2011 ALL-AREA BOYS GOLF: State champion Oakland Christian headlines top linkers

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

Another exceptional boys golf season is in the bag and the postseason honors have been flowing forth for many individuals with local ties.

Multiple athletes from the www.northoaklandsports.com coverage area earned all types of postseason success in recent weeks by making the all-league or all-county teams with three others making the all-state list.

Team-wise, five local squads made the trip to the state finals in three different divisions, with one of those schools earning its first-ever state championship. Two other teams just missed the state finals by less than five strokes each.

Throughout the season, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (MIAC), Oxford (OAA Blue Division), Lake Orion (co-OAA-Red) and Rochester Adams (co-OAA-Red) all won league titles. Lake Orion, Oakland Christian, Auburn Hills Avondale and Troy all won district titles and Oakland Christian, Avondale and Troy all captured regional crowns this season.

Furthermore, Oakland Christian captured its first-ever Oakland County Division I title as a small Division 4 school enrollment-wise, while the Lancers rolled throughout the final six weeks of the season to capture the D-4 state title as well. Oxford and Troy competed at the D-1 finals, Avondale the D-2 finals and Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest joined Oakland Christian at the D-4 championships.

It was a year full of memories for boys golf in the area.

On the 2011 All-Area Boys Golf Team, selected by NOS staff in conjunction with area coaches, there were nearly 20 local golfers who averaged between 75 and 82, making it difficult to make the first team for second team.

Below are the brief profiles of the first-team and second team selections.

FIRST TEAM

ERIC SHYU, Rochester: Perhaps one of the most consistent performers in the area the past two years, Shyu earned a repeat spot on the All-Area First Team. The junior and three-year varsity veteran tied forth 10^th at the Oakland County Division I Tournament with a 75, was third at the first OAA-Red tournament (76) and second at the second league tournament (75), carded an 84 at the Paint Creek District and a 78 at the Flushing Valley regional to finish 16th. Shyu also claimed third (74) at the Farmington Invitational. He was named to the All-OAA Red Division along with being named to the Coaches Association All-County First Team and the Oakland Press All-County Honorable Mention list after averaging 77.1 for tournaments and 38.4 for dual matches.

“He hits the ball so consistently. He was our top golfer in 12 of the 18 matches that we played in,” said coach Paul Marti. “In most of our tournament, he shot in the 75-78 range. I think only one time all year he didn’t break 80. We’re hoping he can come back as a senior and make it to the state finals.”

BEN VAN ORMAN, Rochester Adams: Involved in a three-team race, Van Orman led Adams to a co-championship in the OAA Red Division and to a berth in the regionals in his third season as a varsity player. This year, the junior averaged 38.6 for duals and 79.8 for tournaments. He was 26^th at the County D-I tournament (77), second at the first league tournament at Boulder Pointe (75) and medalist at the second league tournament at Katke Cousins (74). At the Paint Creek district, he was 25^th (85) and he landed 12^th at the Flushing Valley regional (79). Additionally, Van Orman won the Bay City Western Invitational (73), shot 79 at the Traverse City-Spruce Invitational (17^th) and 78 at the Traverse City-Wolverine Invitational (16^th), and was 41^st at the Azure Dynamics Invite (79). He was named to the All-OAA Red Division and the Coaches Association All-County First Team.

“We didn’t have any seniors, so Ben kind of picked it up and was one of our leaders and our best golfer on averages. He had some very good rounds of golf this season,” said coach Dan Picot. “With everyone back next season, I’m hoping that Ben and the other guys can step it up. Ben is very capable of having some very good scores at tournaments. We’ve hoping it comes next year at the districts and regionals.”

ERIC WAELCHLI, Lake Orion: A sophomore in his second varsity season, Waelchli qualified for the Division 1 state finals but was way back in the pack by shooting a two-day total of 181 (86-85). A two-year varsity performer, Waelchli was the Flushing Valley regional champion (72), placed fourth at the Paint Creek district (78), was seventh at the first OAA Red Division tournament (79) and carded an 80 at the Oakland County D-I Tournament. He was named to the all-league team along with both the Coaches Association and Oakland Press All-County Honorable Mention team.

NICK VANBIESBROUCK, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: The sole senior in the Lancers’ top eight, VanBiesbrouck capped a fine four-year varsity career by helping the Lancers claim the Division 4 state title and making the All-State Honorable Mention list. The All-MIAC performer, who was also All-County Honorable Mention by both the Coaches Association and Oakland Press, was 12^th at the state finals with a two-day total of 157(73-84) at Grand Valley State’s The Meadows. He was also second at the 45th Parallel-Loon Invitational (75), MIAC League Meet (77) and at the MIAC Tune-Up (74), placed 10^th at the D-I County (75), ninth at the Heather Highlands district (84) and 10^th at the Wyndgate Regional (83). He was also 43^rd at the Holiday Inn Express tournament (81) and 19^th at the Milliken Millwork Invitational (86).

“Nick helped the team qualify for the state tournament all four years,” said coach Randy Johnson. “He’s a solid player and very light-hearted, always keeping things real lose on the team. He’s a great kid to have around.”

ZACH PREUSS, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: After winning the individual D-4 state title as a sophomore attending Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, Preuss made a school transfer along with a golf swing change before the season. That didn’t deter the junior from earning All-State First Team and All-County First Team honors in his third season of varsity play. Preuss averaged 78.7 and 39.9 for the season, but came on strong in the season’s final month. He was medalist at the 45^th Parallel-Loon Invitational (73) and followed that up by placing seventh at the County D-I Tournament (74), fifth at the Heather Highlands district (81), 25^th at the MIAC (91), third at the Wyndgate regional (77) and finished fourth at the D-4 state finals at 151 (73-78).

“I give this kid all the credit in the world,” said Johnson. “H not only changed schools, which is never easy to do, but had a pro change his golf swing before the season, which hurt his scores early in the year. He just wants to get better and does whatever it takes to become a better player right now. As he became more comfortable with his swing, he was better on the course. It showed because he was top-five again at the state tournament.”

TYLER COYNE, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: A junior in his third varsity campaign, Coyne earned All-State First Team for the second straight season after earning All-State Honorable Mention honors as a freshman two seasons ago. This year, Coyne was a model of consistency for the state champion Lancers, averaging 39 for dual matches and 78.8 for tournaments. He was eighth at the D-4 finals (81-74—155) and second at both the Wyndgate regional (77) and Heather Highlands district (77). Coyne also placed fourth at the MIAC league tournament (80), third at the County D-I Tournament (71), third at the 45th Parallel-Loon tournament (76)and sixth at the MIAC Tune-Up(78). He was also named all-league and honorable-mention all-county by both the Coaches Association and Oakland Press.

“Tyler is the glue to our team,” said Johnson.”Not only is he a really consistent golfer, but the kid that does a lot for us behind the scenes. If I needed word to get out to the guys about practice or a tournament, he would be the guy that would take care of it. He’s a blessing to have on the team. He’s a terrific young man.”

SECOND TEAM

DOUB PIESKO, Oxford: The subject of controversy due to being disqualified for a scorecard infraction at the district tournament but reinstated by the MHSAA for the regional and state finals, Piesko graduates as one of the top players to come through Oxford in many years. Helping his team to a 10^th-place finish at the Division 1 state finals, the Wildcats’ first state finals appearance in 13 seasons, Piesko, an All-OAA Blue Division player, was 31st at the state finals with a two-day total of 158 (77-81). He was medalist at the Bay Valley-Bobcats Invite (73), won both OAA Blue Division tournaments (75 at Heather Highlands and 67 at Twin Lakes), captured the Oakland County Division II Tournament (school record 66), placed 16^th at the Flushing Valley regional (78), 12^th at the Lapeer Tune-Up (82) and eighth at the Milliken Millwork Invitational (79). Piesko, who signed with Division II Lake Superior State, is a three-time all-league player and three-time all-league scholar athlete. He departs with multiple school records.

“Doug holds all of our individual golf records including 9-hole score (38), 18-hole score (66), season scoring average (75.3), and career scoring average,” said coach Terry Kelley. “Doug also has more individual first place tournament finishes, winning five out of nine tournaments.”

NICK HOCKER, Oxford: Generally the team’s No. 2 golfer this season, Hocker was a key part of the Wildcats’ run to making the state cut for the first time since the fall 1998 season. A junior in his third varsity campaign, Hocker averaged 80.0 for the season for the OAA Blue Division champs. He shot 162 (84-78, 53rd) at the D-1 state finals, finished seventh at both OAA Blue tournaments (80-78), 13^th at the Flushing Valley regional (76), was third at the Paint Creek district (78) and 29th (80) at the County D-II Tournament. He also claimed 25^th at the Lapeer Tune-Up (86), was fifth at the Bay Valley-Bobcats Invite (78) and was 27^th at the Milliken Millwork Invite (82). He was named all-league this season.

“Nick holds the second-best average in school history,” said Kelley.

JAMES HEICHEL, Troy: Part of the Colts’ surge in the second half of the season, which included both a district title and regional title, this sophomore averaged 80.0 for the tournaments. He finished in the top-40 at the Division 1 state finals (80-77—159), was the Selfridge district champion (75), placed third at the Orchards regional (76) and was eighth at the first OAA Red Division tournament (80). He was named all-conference.

“I think his confident grew this season and he was able to post some good scores,” said coach John Getzan. “He really matured a lot this season. Most of his scores were right up there in the upper seventies. He was consistent. I think he had one 88, one bad round all year. Other than that, he posted respectable scores.”

JEFF HOLMES, Troy: This junior had an off weekend at the D-1 state finals, shooting 170 (85-85) but was still a key cog in the Colts making a trip to the state finals. He was third at the Orchards regional (76), 21st at the Selfridge district (83), shot an 80 at the D-I County and 76 at the first OAA-Red tournament. He averaged 81.0 for tournaments and 40.0 for dual matches.

“He played a lot better in the second half of the season,” said Getzan. “Most of his better scores were in May and June and he helped us make it to the state finals.”

BRIAN BLOMBERG, Auburn Hills Avondale: Avondale’s season included its first district and regional championships and first state finals berth in Division 2 in school history and Blomberg was a key part of that success story. The junior averaged 39.6 for duals and 78.7 for tournaments and earned All-OAA Blue Division and Coaches Association All-County Honorable Mention status. He finished 21^st at the D-2 state finals (73-79—152) and that was preceded by placing 13^th at the Heather Highlands regional (80) and eighth at the Fieldstone district (84). He was also fourth at the D-II County Tournament (72), seventh and ninth at the two OAA Blue Division tournaments (78 and 81) and 28^th at the Farmington Invitational (82).

“Blake has been on the varsity team since his freshmen year and has made terrific improvement,” said coach Jim Maley. “He shot in the mid 90s as a freshman and now has an average of 78.7.”

SPENCER JACOBSEN, Auburn Hills Avondale: Another talented junior in the Yellowjackets’ lineup, Jacobsen posted a 78.8 tournament average and 41.2 dual-match average this season and was consistently one of his team’s top finishers. This season Jacobsen was 12^th at the County D-II Tournament (77), finished second at the first OAA-Blue tourney (75) and eighth at the second league tourney (78). He was also third at the Fieldstone district (79), sixth at the Heather Highlands regional (77) and ended up 33^rd at the D-2 state finals (81-74—155) played at Forest Akers East in East Lansing.

“Spencer shined the last half of the year and particularly in tournament play,” said coach Jim Maley. “He has been an all-league selection for the second time since his freshman season. Spencer overcame an early injury and played very good golf when we needed him.”

JAMIE CATTRAN, Troy Athens: The senior, who also moonlights as a varsity goaltender in hockey, excelled as a golfer who earned All-OAA Blue Division honors this spring. Averaging around 80 for the season for tournaments, Cattran was top-10 at both league tournaments, including third at the first tournament with a 75, and was 27th at the regional (81). He was also a four-year varsity player for the Red Hawks.

JAMES VAN NOORD, Troy Athens: Another All-OAA Blue Division player, Van Noord’s senior season saw him 14^th (78) at the Orchards regional and sixth at the Selfridge district (77). He was also third at both league tournaments (75 and 74, respectively).

MASON GORRIS, Lake Orion: The Dragons were loaded with underclassmen this season and Gorris is one of those up-and-coming sophomores. Names to the Coaches Association All-County First Team and Oakland Press All-County Honorable Mention, the All-OAA Red Division honoree was 22nd at the Flushing Valley regional (79), shot 80 at the D-I County Tournament and was medalists at the second OAA Red Division tournament (73) and 30^th at the Azure Dynamics tournament (78).

JIMMY DELNICK, Clarkston: The Wolves ventured into a rebuilding campaign in 2011, but Delnick was still one of the more consistent golfers in the OAA-Red Division this season, where he earned all-conference honors. He was fourth at the first OAA-Red tournament (77) and 11^th at the second (80), finished 14^th at the County D-I Tournament (76), placed 10^th at the Paint Creek District (82) and 22^nd at the Flushing Valley regional (79).

ERIC BUSA, Rochester Adams: One of three sophomores on the second team all-area list, Busa had some fine finishes in his own right. He averaged 38.5 for duals and 80.0 for tournaments and earned All-OAA Red Division and Coaches Association All-County Honorable Mention status.  He was10th at the Flushing Valley regional (75), 12^th at the Paint Creek District (83), 41^st at the D-I County (79), eight at the second OAA-Red tournament (79), 11^th at the first OAA-Red tourney (81), 16^th at the Traverse City-Wolverine (78), 35^th at the Holiday Inn Express tournament (80).

COACH OF THE YEAR

RANDY JOHNSON, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: Johnson has served as head coach of the boys golf program at the school for 12 seasons, is currently the head coach for both the boys and girls bowling program at the school and previously coached the boys soccer team for nine seasons back in the 1990s. Yet, despite all of the talent he has coached over the years, spanning over 35 varsity seasons between each of the sports, Johnson had never coached a team quite like this year’s Division 4 state champions.

The Lancers were sixth at the Milliken Millwork Invitational (two separate tournaments) and Holiday Inn Express tournament early in the season against larger schools before exploding. Oakland Christian won the MIAC Tune-up and 45^th Parallel-Loon Invitational (303) before making a major statement by becoming the first D-4 program to win the prestigious Oakland County Division I Tournament (297) against all Class A and Class B-sized schools, which vaulted them to the top of the D-4 rankings — a spot the Lancers did not relinquish.

They also won the MIAC league tournament, Heather Highlands District, Wyndgate Regional and capped the year by winning their first state title in boys golf and second boys sports state title in school history with a two-day total of 622 (309-313), 11 strokes ahead of league rival Ann Arbor Greenhills.

The Lancers were 21-1 in dual matches with their sole loss to Greenhills, which they defeated at five different tournaments this season.

“Everything finally came together for us this season,” said Johnson, an administrator at the school for 20 years. “We had a lot of depth, which I think was one of the biggest reasons for our success. I t helped us win the regional because we were down by a few strokes but still won by eight strokes because our No. 4 man was way ahead.

“At the county, we proved we were not a fluke,” said Johnson.”We shot 303 at the (45^th Parallel) tournament the previous weekend and after winning the county against all of those bigger schools, we never lost again. The guys kept playing well and when we got to the state finals, they handled the pressure well. We were up after the first day and maintained the lead.”

ALL-AREA BOYS GOLF TEAM 2011

FIRST TEAM

Nick VanBiesbrouck                       Oakland Christian   Senior

Zach Preuss                         Oakland Christian   Junior

Tyler Coyne                          Oakland Christian   Junior

Eric Shyu                              Rochester                  Junior

Ben Van Orman                   Roch. Adams            Junior

Alex Waelchli                       Lake Orion                Sophomore

COACH OF THE YEAR

Randy Johnson                   Oakland Christian   12^th Season

SECOND TEAM

Jeff Holmes                           Troy                            Junior

James Heichel                     Troy                            Sophomore

Blake Blomberg                    AH Avondale                        Junior

Spencer Jacobsen              AH Avondale                        Junior

Jimmy Delnick                      Clarkston                   Junior

Jamie Cattran                       Troy Athens              Senior

James VanNoord                 Troy Athens              Senior

Nick Hocker                          Oxford                        Junior

Doug Piesko                         Oxford                        Senior

Eric Busa                               Rochester Adams    Sophomore

Mason Gorris                        Lake Orion                Sophomore

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Auburn Hills Avondale: Steve Carter, jr.; Steven Turner, sr.; Troy May, jr.; Auburn Hills Oakland Christian: Paul Klemme, jr.; John VanNoord, fr.; Clarkston: Jack Alli, soph.; Andrew Lange, jr.; Clarkston Everest Collegiate-Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes Unified: David Smith, soph.; Lake Orion: Tyler Dragoo, jr.; Corbin Rainey, sr.; Oxford: J.J. Lewis, fr.; Josh Hosking, jr.; Rochester: Mike Murri, fr.; Dave Collins, sr.; Paul Woo, sr.; Mike Santavica, jr.; Rochester Adams: Jamie Stanton, jr.; Rochester Stoney Creek: Mike Doyle, fr.; Robbie Szymanski, sr.; Matt Benner, jr.; Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest: Tom Miller, sr.; Troy: John Graham, sr.; Christian Harnishfeger, fr.; Troy Athens: Jon Woo, jr.; Jason Wang, jr.

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Category: All Area Teams, Auburn Hills Avondale, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Clarkston, Clarkston Everest Catholic, High School, Lake Orion, Oxford, Prep Wraps, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Hills Lutheran NW, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy, Troy Athens, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes