EAST LANSING — Ask anyone who’s been close to a state championships or achieved one and you’ll hear the same story all about how difficult it actually is.
In any sport, at any level, all while everyone’s got the same goal you’re after.
A year after a devastating crash and comebacks to, not just the course, but everyday tasks, members of the Charlevoix boys golf team set out to achieve that tough goal.
It’s a team built for hard things, forged through challenges that few will ever, or should ever, endure.
The Rayders have proven it time and again and they did so one final time at the Division 4 state championships at Forest Akers West in East Lansing between Friday and Saturday, June 5-6, by winning the program’s first-ever state title.
For Charlevoix head coach Doug Drenth, who’s had one of the longest roads to recovery, it’s a whirlwind of emotions once again.
“This experience has been amazing and so incredibly difficult at the same time,” Drenth said. “It’s one of those emotions where it’s hard because it’s such an opposite end of the spectrum. You just have elation and joy and then you have such pain and anguish and worry about everybody.”
Drenth has never shied away from feeling every emotion in the moment. He’s aware fully of the work it takes to compete at a state championship level, so to watch a group of guys he went through something tragic with achieve the highest honor in the sport, it’s something words can’t even describe.
“You can’t even write a story about what has happened to our community and these four kids that went through the accident, as well as the three others and myself,” he said. “To have this experience in life is incredible.”
Down a stroke after the first day, when the pressure amped up on day-two, the Rayders took off, finishing with a 17-stroke advantage over Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, winning with a two-day 332-313–645.
“The last 10 holes, as a team, I believe we finished four-over-par,” Drenth said. “We went from being tied to being up 17 or 18.”
The small public school from the shores of northern Lake Michigan bested the likes of four private school programs inside the top five and six total within the top 10.
Western Michigan Christian placed second with a 331-331–662, followed by McBain Northern Michigan Christian, 340-331–671; Hillsdale Academy, 340-331–673; Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central, 346-330–676. Harbor Springs was also sixth with a 345-342–687.
Harbor Springs, area teams at state finals:
While they had hung with good teams all season on the course, Drenth wasn’t sure about being any kind of favorite heading into the weekend.
“We knew we were in the top three or four schools pretty much all year, but it’s really hard to tell when you don’t go head to head,” he said. “We really believed that if we played to our abilities, we would have a really good chance. That’s what I prayed for the last two days, that we would play close to our abilities.”
While six Rayder golfers competed during the course of the two days, the four scores taken for competition all came from athletes who went through last year’s April accident.
“To have those four guys go through that accident and trauma and then come out of it is really a tribute to youth and resilience,” Drenth said.
Senior Bryce Boss finished the championships tied for first place with Alcona’s Giovanni Paluch, with the two competing in a two-hole playoff, which Paluch prevailed in.
Boss finished with a 77-72–149, carding five birdies during a remarkable back-9.
Two other Rayders also placed top 12, with senior Joe Gaffney shooting 84-76–160 for ninth and junior Landen Whisler shooting 81-81–162, good for 12th. Junior Maxwell Drenth then shot 90-84–174 and senior Keane Helstrom and freshman Blake Boss combined for a 104-97–201.
Gaffney shot even-par on that back-9, with Whisler and Drenth each just four-over.
For Drenth, along with his son, Maxwell, it’s not the first state championship achieved in the last calendar year since the crash. Led by Drenth in the fall, the Charlevoix cross country team won a Division 3 state title.
So when Drenth talks about a whirlwind of emotions on the tail end of two state championships and as more surgeries await ahead, it’s of course understandable he’s left without words.
“This whole year, it’s just been incredible,” he said. “It’s really hard. I wonder if I’ll be able to wrap my head around it.”
He’s grateful for everything now. Not that he wasn’t before, but there’s not a moment that goes by that’s not noticed by Drenth now.
He’s grateful for the kids he gets to be around each and every day, the son he gets to experience accomplishments with that few will ever achieve and the outpouring love and support of a special community.
“I have to admit, I feel at times, not guilty, but spoiled,” Drenth said. “Winning state championships are incredibly difficult. For these guys to have this experience, I’m so incredibly happy for them. It’s amazing.”
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: A team built for tough times, Charlevoix boys golf pulls off state title a year after accident
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
