Macomb County

MAC golfers hit the links in county showdown

By Jason Carmel Davis
C & G Sports Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Deb Jacques Utica Ford II senior Maria Burrell, the Falcons’ No. 1 golfer, scored a 108 to lead Ford in the Macomb County Invitational, played Sept. 24 at the Cherry Creek Golf Club in Shelby Township. The Falcons placed 11th at the invite. Burrell is pictured competing in the Macomb Area Conference White Division tournament, which took place Sept. 26 at the Fore Lakes Golf Course in Kimball. Photo by Deb Jacques Utica Ford II senior Maria Burrell, the Falcons’ No. 1 golfer, scored a 108 to lead Ford in the Macomb County Invitational, played Sept. 24 at the Cherry Creek Golf Club in Shelby Township. The Falcons placed 11th at the invite. Burrell is pictured competing in the Macomb Area Conference White Division tournament, which took place Sept. 26 at the Fore Lakes Golf Course in Kimball.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The Utica High girls golf team beat out 11 other local squads to win Macomb County Invitational golf title.

The Chieftains had a team score of 319, tying the group’s best mark ever. Macomb Lutheran North and Warren Regina tied for second at 378.

“The girls work really hard. Not just during the season, but in the offseason, too,” second-year Utica coach Anthony Adamo said. “The credit goes to them before it should go to the coaches.”

The 2012 county invite took place Sept. 24 at the Cherry Creek Golf Club in Shelby Township.

Senior Taylor Clark shot a 69 to lead the Chieftains, who won the invite for the fourth year in a row. That score is a personal best for Clark.

“Taylor’s just a really consistent golfer,” Adamo said. “She’s always well prepared, and it seems like her shots always land in the fairway. Her scores are getting lower at the right time too, and she has a great short game.”

Utica’s Julia Montgomery and Killian Casson posted scores of 78 and 79, respectively. Courtney Clark tallied a 94 for the Chieftains.

“It’s great to see their scores getting lower at this time of year, because we still have a lot of tough meets coming up,” said Adamo, referring to the Macomb Area Conference Red Division meet and the Michigan High School Athletic Association state tournament.

At 7-1 overall and in the MAC Red at press time, the Chieftains have already locked up a division title. Grosse Pointe North and Marysville lead the MAC White and Blue, respectively.

Macomb Dakota finished fourth at the county invite with a score of 418, and Utica Stevenson rounded out the top five with a total of 420.

Romeo (424), Utica Eisenhower (429), Macomb L’Anse Creuse North (439), Armada (453) and St. Clair Shores Lakeview (454) complete the top 10. Utica Ford II (465) and Fraser (469) complete the field.

Sam Banaszak paced the Mustangs with a 91. Tessa Fredal led the Saddlelites with an 86. Paige Hamden tallied a 98 to pace the Cougars, and Ally DeSantis scored a 91 to lead the way for the Titans.

All the players from the various schools performed admirably in adverse conditions, according to Adamo. The temperature at the start of the tourney Sept. 24 was below 40 degrees, he said.

“For us, I think that was the first time all year we’d played in something like that,” Adamo said. “The girls were in coats and hats.

“It’s a difficult adjustment to make — swinging a golf club with a coat on. But it was good practice, because the weather isn’t getting any better and we still have meets to play.”

Adamo said he hopes the win serves as a springboard into the postseason. Utica placed sixth in the state tournament last season. He said the Chieftains set a goal to finish higher this year.

“There’s a lot of quality teams out there, so it’ll be tough,” Adamo said. “We’ll see Grosse Pointe South, who we’ve split with this year, and Troy has a good team, so does Dearborn. It’ll be tough but we’re up for the challenge.”

Regionals are set for Oct. 10-13. To find out where your local team is seeded, check www.mhsaa.com.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Jason Carmel Davis at jdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1107. Follow Jason Carmel on Twitter.