With a furious rally Detroit Catholic Central overcame a nine-stroke deficit after Day 1 to shoot 590 and claim its third consecutive Division 1 boys golf championship Saturday afternoon at Katke in Big Rapids.
With the impressive final round performance the team shot one-over collectively, behind senior Jack Whitmore’s three-under 69. Whitmore’s eagle on No. 18 proved to be the difference with Catholic Central defeating rival Birmingham Brother Rice by just two strokes.
Senior Collin Davis was steady throughout the pressure-packed second round with an even-par 72, while senior Luke Slankster and freshman Sal Camalo each shot a 74 to help the program win its seventh title since 2015.
Rochester Adams freshman Ben Vento took medalist honors, winning a three-way playoff over Flushing senior AJ Gasper and Midland Dow junior David Han. The three ended the tournament with two-under total scores of 142, before a birdie in the playoff put Vento on top.
Runner-up Brother Rice was led by senior Rocco Iacobelli, who finished seventh with a total score of 145.
Brighton took third with a 595. Junior Grady Bissett was consistent, hitting all 18 greens in regulation in round one, then closing round two with nine consecutive pars on his way to a one-under 143.
Adams took fifth followed by Saline and Hartland in seventh and eighth, respectively.
Novi senior Colin Riehl matched Bissett’s one-under score to finish tied for fourth, while Grosse Pointe South sophomore Marty Wayman was sixth with a 144.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood was another program making an incredible comeback at the state final, winning its first state title since 2014 with a 602 total score at The Meadows.
The team trailed defending champion Grand Rapids Christian by 12 shots after the opening round before storming back to post the best team score of day two by 16.
Senior Brennan Tato got the rally started, firing four birdies on the front nine to generate momentum for Cranbrook Kingswood.
Freshman Timothy Delzer was also key, playing his final nine holes at three-under for a team-best 70 on Saturday, putting him 11th individually in his first state final appearance.
Seniors Andrew Chang and Henry Delzer were steady, with Chang posting two rounds of 75 to finish 14th. Henry Delzer bounced back from an opening-hole double bogey to start his final round, shooting one-over the rest of the way.
Grand Rapids Christian was runner-up with a team score of 606, with Grand Rapids Catholic Central one stroke behind in third.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s took seventh and Chelsea was ninth.
Dewitt senior Julian Steinman was first individually, defeating East Grand Rapids junior JP Levan on the second playoff hole.
Grand Rapids West Catholic cruised to the first state title in program history, finishing 13 strokes clear of second while putting three individuals in the top 10 at Bedford Valley.
Senior Owen Kotowski led the way with his two day score of 153 good for sixth. Senior Alexander Bartish and freshman Brendan Morgan tied for eighth, each finishing with a 154.
Traverse City St. Francis took runner-up followed by Kalamazoo Christian in third.
Jackson Lumen Christi finished fourth behind excellent performances from juniors Brandon Kulka and Gabe Cooper. Kulka posted his second straight top three showing at the state final with rounds of 73 and 74 propelling him to runner-up individually. Cooper was right behind in third with a 150 total score.
Ann Arbor Greenhills junior Keating Holland also shot a 150 over two rounds to finish tied for third with Cooper, leading the team to sixth.
Grosse Ile was seventh, with senior Nicholas Joly-Naso in the top 10 individually.
Elk Rapids sophomore Blake Springslead took medalist honors with a 146.
A little over fourteen months removed from the horrific crash that injured six players and head coach Doug Drenth, Charlevoix dominated the Division 4 title at Forest Akers West with four players in the lineup who were involved in the accident.
The team was excellent on Day 2, with seniors Bryce Boss and Joe Gaffney posting strong scores. Boss had the best score of Day 2, an even-par 72 with five birdies on the back nine powering him to second individually.
Gaffney bounced back from an opening round 84 with a 76, playing his final 11 holes at even par to finish ninth and help the program win its first title.
Whitmore Lake finished 12th, while Auburn Hills Oakland Christian took 14th.
Alcona senior Giovanni Paluch finished first individually, defeating Boss on the second playoff hole.
Nathan Korp is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Catholic Central, Cranbrook highlight day of high school golf rallies
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