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WARREN — It’s a tradition unlike any other for Warren De La Salle Collegiate boys golf.
For the past 30 years, De La Salle has qualified for 27 Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 state finals tournaments, and their impressive showing at the Region 5 championship at Twin Lakes Golf Course was just another example of their sustained success.
“We knew we’d be OK because even after graduating a couple last year, I also played two freshmen last year with Max and Joey, so they played in the state finals last year with experience and it’s paying off this year,” De La Salle coach Doug McKay said. “With the addition of Troy (Nguyen), who’s been steady all year, I knew we’d be OK. Expectations got better as the year went on and we stabilized a lineup.”
Led by a pair of dominant performances from sophomore Max Teschendorf and freshman Troy Nguyen, De La Salle earned the Region 5 championship by a two-stroke margin over Detroit U-D Jesuit.
Teschendorf was electric in all phases of his game, shooting a 70 to take first place by three strokes over Nguyen, who finished second with a 73.
Nguyen was as steady as they come all season for De La Salle and was a stranger to the program before joining this year.
McKay said his team would see Troy when they practiced at The Orchards, and it’s been a full circle moment ever since.
“Our kids met Troy when he was in sixth grade,” McKay said. “He was up hitting golf balls with his dad. During the course of the years, we just said hi to his dad and hi to Troy. When his dad said, ‘Hey, I think I’m putting Troy into De La Salle,’ we all had our eyes wide open. He really came with a nice junior resume.”
Senior captain Collin Urbas secured an 80 while junior Colton Fuqua and sophomore Joseph Finazzo tallied an 81 and 82, respectively.
It wasn’t a typical regionals round that De La Salle was accustomed to in the past, for a trip to Twin Lakes Golf Course was an out-of-character experience for McKay’s group.
“We did our homework,” McKay said. “We got out to Twin Lakes a couple times before the regional, so we knew kind of what we were doing. All that practice pays off. You never want to take anything for granted.”
De La Salle finished their season with a 10th-place finish at the MHSAA Division 1 state finals on June 10 at The Meadows in Allendale, improving immensely from their 16th-place finish in 2022.
Nguyen shot a team-high 162 through two rounds of play while Finazzo (163), Fuqua (166), and Teschendorf (167) all provided reliable scores. Urbas, who is committed to play collegiately at Northwood University, finished his high school career with a 175.
A four-year varsity player, Urbas will be a key void to fill heading into 2023.
“He’s one of the finest captains I’ve had,” McKay said. “He took that responsibility as a junior, and he’s one of those players that made the team as a freshman, and that was the year we had some really good players. He’s grown up a lot and he’s been a true leader by example in the classroom and on the golf course.”
Returning four of their five state finals golfers, De La Salle will look to continue to set state finals expectations and hopes for a title in the process.
While Urbas will shift his focus to his collegiate career, he said the league should expect an even stronger De La Salle squad in 2024.
“I think that next year will be better than we were this year, and I think the year after that we’ll be even better,” Urbas said. “Those young guys are just going to keep getting better and getting that experience. I’m sure there will be other freshmen and underclassmen that will step up as well. The team is in good hands.”
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