Bring On States

Seniors Keith Long and Collin Strauder sat on a wall outside the clubhouse of the University of Michigan golf course. Their day was done, their scores turned in and they anxiously awaited their teammates return. They watched as other teams scores were tallied, and hope was kindled. Sure, Ann Arbor Huron had a strong lead, but Plymouth, who was in second, was not out of reach. Jackson Lambert came in, clearly disappointed with his score and the anxiety grew.

“The wait was long. I don’t know if it was long, but it seemed long; they were some of the last groups on the course.  [Keith and I] knew they’d have to come in with scores in the low-80s,” said Strauder.

The team mobbed both Caleb Wittig and Ian Martin when they appeared, still tallying the scorecards from their rounds. Coach Debbie Williams-Hoak added the scores and smiled. The team was tied with Plymouth.

As long as no one came in under their 330 team score, Saline was headed to "states." Only two teams had not handed in all their scores, Monroe and Livonia Churchill. When the final scores were added, Monroe was well out of contention, but Livonia had also posted a 330. The tie-breaker rule was in place, so all three teams looked to their fifth man’s score. Plymouth’s John Tatti had posted an 86, while Saline’s Jackson Lambert came in at 87. But Livonia’s Cory Dare had turned in a 90, giving the Hornets third place and a trip to the State Meet.

“It’s the first time since I’ve been coaching that we’ve gone [to states] as a team.  I definitely shed some tears when I found out we made it. It’s unbelievably special,” said Coach Hoak, who attended the meet despite having pneumonia.

The team was led by Strauder’s 81. Martin brought in an 82, helped by a team-low 38 on the back nine. Long scored an 83 and Wittig’s 84 rounded out the official scoring for Saline. Lambert was not thrilled with his 87, but it could have been worse.

“At least I didn’t score 91,” Lambert quipped to his teammates.

The team will play on Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19 at the Katke-Cousins Golf Course at Oakland University.

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