The Metro Conference is a competitive league with teams surrounding the city of Akron. Cloverleaf, now under first year head coach Dan Brodnik, has dominated the league the last few years, but they are going to face some tough competition as the league continues to see a rise in talent. Streetsboro returns a lot of talent from last year’s squad and may be the favorite to win the conference this year. Springfield will also be looking to compete for a league title, but will have to do so without District qualifier Cami Leporis, who graduated after last season. Woodridge, Field, and Norton will fill out the league standings as each of those programs are still developing their homegrown talent.
Impact Players
Kendall Brugler (SR) Field Samantha Clark (SR) Streetsboro Abigail Collins (SO) Norton Cortney Evert (SR) Streetsboro Maggie Putt (SO) Springfield Sarah Rathbun (SR) Woodridge Juliana Reyes (SR) Streetsboro Mackenzie Siewerth (JR) Cloverleaf
Head Coach- Tim Foster Last Year’s Results- 6th at Fox Den Sectional, 16-4, Second Place overall in MAC, Won MAC postseason tournament, Won Spartan Invitational Coach Comments- I am really excited for the upcoming season. The girls have been working very hard this off-season and have started to show a lot of improvement in their game. I am hoping to build upon last year’s successes.
Head Coach- Kelly Sasavicz Last Year’s Results- 11th at The Pines Sectional, Finished 4th in the MAC last year Coach Comments- We have some returners from last year who are looking to step up and fill some big shoes lost to graduation. I know they are up for the challenge.
The Suburban League has seen a good amount of success over the past several years. In the American Division, Highland has been the class of the league for years, making multiple state appearances. They return every one of their scorers from last year, including superstar Isabella Goyette, fellow senior Paige McKendry, and incoming sophomore sensation Elizabeth Coleman. Aurora, under new coach Collin McEndree, will be knocking at the door, especially with the return of Brooklyn Millard, who individually finished second in the state two years ago before moving out of state. Gracyn Vidovic has had a great summer and will have a huge impact on the league this year. Kent Roosevelt always has a strong team and will see the return of coach Bryan Harvey. Revere is a team to watch as they keep getting better by the year and will be under the leadership of new coach Jeremy Harpley. Copley returns several key pieces from last year’s squad and Tallmadge, also with a new coach in Ali Eads, will also be hoping to improve as the season progresses.
In the National Division, Nordonia made their first ever trip to the State Tournament last year. They will have some work to do to make a return after losing two strong seniors to graduation. Julia Gulla will look to be the National Division Player of the Year for the second straight season. Hudson will also look to replace senior Lizzy Grant, although they return their other top three scorers, Emmy Burling, Sherry Du, and Julia Van Bokkelen. Stow will be led by sisters Gabby and Olivia Berlingieri and will rely on Sophia Thompson for their third score. North Royalton is also a program on the rise as they have immense depth and will hope for one of their experienced players to take the next step after making a run to Districts last year. Another wild card will be the Solon Comets, coming over from the Greater Cleveland Conference. They will be without 2023 graduate Kaitlin Kormuth, but will turn to Serena Wu to lead the team. Brecksville, Wadsworth, now under the direction of Will Virgin, and Twinsburg will round out the National Division.
Impact Players
Cameron Babcock (JR) Barberton Brooke Barnes (SR) Nordonia Gabby Berlingieri (SR) Stow-Munroe Falls Olivia Berlingieri (SO) Stow-Munroe Falls Emmy Burling (JR) Hudson Kavya Chada (SR) Highland Elizabeth Coleman (SO) Highland Sherry Du (SR) Hudson Manisha Girn (JR) Aurora Isabella Goyette (SR) Highland Julia Gulla (JR) Nordonia Maddie Harpley (JR) Revere Anna Hurst (SR) Stow-Munroe Falls Jaycee Kabasky (SR) Wadsworth Liana Klepec (JR) Twinsburg Cassidy Klodnick (JR) Brecksville Maddie Kost (SR) Kent Roosevelt Ashlyn Leavery (JR) Kent Roosevelt Saumya Mahajan (JR) Revere Paige McKendry (SR) Highland Brooklyn Millard (SR) Aurora Ava Moore (JR) Tallmadge Nina Newkirk (SR) Aurora Anna Picicco (SR) Kent Roosevelt Caroline Roush (SR) Copley Sophia Thompson (JR) Stow-Munroe Falls Julia Van Bokkelen (JR) Hudson Gracyn Vidovic (JR) Aurora Malia Weatherbie (SR) North Royalton Izzi Wood (SR) Kent Roosevelt Serena Wu (SO) Solon
Freshmen to Watch
Maddi Adessi (Revere) Kate Banning (Revere) Ashley Bodish (Copley) Amrita Deo (Revere) Coco Golden (Kent Roosevelt) Ryenne Harpley (Revere) Polly Loney (Nordonia) Hallie McKendry (Kent Roosevelt) Sarah Riley (Revere) Clara Roush (Copley) Elena Varga (Hudson) Anna Yacknow (Copley) Chloe Yoon (North Royalton)
Head Coach- Collin McEndree Last Year’s Results- 2nd at Old Avalon Sectional, 10th at Districts Coach Comments- As a first year coach, I am very excited to see what this team can do out on the golf course. I have already noticed that this team is full of experience and talent, with a ton of potential to strongly compete in every tournament we play in. We have a good core of upperclassmen, with a strong group of sophomores and freshmen that will try and push their way into the varsity rotation. I plan to set the bar pretty high for this group, and can not wait to see how many expectations we can exceed.
Head Coach- Bob Harris Last Year’s Results- 10th at The Elms Sectional, 9-7 match record, Finished 3rd Irish Invitational, Finished 5th Warren JFK Invitational, 5th place Suburban League American Coach Comments- Looking for current Varsity players to continue the next step forward in the improvement of their games.
Head Coach- Mary Becker Last Year’s Results- 1st at Fox Den Sectional, 2nd at Districts, 4th at State Tournament, Won the American Division of the Suburban League Coach Comments- Retuning all Players from last year’s 4th Place State Tourney finish, we hope to vie for a state championship in 2023! Quality Players at 1-10 have us running a Varsity A and B Team and competition within the program.
Head Coach- Bobby Bolin Last Year’s Results- 3rd at Fox Den Sectional, 6th at Districts, 2nd in Suburban League National Coach Comments- We are continuing to build and set high goals for our team. Emmy Burling and Sherry Du are two players to watch and will get support from Julia Van Bokkelen, Ellie Davis, McKenna Kiewatt, and Hannah Lee. Elena Varga should make an impact as a freshman this year.
Head Coach- Greg Harris Last Year’s Results- 2nd at Fox Den Sectional, 4th at Districts, 11th at State Tournament, First Place in the Suburban League – National Division Coach Comments- Our younger players are looking forward to stepping up this year after graduating 8 seniors from our 2023 state qualifying team.
Head Coach- Don Filips Last Year’s Results- 4th at Fox Den Sectional, 12th at Districts, The Bears were district qualifiers by finishing 4th at the Fox Den Sectional. The Bears were 6-2 in match play this season and finished fourth in the ultra competitive Suburban League which saw three National league teams make it to district competition. The Bears finished in 4th place in all four tournaments (355, 375, 335, 365) including a sizzling 335 which was one stroke off the school record. The team also competed in the Lady Pirate Invitational (3rd place 401), Lady Rider (8th place 387), Flamingo Frenzy (11th 387), Blue Devil Classic (18th 389), and the EBC / TriCounty Tournament (5th 362). The Bears teamed up with Nordonia to defeat St. Joseph and Brunswick in the 3rd Annual Jim Rademaker Ryder Cup.
Coach Comments- Returning lettermen senior Malia Weatherbie and Mia Whitt will look to fill out to the top of the Bears line up that graduated their top four players from the 2022 season. Both players ended the 2022 seaon on an ascending tragetory and will look to fill a leadership role in 2023. Rising sophomore and returning letterman Ava Grugle will look to secure her spot in the Bears lineup. Rising junior Sam Macek will try to parlay her 2022 varsity experience to earn a starting role in the 2023 lineup.
The Bears had one of the largest rosters in northeast Ohio which featured 26 golfers in 2022. Coach Filips expects the group of returners and talented incoming freshmen to battle for all the varsity sports. Those spots are out there for the all the players to earn. He is very excited about the upcoming team and their potential.
Head Coach- Jeremy Harpley Last Year’s Results- 7th at Fox Den Sectional Coach Comments- Returning letter winners (4) and suburban all league performers (Mahajan, Harpley and Sucato); the Freshman class will booster our talent roster. We look forward to an immediate impact from the Freshman and continued improvements from our returning letter winners to sectional and district qualifiers.
Head Coach- Damien Kopkas Last Year’s Results- 3rd at Old Avalon Sectional, 14th at Districts, Individual qualifier for States (Kaitlin Kormuth – finished 15th); finished 3rd in GC; overall record 6-4 Coach Comments- After saying goodbye to 2 strong seniors, we hope to find a solid combination of varsity golfers to back incoming sophomore Serena Wu, who has the ability to contend for a state qualifying spot. We are looking forward to a fresh start in a very challenging new conference (Suburban).
Head Coach- Scotte Rorabaugh Last Year’s Results- 5th at Old Avalon Sectional, Gabriella Berlingieri and Olivia Berlingieri both qualified for Districts as individuals. Coach Comments- We are looking forward to a good season since we only lost one player to graduation. Our sister duo of Gabby Berlingieri and Olivia Berlingieri both qualified for Districts last year, so they both are working hard and have high expectations. Sophia Thompson had to miss the second half of last season after open enrolling, so we are looking forward to having her for a full season.
A huge thank you to the many coaches who took the time to send in their team information!
Alliance Aviators
Coach- Jeff Graffice Conference- Eastern Buckeye Conference Home Course- Sleepy Hollow Team Website
Returning Players Sam Gress- 12th Ben Craig- 11th Jacob Smith- 11th
Potential New Contributors Brock Runion- 9th Ethan Jackson- 9th
Coach Comments- Looking to improve this summer to be competitive this year
Amherst Comets
Coach- Mitchell T. Gillam Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Fox Creek Golf Club Team Website Schedule
Returning Players Ryan Yoder- 12th Landen Bray- 12th Prince Tran- 11th Alek Kissane- 10th
Potential New Contributors Mitchell Diehl- 12th Jacob Sprinkle- 11th Michael Haddix- 11th Jordan Miller- 10th Landon Wolf- 10th
Coach Comments- We return 3 players that were 1st or 2nd team all conference. Ryan Yoder, Prince Tran, Landen Bray
Avon Eagles
Coach- Jeff Stevens Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Bob-O-Link Golf Course Team Website Schedule Last Year’s Results- 2nd Place – SWC, 6th Place – Sectional, Hunter McCourt – District Qualifier
Returning Players Hunter McCourt- 12th Jack Cherrstrom- 12th Zane Austin- 12th Tommy Urbancic- 11th Tim Mai- 11th
Avon Lake Shoremen
Coach- Matt Perry Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Sweetbriar Team Website
Coach- David Kaser Conference- Suburban League (American) Home Course- Pine Valley Team Website Instagram- magics_golf Last Year’s Results- Dual record: 11-1, Suburban League American Conference: 6th out of 8
Returning Players Marco Silva- 11th Cole Macko, 11th Christian White- 11th Devin Miller- 12th
Coach Comments- Marco Silva had led the team each of the last two years. He advanced out of sectionals and missed a playoff to go to the state tournament by a stroke. We are hoping to build off of last year’s success and take the next step this fall. Cole Macko also made great strides last season. I am expecting more of the same this year. The team will have four returning starters on varsity, but graduating three will challenge the entire team.
Bay Rockets
Coach- Rick Manderine Conference- Great Lakes Conference Home Course- Sweetbriar Legacy Team Website Twitter- @BHS_BoysGolf Last Year’s Results- Overall Record 91-33 Great Lake Conference 26-4 Dual Record 11-3, 1st GLC Championship, 2nd Pioneer Classic, 3rd GLC Preview, 5th Comet Invitational
Returning Players Josh Hammond- 12th Ian Williams- 11th Jack Chalmers- 11th
Potential New Contributors Ben Shuster- 11th Aaron Bergstresser- 12th Travis Ropeleski- 10th Jayson Miller- 10th Ben Wagner- 10th Jayden Perrine- 10th Trevor Ormsby- 10th
Coach Comments- The Bay Village squad is returning three high level players from last season. Senior Josh Hammond will be the elder statesman. Josh has been an integral player the past two seasons. Juniors Ian Williams and Jack Chalmers will join forces with Josh to be the catalysts of the squad.
Josh earned 2nd team GLC honors the past two seasons. Ian Williams was a first team GLC member. At the GLC Championship (Grey Hawk Golf Club), Ian fired a 76 to earn 2nd place individual honors. The Rockets surprised the field and finished first place @ the GLC Championship.
Jack Chalmers will round-out the top three. Jack gained valuable experience at the varsity level. Jack is a smart player. He grinds out pars. All three are strong iron players. With improved short games, they can catapult into elite players in the area. These fellas have been putting in the work hard and are ready to make some noise.
The remaining three varsity sports will be highly contested. Potential candidates include sophomores Travis Ropelski, Jayson Miller, Ben Wagner, Jayden Perrine and Trevor Ormsby. The “Fab Five” freshmen made noise at the JV level. It’s time for these sophomores to take their games to the next level. It will be a heated competition.
We are looking forward to a competitive season. Our hope is to surprise the teams in the area. We are youthful…but have a big upside. The Great Lakes Conference has some of the strongest players in the area. It will be an exciting conference to follow this season.
Berea-Midpark Titans
Coach- Jim Cook Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Royal Crest Golf Club Team Website Twitter- @BMHSTitanGolf Last Year’s Results- 3-9 record, first at the Titan Invitational, 5th in conference
Returning Players Andrew Greger- 11th LJ Krek- 11th Luke Nedoma- 10th
Potential New Contributors Luka Santori- 11th Leo Smith- 11th Braeden Kinnard- 11th
Coach Comments- The graduation of 3 seniors has made our team young, however our 3 returning players have veteran experience in matches & tournaments. It will be interesting to see who shows up for those varsity spots. We have a very talented incoming Freshman class that should push the upperclassmen.
Brunswick Blue Devils
Coach- Colin Smith and Chad Thompson Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference Home Course- Pine Hills and Bunker Hill Team Website Schedule Twitter- @brunswickhsgolf Last Year’s Results- 5th as a team at the Good Park Sectional (335). Individual qualifier Max Heilbrun shot 73. Max shot 78 at the Pine Hills District.
Returning Players Eric Carbone- 12th Cayden De Wever- 12th Dayten Bobula- 11th
Potential New Contributors Dylan Piatak- 12th Mikey Makara- 12th Mike Samano- 12th Jonas Hinderer- 11th Ethan Kovacs- 10th
Coach Comments- We are extremely excited for new players to have the opportunity to compete for the Blue Devils this season. We will be extremely young and relatively inexperienced, but many of these young players are putting in a lot of work in this offseason. We are also looking forward to continuing to compete at an extremely high level, participating in some of the best tournaments in Northeast Ohio. We are extremely grateful to those coaches that give our players the opportunity to play in their events year in and year out.
Chardon Hilltoppers
Coach- Dan McGuigan Conference- Western Reserve Conference Home Course- St. Denis
GlenOak Golden Eagles
Coach- Scott McCahan Conference- Federal League Home Course- Sanctuary Golf Club
Returning Players Anthony Morabito- 12th Colin Whitmer- 12th
Potential New Contributors Tyler Tolin- 12th Gavin France- 10th Evan Negulis- 10th Patrick Arway- 10th Ben Sibert- 11th JP Parkinson- 11th Dylan Wiles- 11th
Coach Comments- GlenOak will look to rebuild after losing 6 seniors last fall. We will return (2) 3 year letter winners and add a lot of new and younger golfers to fill the void.
Harvey Red Raiders
Coach- Scott Cummings Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Valley) Home Course- Painesville Country Club Team Website Facebook- Harvey Red Raider Golf Last Year’s Results- 6-14
Coach Comments- We are trying to take a step up as we had 3 freshman last year.
Archbishop Hoban Knights
Coach- Quinn Parker Conference- Independence Home Course- Mud Run, Portage Country Club, Brookside Country Club, Firestone Country Club Team Website Twitter- @HobanBoysGolf Last Year’s Results- 4th Place State (Division I, Ohio State Golf Course), 2nd Place District (Division I, Pine Hills Golf Club, 1st Place Sectional (Division I, Good Park Golf Course).
Returning Players Jack Vojtko- 12th Kord Ready- 12th Charlie Hite- 12th Chris Pollack- 11th Ray Dress- 11th Braden Herstich- 11th Brett Bagatti- 11th Ethan Cooper- 10th
Potential New Contributors Ben Berridge- 9th
Coach Comments- 9 returning varsity golfers for the 2023 high school golf season. Very experienced group of golfers. Looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish this year. Team will be lead by our three seniors Jack Vojtko (Ohio State Golf Recruit) Kord Ready, and Charlie Hite. We have a very strong junior class – Chris Pollak, Ray Dress, Braden Herstich , and Brett Bagatti. Two strong underclassmen golfers Ethan Cooper (Soph.) and Ben Berridge (Fr.).
Hoover Vikings
Coach- Scott Snyder Conference- Federal League Home Course- Arrowhead Golf Course Team Website Last Year’s Results- 3rd in league, 3rd in sectional tournament, 15th in district tournament
Returning Players Ernie Otte- 12th Luke Stutzman- 11th Daniel Gambone- 11th Jake Bowling- 10th Carter Russell- 11th
Coach Comments- We look forward to competing and growing as the season progresses.
Hudson Explorers
Coach- Matt Villenauve Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- The Country Club of Hudson Team Website Twitter- @hudsongolfrocks Last Year’s Results- 1st Place Sectionals, 16th place Districts, Suburban League Champions
Returning Players Sam Fauver- 11th Callahan Lawler- 12th Adam Ruffer- 11th
Jackson Polar Bears
Coach- Jim Kish Conference- Federal League Home Course- Shady Hollow CC, The Legends of Massillon Last Year’s Results- Federal League Pre-Season 1st, Hudson Invitational 1st, Stark County Invite 1st, Post Season Federal League 1st, Sectionals 1st, District 3rd, State 10th.
Returning Players Jordan Kish- 12th Ethan Kasler- 12th Aidan Loy- 12th Max Weber- 11th Raffeale Scassa- 10th
Jackson looks to be very competitive this year with a solid group of returning letter winners. Jordan Kish, Stark Co. Player Of The Year, will look to continue his success heading into his senior year.
Kent Roosevelt Rough Riders
Coach- Ben Curtis Conference- Suburban League (American) Home Course- Windmill Lakes GC Instagram- @rooseveltboysgolf Last Year’s Results- Suburban League Champions
Returning Players Liam Curtis- 11th Christian Mineo- 12th Rowan Baynes- 12th Jack Puhalla- 11th
Potential New Contributors Jack Flynn- 10th Owen Puhalla- 9th
Coach Comments- Players to Watch- Liam Curtis (POY last year and State Qualifier), Christian Mineo and Rowan Baynes. Team- Looking forward to great competition, playing on some great courses. This is a great group of kids who enjoy playing and competing against each other and their peers
Lorain Titans
Coach- Dino Pappas Conference- Lake Erie League Home Course- Pinebrook
Returning Players Landis Jarvis- 12th
Potential New Contributors Antonio Rosario- 12th Shane Hargreaves- 12th Janai Marrero- 12th Jousleirys Villanueva- 11th
Coach Comments- We are a mixed (boys/girls) team of mostly beginners. We have been working hard in the off season learning the game and are looking forward to competing against other similar teams in the area.
Louisville Leopards
Coach- Michael McFerren Conference- Independent Home Course- Sleepy Hollow Golf Club – Alliance, Ohio Last Year’s Results- 10-1 record, 9th in the Tannenhauf Sectional
Potential New Contributors Zach Ganser- 12th Michael Filipowicz- 11th Joey Duncan- 11th Braden Franks- 11th Ethan Gruber- 9th
Coach Comments- We are returning 3 players that will wind up being 4 year letter winners. Outside of those three guys, we are going to be very inexperienced at the varsity level. Two of these three returnees have qualified for the District tournament in the past, so I look for 1 or more of them to challenge to get back to Pine Hills again this year. This year we are going to be looking for that solid 4th score as many other programs are throughout the area, if we can find that score, we will be very competitive in matches and tournaments.
Massillon Tigers
Coach- Josh Sykora Conference- Independent Home Course- Legends of Massillon Twitter- @MTigerBGolf Last Year’s Results- 1st place at the Smithville Invitational at Hawks Nest, 2nd place at the CVCA Invitational at Glenmoore Country Club, Played 16 Invitationals, Played 3 9 hole matches and went 2-1
Potential New Contributors Preston Reinhart- 11th Hayden Smith- 12th
Coach Comments- 4 of our top 5 players are returning this season. Brock and Trey have both played very well this summer. They are both going to be players to watch for the 2023 season.
Medina Bees
Coach- Mike Mozingo Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference Home Course- Fox Meadow Country Club Twitter- @Medinabeesgolf Last Year’s Results- Fourth consecutive GCC title, Qualified for State tournament, Finished 12th
Returning Players Cam Stafford- 10th Eli Zimmerman- 11th Coen Miller- 11th Ethan Cole- 12th William Guest- 12th
Coach Comments- We’re just trying to build upon last year’s success and try to play our best.
Mentor Cardinals
Coach- Eric Vinborg Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference Home Course- Black Brook
Returning Players Andrew Betz- 12th John Prentice- 11th
Midview Middies
Coach- Kyle Zimmer Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Brentwood Twitter- @MidviewBoysGolf Last Year’s Results- League 4-3, overall duals 9-3, Edison Invite champions, Pioneer Invite champions
Coach- Scott Lawrence Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- Ellsworth Meadows Golf Course Twitter- @NordoniaGolf Last Year’s Results- 6th in the Suburban (National), 2nd in the OHSAA Sectional at Windmill Lakes
Returning Players Drew Kitzmiller- 12th Ben Mallis- 12th Caden Cook- 11th Ryan Mallis- 10th
Potential New Contributors Carter Bretz- 10th Brody Gopalkrishna- 11th Gran Lucician- 12th Cameron Yanok- 10th
Coach Comments- We bring back a solid core of players that have been working hard over the summer to improve upon last year’s performance. The team will be lead by our two senior returning lettermen, Drew Kitzmiller and Ben Mallis.
North Ridgeville Rangers
Coach- Mike Belpulsi Conference- Southwestern Conference Home Course- Pine Brook Twitter- @coachbelpulsi Last Year’s Results- SWC 1-6 Overall 1-7
Potential New Contributors Tyeson Carter- 11th Nick Forristal- 11th Parker Prince- 11th Ethan Crevda- 10th Jakob Holland- 10th
North Royalton Bears
Coach- Steven Sprunger Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- Hinckley Hills Golf Course Last Year’s Results- 4th place in the Suburban League National Division. Tournament winners at Madison Rams Invitational, Placed 4th at Sectionals and advanced to Districts at Pine Hills
Returning Players Lukas Cengic- 12th Ryan Kuchta- 12th Brandon Jenkins- 12th Andy Kovalak- 12th Daniel Lee- 12th Charlie Wilson- 11th
Potential New Contributors Roman Gambino- 12th Ryan Wilson- 9th Lucas Stringer- 9th
Coach Comments- The Bears are loaded with senior leadership and are looking to compete in the S.L. National Division this year.
Norton Panthers
Coach- Mike Maile Conference- Metro Conference Home Course- Spring Hills Team Website Last Year’s Results- Last season regular season record was 0-16, Norton finished 1st in Metro Athletic Conference tournament
Returning Players Charlie Gabor- 12th Eric Frantz- 12th Regis Vargo- 12th Matt Fowler- 11th Evan Easterling- 11th
Olmsted Falls Bulldogs
Coach- Damon DeMarco Conference- Southwestern Conference Twitter- @OFBoysGolf1 Last Year’s Results- SWC Champions, 1 Tournament Win, 2 Individual District Qualifiers
Potential New Contributors Connor Lehmann- 10th Owen Timura- 11th
The Bulldogs lost a 4 year letterman and conference MVP – Ben Scheeff (Cleveland State), but returns 4 full time varsity players and a few players that did get some varsity experience last year. There will be a rotation at the bottom of the lineup and there will be some good competition for those final 2 spots each week across several capable players. The team will be lead by Dylan Sowers (Sr) who will be in his 4th year as a Varsity player coming off his best year (1st Team All-SWC, District Qualifier, 18 hole avg – 78.0, 9 hole avg – 38.15)
Revere Minutement
Coach- David Archer II Conference- Suburban League (American) Home Course- Fairlawn Country Club Schedule Last Year’s Results- Suburban League American Division – 4th Place, Suburban League American Division 2nd Team Honoree – Jack Kinder, Suburban League American Division Honorable Mention – Grant Banning, Suburban League Boys Golf Athlete of the Month, October – Jack Kinder, Jack Kinder advanced to the State District Tournament as an Individual
Returning Players Grant Banning- 12th Jack Kinder- 11th Giovanni Lucarelli-Devorak- 12th Angelo Levak- 11th
Potential New Contributors Michael Zachary- 12th Jack Skidmore- 11th Langston Ford- 10th Tommy Kinder- 9th
Coach Comments- Revere will be hosting our 3rd Annual “Revere Cup – Friday Night Lights Experience” on Saturday, August 26th @ Fairlawn Country Club. The event has grown both in popularity and notoriety drawing nearly 300 fans/patrons this past season.
Riverside Beavers
Coach- Mike Pickett, PGA Conference- Western Reserve Conference Home Course- Little Mountain/Quail Hollow Last Year’s Results- Brayden Abbott- ALL WRC Conference, Walker Young- All WRC Conference
Coach- David Hendrickson Conference- Great Lakes Conference Home Course- Big Met Golf Course Team Website Schedule Twitter- @RR_BoysGolf Last Year’s Results- 8-2 in matches, GLC Champions, Midview Invitational Champions (305 at Columbia Hills CC – season low), Sectional Champions (328 at Greyhawk)
Returning Players Luke Dietrich- 12th Nick Tianello- 12th Dan Capka- 12th Jack Hurt- 12th Jack Petrus- 12th Luke Petrus- 12th
Coach Comments- We’re looking forward to a great season with an experienced group!
Shaker Heights Raiders
Coach- Paul Sampliner Conference- Greater Cleveland Conference Home Course- Shaker Country Club and Highland Park Last Year’s Results- Reached Districts for the 3rd year in a row finishing 10 strokes away from a trip to Columbus. 2022 Winners of the CVCA Invitational, PC Classic, and the NDCL Invitational (306 here, our best team score of the year).
Coach Comments- Shaker is looking to build from a solid 2022 campaign that included three tournament wins and a 9th place finish at Districts. Five experienced returning Seniors are charging back to earn a trip to Columbus for their final year. We are also looking forward the challenge of conference play in our re entrance into the Greater Cleveland Conference.
St. Edward Eagles
Coach- Douglas Sessor Conference- Independent Home Course- Grey Hawk GC Team Website Twitter- @sehs_golf Last Year’s Results- 5th place Sectionals
Returning Players Jack Myslenski- 12th
Potential New Contributors Thomas Marshall- 12th Vinh Lai- 11th Sean Curran- 11th Michael Tyler Polca- 11th Logan Zaremba- 12th Jack Wallenhorst- 11th Ryan McGuire- 11th Luke Schramko- 11th Chris Nadja- 10th Nickolas Torres- 10th
Coach Comments- Very pleased where we are entering the season! The bulk of our program put in a rigorous offseason with strength/conditioning programs and competing in local tournaments. The Eagles are led by two seniors Jack Myslenski and Thomas Marshall with a accompanying deep 2025 class. As we enter this season we are set on making a run at qualifing for OHSAA States.
St. Ignatius Wildcats
Coach- Kevin Neitzel Conference- Independent Home Course- Elyria Country Club Team Website Last Year’s Results- 2022 Division 1 State Champions
Potential New Contributors Frank Adamo- 12th Alexander Stiegele- 10th Joe Maloof- 10th Craig Carneval- 11th
Coach Comments- Bradley Chill and Julian Dugan return from the 2022 State Championship team and both are capable of leading us to a state title run. We have a strong group of underclassmen that will be pushing for a place on the Varsity roster. Our goal is to win a third straight State Championship.
St. Vincent-St. Mary Irish
Coach- Jim Currie Conference- Independent Home Course- Good Park GC Team Website Twitter- @stvmboysgolf Last Year’s Results- 10-4 Overall Match Record, 9th place Sectional finish, 2nd Place Alliance and Cardinal Classic, 3rd Place Tuscarawas Central Catholic and Field Tournaments, 4th Place Nordonia Tournament, 13 Place CVCA Tournament, 9th Place St Eds Tournament
Returning Players Harrison Pumphrey- 12th Paul Merkle- 12th Nick Wierzbicki- 11th Paul Witschey- 10th
Potential New Contributors Ben McKnight- 12th Jackson Vesco- 11th Angelo Puglia- 11th Nate Sparhawk- 10th Mario Case- 10th
Coach Comments- For us to do well our 4 returning players will have to play well every time we are on the course. Whoever gets the 2 open varsity spots will have to step in and play well to help us.
Stow-Munroe Falls Bulldogs
Coach- Chet Feldman Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- Fox Den Last Year’s Results- 2nd in league, made it through sectionals and just missed going to state. Last year senior, Ben Skripac, did end up going to state and finished 11th overall individually. Sophomore (Junior to be) Austin Wilhoit missed going to state by one stroke.
Returning Players Matt Kurtz- 12th Austin Wilhoit- 11th Eddie Norman- 10th Tyler Cheetham- 10th
Potential New Contributors Anderson Hurst- 11th
Coach Comments- We are going to be very young, but the kids will be playing in tournaments in the off season to gain some experience that hopefully will help us going into the season.
Tallmadge Blue Devils
Coach- Scott Campbell Conference- Suburban League (American) Home Course- Brookledge Team Website Twitter- @Tallmadge_BGolf
Returning Players Alex Wise- 12th Gabe Jones- 11th Warner Carter- 10th
Coach Comments- We will have 3 returning Varsity players and a lot of new faces. We are excited to see the younger players compete for spots.
Twinsburg Tigers
Coach- Scott Levey Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- Gleneagles Last Year’s Results- 12/4
Twinsburg expects to be competitive in 2023, led by senior Rob Prevette.
University School Preppers
Coach- Mike Sarris Conference- Independent Home Course- Sand Ridge Golf Club Team Website Last Year’s Results- 3rd Place Sectionals, 7th Place Districts, Jackson Pinney Individual State Qual.
Returning Players Adam Sands- 11th Ethan Roberts- 11th Jackson Pinney- 11th
Valley Forge Patriots
Coach- Mitchell Hartel Conference- Great Lakes Conference Home Course- Ridgewood Golf Course Twitter- @forge_golf Instagram- vfhartel Last Year’s Results- Record: 12-2, Conference Record: 3-2, GLC Tournament: 6th Place Finish
Returning Players Anthony Donley- 12th Ryan Repko- 12th Garrett Hollon- 12th Stefan Stjepanovich- 12th Bill Jobes- 11th
Coach Comments- Our team is full of a lot of experience, talent and mental strength. Over the past four years, our players have improved their abilities on the course significantly. Led by Captains Anthony Donley and Ryan Repko, the team is in great hands when it comes to putting up low scores. Other Senior leaders, Stefan Stjepanovic and Gary Hollon also look to continue having solid careers here at Valley Forge. It will be fun to see the progress and steps they take toward posting another successful year for the Patriots.
Wadsworth Grizzlies
Coach- Steve Ferris Conference- Suburban League (National) Home Course- Pine Valley Last Year’s Results- District Qualifier
Coach Comments- Last season’s District Qualifying has garnered attention- expecting good things this year.
Walsh Jesuit Warriors
Coach- Bill Reilly, PGA Conference- Crown Conference Home Course- Brookledge and Ellsworth Meadows Last Year’s Results- 6 Tournament wins in 2022 (tied) most of the last 15 yrs. Crown conf champs 5th straight year
Returning Players Parker Barrett- 12th Anthony Spain- 10th Ryan Czenzak- 10th Steven Voinovich- 11th
Potential New Contributors Dominic Calleri- 12th Matthew DiMare- 12th Ben Yeager- 10th
Coach Comments- I believe this team will be very hungry for the post season.2022 was a bitter setback for a talented team who overlooked State Sectional Qualifier for the District tournament and missed the District Tournament for the first time in 22 yrs
West Geauga Wolverines
Coach- Jay Kletecka Conference- Chagrin Valley Conference (Chagrin)
Potential New Contributors Aiden Hinds- 9th JJ Rubinski- 9th
Westlake Demons
Coach- Luke Harris Conference- Great Lakes Conference Home Course- Sweetbriar Team Website Schedule Last Year’s Results- 2nd in GLC, 3rd in Amherst Invitational, 1st in Comet Classic, 1st in Elyria Catholic Invitational, 3rd in Midview Invitational, 4th at Sectionals and qualified for Districts as a team. 2nd year in a row for that, 13th at Districts, Sion Park was 2nd at Sectionals and qualified for States as an Individual.
Returning Players Sion Park- 12th Michael Labenz- 12th Michael Ambrosino- 12th Mitchell England- 11th Matthew Brown- 10th
Potential New Contributors Josh Turk- 11th Peyton Wolf- 9th
Coach Comments- This is my first year as coach so I don’t know much. I have been told to watch out for Sion Park. He had a great year last year and should be able to compete for states.
Willoughby South Rebels
Coach- Matt Fundak Conference- Western Reserve Conference Home Course- Manakiki Twitter- @SouthRebelGolf Last Year’s Results- 5-9, graduated the player of the year
Returning Players Michael Lavrisha- 11th Tyler Hace- 10th James Miller- 11th Andrew Schrenk- 12th
Potential New Contributors Chase Stafford- 11th Austin Parker- 11th Ralph Zappola- 9th
Coach Comments- We will be young, but we will be competitive.
The Lake Erie Girls Golf Association typically is a competitive league made up of teams from the Great Lakes Conference, the Lorain County Conference, and others. The team to beat in 2023 looks to be the Rocky River Pirates under coach Jeff Hammond, led by senior Chloe Holton and junior Mia Ginetti. Other teams in contention include Westlake, who perennially sits near the top of the conference standings and has won the conference the last two years, and North Olmsted, who is a more recent addition to the conference. Columbia and Keystone, who will have a new coach in Greg Morgan, are still building their programs while Fairview, with new coach Chris Kaminski, and Bay will look to set a solid base for the future.
Impact Players
Emma Feakins (JR) Keystone Megan Forshey (SR) Westlake Charlotte Fox (SO) Bay Mia Ginetti (JR) Rocky River Chloe Holton (SR) Rocky River Taylor Kuhrt (SR) Columbia Rose Lane (JR) North Olmsted Jessica Paracsi (SR) Fairview
Freshmen to Watch
Katie May Baum (Columbia) Nina Scott (North Olmsted)
Head Coach- Victoria Budzyn Last Year’s Results- 15th at Springvale Sectional, regular season: 5 wins, 11 losses Coach Comments- Bay High School has a young team with a lot of underclassmen who are consistently improving.
Head Coach- Rebecca Brendza Last Year’s Results- 4th at The Pines Sectional, 11th at Districts, Overall Record: 9 – 5; Conference Record: 7 – 3; Won the Choke/Prize ball at LEGGA Preview; 3rd place in the LEGGA Championship Coach Comments- Looking for some strong leadership from our four seniors!
Head Coach- Jeff Hammond Last Year’s Results- 7th at Springvale Sectional, 20-1 match play, Regular season LEGGA Champions, 1st place LEGGA preview, 2nd place LEGGA championship, 7th place at Edison Invitation,7th place at Parma Flamingo Frenzy Coach Comments- Top 3 scorers return from record setting season last year. Chloe Holton and Mia Ginnetti tied for the final district qualifying spot and are back looking to lead the team to another LEGGA Championship and first ever District appearance.
Head Coach- Traci Edmunds Last Year’s Results- 12th at Springvale Sectional, 10-2 record, Back-to-Back 1st place LEEGA Tournament Championships Coach Comments- I’m excited for golf season! We graduated 5 of our varsity players last season so we will be a young team but I’m confident in our returning varsity players and the talent and experience they bring to our team. I’m also looking forward to seeing the young and upcoming talent to contribute to our teams success!
By Krystine Frisch, Avon Lake High School Girls Varsity Golf Coach
The Ohio Girls Golf Foundation is hosting its high school showcase on Monday, July 31 at Avon Oaks Country Club. Incoming freshmen are invited to play as well as out-going seniors, so girls have the opportunity to play for five years.
This year LPGA Tour Professional Barb Mucha will headline this premier golf event, which consists of game improvement clinics, an 18 hole individual and team tournament, plus an awards dinner.
Former player and scholarship recipient Emma Davies has only good things to say about the event. “I loved the OGGF event because it was so organized and it was an amazing way to bond with your team before the school year starts. I also loved how they included pre-freshman year and post-senior year because it was a great way to meet more people,” Davies said.
Her former teammate Maggie Owens had this to say: “OGGF was one of my favorite tournaments while playing golf in high school. This was a fun and calming tournament to play during the summer. Since this tournament was before the season had begun, it was always an event that my teammates and I looked forward to. Overall, it was a refreshing and relaxing day that started out with clinics and warming up, followed by an 18-hole tournament, “ Owens said.
Liv Ritter will be a senior and has played in the OGGF. “It’s a good ready-to-go tournament. It is a great pre-season event before the season starts. It gave me advice to improve my short-game…which is half of my game. My short game is important.”
Natalie Kostalnick from Strongsville High School is a Student Scholar Athlete with a 4.3 grade point average, the Greater Cleveland Conference Golfer of the Year for the past two seasons, and a future veterinarian who is already shadowing at some of the largest clinics in the Cleveland area. If those accomplishments and aspirations were all that made Natalie who she has become, it would be an amazing story. But there is more.
Since 2016, Natalie has worked to raise over $25,000 to donate to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus working for a non-profit she started called Drive Out Child Cancer. “There are kids who cannot get out of their hospital rooms for days or even months to do the things they love,” Natalie explained. After playing in a tournament at Ohio State, Natalie and her father made it their mission to raise money for those individuals who need it the most. “I went to the local bar that my family eats at and cleaned bar stools and bar rails. I made $100 and came up with my own $150 more.” She became the first person to donate money to Nationwide that way and decided she could help even more, leading to the beginning of her nonprofit. She mentioned that it has been hard to get the fundraising going since the Covid pandemic, but she is working hard to get it back on track.
Natalie Kostalnick started playing golf at the age of eight. The story began at Mr. Divot’s Sports Center in North Royalton where she was watching her sister hit softballs at the batting cages. “I was not talented enough to hit a softball,” Natalie recalled, “so my dad sent me and my mom to grab me a cut down shaft golf club. And now I’m 10 years into playing the sport.” She started playing in tournaments shortly after that and realized that she had talent when she started to see her name appearing at the top of those leaderboards.
As soon as Natalie stepped on the golf course her freshman year she immediately became the number one player on the team. “I was horrified to play on the team,” she said. “I was going to be the youngest one with some of the best scores. I was definitely intimidated. But there was nothing to worry about because they all welcomed me without any hesitation.” One player that had a huge impact on Natalie is Madison Gilbert, who is one year ahead of Natalie and a recent graduate who will be attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. “We were in elementary school together,” Natalie said. “She is the person I would run to when we had to pick partners at practice. When we have conversations she always listens and gives me the best advice.” Those conversations range from golf to traditional teenage girl talk. “I am very sad to see her leave this year but I know she will go on and do AMAZING things at Miami. Everyone needs a Madison!”
According to Strongsville coach Kevin Weir, “Natalie has changed the culture of our program and has turned it into a contender each year.” They won back-to-back Greater Cleveland Conference Championships in 2021 and 2022, with 2021 being their first in a decade. Natalie led the Mustangs to the District Tournament her freshman year by shooting an 83 at the Sectional Tournament at Sweetbriar Golf Course and followed it up with an 83 at Districts at Ellsworth Meadows. The Sectional Tournament was moved to Springvale Golf Course in 2021, a move that helped Natalie take her game to a whole new level as her 74 helped Strongsville finish in second place. Again, she performed well at the District Tournament at Brookledge with an 82, earning a top 20 finish. She matched her 74 at Sectionals this past season. Natalie knew that she had played well, but was not sure exactly how well. “I did not keep score in my head. When I heard I shot 74 I was honestly surprised. My game felt good but not that good.” It was that good. Natalie finished tied for second place overall in the tournament and her team advanced to Districts yet again.
The weather worsened for Districts at Brookledge in 2022 and high scores were common all around the golf course. Natalie was disappointed with an 89. “The temperature was everywhere,” she said. “It’s hard to play with multiple layers.” That was not meant to be an excuse because other factors were at play. “I also think that nerves got the best of me,” she added. “It is hard to play with the top players in your area and keep that off your mind. It’s much easier said than done.” She is already looking at it as a learning experience.
Natalie is also very happy to share what she has already learned and her experiences with her younger teammates. “I try to give advice (not only golf), try to help them with the game, and I am just always an open ear to help them with anything,” she said. She has had a huge impact on one player for sure. The number two player on the Strongsville varsity team is Hannah Lee, a talented up and coming junior who has some serious golf skills. “It’s amazing to see the golfer and the person that she has become in the last two years,” Natalie said proudly. “I hope I’ve taught her a few things before I leave next year.” What are some of those things? “I try to help her out as much as I can, like reminding her to not four-putt at least once a round,” she responded with a smile. “We know each other’s attitudes and know when we need to be consoled and when to leave each other alone.” Some teams struggle with building chemistry, but because of Natalie along with her past and current teammates, Strongsville is not one of them. “I am very lucky to have such a tight knit team,” she explained.
Coach Weir agrees that Natalie has been a transformative influence on his program. “Natalie has completely changed who Strongsville Golf is as a program since she has been a freshman,” he explained. “Natalie is a natural leader and has shown it since day one.” He added that she is the player who keeps the rest of the team on the same page, and has been doing it since she was named a captain as a sophomore. Coach Weir added, “She communicates with the team as needed during the offseason and makes sure everyone is doing okay on and off the course during the season.”
Coach Weir mentioned that one of the keys to being successful in high school golf is using the summer to improve. Between the end of the school year and the beginning of August, the time typically goes by very quickly. Natalie tries to simulate the rigor of the high school season when she plays over the summer. She typically plays in well over ten tournaments and gets out as often as possible to get practice rounds in. There is one key aspect to all of the practice and competition. “I make sure that I am prioritizing having fun,” she said. Some of the most fun that many junior golfers have over the summer is at the Hudson Junior Invitational, which takes place toward the end of June each year. Natalie was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to play in the Hudson Junior last summer. “It was hard with my dad not being there because he was out of town, but my friends came out to watch,” Natalie explained. “It was also nice to get paired up with one of my friends (Isabella Paez from Magnificat) for the first two rounds.”
An amazing quality shared by the talented high school golfers in Northeast Ohio is how they are able to excel on the golf course while still having a huge impact on their respective communities as well. Natalie Kostalnick is another fine example of a top tier golfer whose impact reaches far beyond the fairways and greens. Coach Weir put it perfectly: “She has the biggest heart and is truly willing to do anything for anyone.”
Ohio High School Golf 