HARBOR SPRINGS — There are bigger things in sports than just focusing on wins every time out.
That’s something the Charlevoix boys golf team knows well.
For the Rayders, just being together out on the course is enough to make it a great day.
But, a Division 4 regional championship win on Thursday, May 28 at Birchwood Farms in Harbor Springs was as big as it gets, as it secured another opportunity to be together again this season.
“We get to go to practice tomorrow,” Bruce Beaudoin, Charlevoix’s assistant coach, said walking off the green, smiling from ear to ear.
That’s what’s special about this Charlevoix group, they appreciate the little things. They appreciate the grind because they’ve had to grind more than anyone in the state just to be back walking the course.
“You know how far this team has come this year and it’s one of those things where you just want people to be well,” Charlevoix coach Doug Drenth said. “I’m grateful that Bryce (Boss) and Joe (Gaffney) get to experience this and Maxwell (Drenth) and Landen (Whisler), where they all were a year ago to where they are today, it just speaks for them and who they are as people.
“I’m just grateful. I’m grateful for them, I’m grateful for Bruce. They came from that and here we are today. We get to go experience states and compete at states. There’s a bigger picture. Yes, I love to win. But I love to see these guys have success.”
Success comes in many forms, measured in all kind of ways. Charlevoix has shown every which way to find it over the past year.
Some fought their way back to the course a year ago, others made the comeback this season. A year ago, Beaudoin helped hold the team together as Drenth recovered.
“Doug and I have been coaching together a long time,” Beaudoin said. “I wasn’t going to let anyone else step in. I didn’t want anyone to screw it up.”
It was also a year ago – to the exact day – that the Rayders were hosting regionals at Belvedere in Charlevoix, fighting for a chance at states. Drenth remembers that part well, amongst his recovery.
“I don’t have a lot of remembrance, but I remember hitting refresh a lot following the regional,” Drenth said. “We had it going for a while and then I must have fallen asleep.”
Charlevoix missed out on states last season, though made up for it on Thursday with a Division 4 regional championship behind a 327.
It matched regional titles in both 2023 and 2024, with senior Bryce Boss along for all three now.
Boss finished tied for third overall with a 79, a higher round than he would’ve liked, though it was essentially how the course played on the day.
“It’s so great to see our team doing great for how hard the course was playing,” Boss said. “I played pretty decent, Joe played great and Maxwell and Landen put together very respectable rounds. So it’s really nice to see everybody playing at the level that we should be as we head into states.”
Gaffney was right there with Boss most of the round and finished tied with him for a 79 in the end, carding a birdie and par to close things out.
“I’m relatively happy with it,” Gaffney said. “It stinks, because you always think, ‘It could have been this or that,’ but, that’s golf. But overall I brought it back together at the end.”
Sure, the Rayders have gone lower than 327 as a team, but Drenth looked more so at the bigger picture than the score.
“I think sometimes you’ve got to just look at the outcome,” he said “I’m just proud of them. They were resilient, especially, they didn’t have it going at times and they got it going. I’m proud of them and proud of how we dug in.”
Behind Charlevoix, Harbor Springs qualified for the finals with a 339, then Glen Lake shot 345 to also make their way though.
Behind Boss and Gaffney, Maxwell Drenth shot 83, Whisler carded an 86 and Keane Helstrom shot 100.
For Harbor Springs, William Shepler led with an 82, Chase Lafaive shot 84; Noah Marquardt, 86; Colin Blanck, 87; and Vincent Alonzi, 99.
East Jordan’s Luke Anderson led the group with a 102, Mackinaw City’s Kyle Valot shot 90, then Inland Lakes’ Terence O’Boyle shot 87. Matthew Cesario of Petoskey St. Michael also carded 90.
Lincoln Alcona’s Giovanni Paluch and Leland’s Hayden Vansteenhouse each led the round with a 77 and qualified for states as individuals, as did Gaylord St. Mary junior George Mertz with an 85.
With a states trip – taking place at Forest Akers West at MSU, June 5-6 – now booked, Charlevoix’s golfers know they’ve got another round together on the course.
And for seniors like Boss and Gaffney, that’s more important than anything.
“States is the goal and we got the goal,” Boss said. “So now all we have to do it go there and perform like we know we can.”
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Charlevoix golf secures another chance to be together with regional title
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
