackets’ most consistent player, Blomberg wrapped up his four-year varsity tenure by placing 61st at the D-2 state tournament (87-93—180), far below his average. He was third at the first OAA-Blue league tournament (78) and 16th at the second league tournament (83). He was also fifth at the Heather Highlands district (80), seventh at the Farmington Invite (73), 22nd at the Fieldstone regional (84), 22nd at Millikin Millworks Invite (83) and 69th at the County D-I tourney (84).
CHRISTIAN HARNISHFEGER, Troy: The Colts suffered through some injury bugs this season but still quailed for the regional and Division 1 state finals. Harnishfeger, a sophomore in his second varsity campaign, was a big part of that success. He posted a 37.5 nine-hole average and 80.7 tournament average and was Troy’s most consistent performer all season. Harnishfeger was fifth at The Orchards regional (75), 10th at the second OAA Red Division league tournament (79), 11th at the Cherry Creek district (80), 13th at the first league tourney (84), 32nd at the County D-I tournament (80), 50th at the Huron Valley Invite (78) and 61st at the Division 1 state finals (82-80—162). He was named to the All-OAA Red Division list.
JASON WANG, Troy Athens: A senior in his third varsity season, Wang helped Athens finish fourth in the OAA Blue Division and qualify for the Division 1 regional. Among his better finishes were second at the Cherry Creek district (76), ninth at The Orchards regional (78), eight at the first OAA Blue Division tournament (79), 27th at the second league tournament (87), 31st at the Farmington Invite (78) and 82nd at the Huron Valley Invite (82). He was also 51st at the Milliken Millworks Invite (88), 84th at the Azure Dynamics Invite (80).
DAVID SMITH, Clarkston Everest Collegiate: This junior became the first player in Everest Collegiate’s brief four-year history to make the cut for the state finals. He capped the campaign by placing 25th at the D-4 state tournament (84-76—160). Smith also won the Westwynd regional (76) and Oakland County Division II Tournament (74) titles and placed fifth at the Heather Highlands district (79) and 36th at the CHSL league tournament (87).
COACH OF THE YEAR
JIM MALEY, Auburn Hills Avondale: Maley has coached at Avondale for nearly two decades and the Yellowjackets are coming off back-to-back appearances at the Division 2 state finals. This not only marked the first time the school has qualified for state in back-to-back seasons, but the Yellowjackets had never made the state cut as a team until last year.
With seven seniors and a freshman in its top eight, including four seniors and the freshman in the top five, Avondale finished in the top-20 at numerous tournaments this season. The Yellowjackets were 5-0-0 in league duals and 7-0-0 overall. They won both OAA Blue Division league tournaments to claim the league title and placed second at the Fieldstone regional (323) and second at the Heather Highlands district (326). They were also 11th at the prestigious Oakland County Division I Tournament (326) and came in 14th at the D-2 state finals (335-331—666). Maley’s group set multiple team school records the past two seasons.
“This was the best class of golfers we’ve had come through here,” said Maley. “We had seven seniors on varsity and we’ll miss them. But they have brought our program to a new level. They have raised the bar. There is a lot of interest with the younger kids and they can look up to what this group accomplished.”
2012 ALL-NORTH OAKLAND AREA BOYS GOLF TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Eric Shyu Rochester Senior
Brandon Barrows Rochester Adams Freshman
Eric Busa Rochester Adams Junior
Zach Preuss A.H. Oakland Christian Senior
Aaron Knutson Pont. Notre Dame Prep Senior
Nick Hocker Oxford Senior
Alex Waelchli Lake Orion Junior
Mason Gorris Lake Orion Junior
Tyler Lewis Ortonville Brandon Junior
Tyler Coyne A.H. Oakland Christian Senior
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jim Maley Auburn Hills Avondale 15th Season
SECOND TEAM
Mike Murri Rochester Sophomore
Ben VanOrman Rochester Adams Senior
John Van Noord A.H. Oakland Christian Sophomore
Ben Stowers Ortonville Brandon Senior
Spencer Lendzion Rochester Stoney Creek Junior
Michael Linihan Rochester Stoney Creek Sophomore
Jimmy Delnick Clarkston Senior
Chris Harnishfeger Troy Sophomore
Jason Wang Troy Athens Senior
Steven Carter Auburn Hills Avondale Senior
Blake Blomberg Auburn Hills Avondale Senior
David Smith Clarkston Everest Coll. Junior
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Auburn Hills Avondale: Nikolas Senkowski, fr.; Troy May, sr. Spencer Jacobson, sr.; Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: Spencer Haupert, jr.; Clarkston: Jack Alli, jr.; Nick Badgley, soph.; Alec Genter, jr.; Holly: Kyle Pepper, soph.; Austin Miner, jr.; William Moller, soph.; Lake Orion: Tyler Dragoo, sr.; Griffin Beeler, soph.; Oxford: JJ Lewis, soph.; Chris Brooks, sr.; Pontiac Notre Dame Prep: Tyler Jackson, soph.; Jack Peleman, sr.; Rochester: Sean O’Malley, sr.; Ludovic Clavette-Lachapelle, soph.; Scott Difilippo, soph.; Rochester Adams: Marcus Robinson, jr.; Jamie Stanton, sr.; Drew White, sr.; Rochester Stoney Creek: Michael Doyle, soph.; Richie Ingle, jr.; Ryan Jackson, sr.; Rochester Hills Lutheran
Northwest: James Collar, jr.; Dan Sauer, fr.; Austin Kindsvater, sr.; Troy: Manak Singh, fr.; Jeff Holmes, jr.; Jeff Heichel, jr.; Nick Guzzo, sr.; Troy Athens:Jon Woo, sr.
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