Portland Raiders Qualify for DIVISION 3 GOLF STATE FINALS!

At the CAAC Open Tournament on Tuesday, May 25th, the varsity boy’s golf team went up against eleven teams with representative teams from all three divisions of the CAAC. With ten of the twelve teams being either division one or two golf teams, the Raiders (a division 3 team) had a solid showing against some of the best high school golf teams in the greater Lansing area this spring. Played at the Timber Ridge Golf Course, one of the more challenging golf courses in mid-Michigan, the Raiders shot a team score of 350. Williamston captured first place with a 315. Okemos took second with a 323 and Dewitt was third with a 325.

CJ Miller, finished tied for tenth place out of sixty-one golfers, shot an 80 on the par 72 course. Josh Rutkowski finished with an 88; Isaac Honsowitz had an 89 and Luke Nobis carded a 93.

On Tuesday, June 1, the team traveled back to East Lansing to compete in the MHSAA Division 3 Regional at Timber Ridge Golf Course.

For just the eighth time in Portland High boy’s golf history, the boys’ varsity golf team qualified, as a team, to play in the “2021 MHSAA DIVISION 3 BOYS GOLF STATE FINALS!” The last time Portland High had team qualify for states was in 2016. With only the top three teams out of the eighteen schools playing in the Division 3 MHSAA Regional #16 moving on to compete at state finals. When the final individual and team scores were attested, it was the Raiders that narrowly outscored Bath Bees by ONE STROKE to capture the third and final regional qualifying place to move on to STATE FINAL play.

Played on the Timber Ridge Golf Course in East Lansing, the Raiders anticipated that they would be in the mix with six other teams in the hunt for one of the top three places to move on to states. The field of teams included: MIGCA #1 ranked Division 3 Hanover-Horton, perennial power and number eight ranked Jackson Lumen Christi, league rival Lansing Catholic Central, 2019 state finalists’ teams from Leslie and Napoleon along with a very good Bath team.

The third place qualifying team was determined on the last hole of the tournament, by the last finishing threesome group including golfers from Hanover-Horton, Bath and Portland. With Bath holding a narrow total team stoke lead heading into the final group’s final hole, the Bath golfer finished his eighteenth hole with a triple bogey eight (8) to the Portland golfer’s bogey six (6) which resulted in the Raiders finishing with a ONE STOKE better team score than Bath for third place. Had Bath and Portland finished tied, Portland would have also won the tournament tie-breaker fifth score by just one stroke.

Hanover-Horton won the Regional with a score of 330. Leslie came in second with 340. Portland shot a 352 to Bath’s 353 for third place. Other team scores of interest: Jackson Lumen Christi (371), Lansing Catholic Central (373), Pewamo-Westphalia (381) and Napoleon (385).

individually for the Raiders at Regionals: CJ Miller shot an 84,

Isaac Honsowitz and Luke Nobis each had rounds of 88, Carter Rosier finished with a 92 and Josh Rutkowski carded a 96.

“Best of luck” to the Portland High boy’s golf team has they prepare to play in the two day thirty-six hole MHSAA Division 3 STATE FINALS to be played at The Meadows Golf Course on the campus of Grand Valley State University in Allendale on Friday, June 11th and Saturday, June 12th.

Courtesy Photos - S. Honsowitz.

First photo L to R: COACH SNELLENBERGER, TYLER FYLNN, HADEN GETCHELL, LUKE NOBIS,

OWEN GOODMAN, CJ MILLER, JACK ROE, CARTER ROSIER,

JOSH RUTKOWSKI AND ISAAC HONSOWITZ

Second photo L to R: COACH SNELLENBERGER, CARTER ROSIER, LUKE NOBIS,

CJ MILLER, JOSH RUTKOWSKI AND ISAAC HONSOWITZ,

COACH SNELLENBERGER, TYLER FYLNN, HADEN GETCHELL, LUKE NOBIS,

OWEN GOODMAN, CJ MILLER, JACK ROE, CARTER ROSIER,

JOSH RUTKOWSKI AND ISAAC HONSOWITZ