Reeths-Puffer defied its state ranking over the weekend at the Division 2 state finals and played impressive golf at Forest Akers West Golf Course, finishing in fifth place and closing out a strong senior class's career with a flourish.
The Rockets were not ranked in the top 10 entering the weekend, but played at a high level and in fact were in third going into Saturday's round two of the two-day event, earning a spot to play their final round with Forest Hills Central and South Lyon, the top two teams in the state. Their final team score was 353-368-721, eight strokes behind third-place Cranbrook Kingswood.
Senior Sophia McCollum entered the weekend hoping to repeat as individual state champion. She couldn't quite deliver that level of performance, but still finished her impressive career well, earning a third-place tie on the individual leaderboard with a two-day score of 79-78-157. She was only two strokes behind runner-up Eleanor O'Grady of Grand Rapids Christian. Forest Hills Central's Alivia Offer won the title, riding a spectacular even par 72 on day one to a six-stroke win.
McCollum made two birdies Friday in her first round, but played even better Saturday, parring 12 holes and never making worse than a bogey. She ended her career having placed fourth or better in every event she competed in this season. Her 22 event victories in her career is a Rocket school record.
Two other seniors closed out their varsity careers at the state meet, and perhaps fittingly, they earned the exact same score. Olivia Ambler and Ella Voorhies each had two-day scores of 179 to tie for 25th place individually. Ambler got off to a red-hot start Friday, going even par through nine holes, and had an overall score of 82-97-179, and Voorhies scored a 88-91-179. Ambler birdied three holes over the weekend and Voorhies birdied two.
“The three seniors have a special place in my heart," R-P coach Matt Pallett said. "They started as eighth-graders piling into my car at the middle school to come practice with the varsity. They finish their careers leaving a lasting impact on our program.”
Kayleigh Brown, the presumptive top player for the Rockets next year, was the team's No. 4 scorer both days at state, scoring a 104-102-206. Freshmen Abby Davis and Tala Johnson split the tournament for R-P; Davis shot a 116 Friday and Johnson had a 129 Saturday, each gaining valuable experience for the future.
“It has been a remarkable year for the team," Pallett said. "The leadership by our seniors followed by the steady improvement of our younger players has led to a season that turned some heads.
"I couldn’t be more proud of a group of girls. They went into the state finals unranked and earned the right to go head to head with the best teams in the state."
