South Lyon breaks through for first-ever state title

EASTLANSING » South Lyon girls golf coachDan Skatzka was at a loss for words after his team wrapped up its play Friday at the MHSAA Division 2 state finals. He really was.

After 11 straight trips to the finals and several near misses— including a pair of runner-up showings — his Lions finally did it. They captured a girls golf state championship.

“I’m not quite sure how I’m supposed to feel,” said Skatzka, trying his best to find the words to describe his emotions Friday evening. “We’ve come so close all those times, and all of a sudden, the girls did it. They finally did it.”

South Lyon pretty much led from start to finish, firing a team score of 335 and edging out three-time defending state champion Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern by three strokes. Senior Katie Potter, who had been a part of three top-10 finishing teams, led the Lions on Friday with her round of 73. It was second-best to Okemos’ Allison Cui, who captured her second straight individual state title ( last year in Division 1).

Defending Division 2 individual champion Gabby Tapp, finished sixth overall to help her team to the title. Senior Bella Campbell was 11th overall with her round of 85, while junior Sophia Joseph rounded out the scoring for South Lyon with a score of 97.

South Lyon was runnerup a year ago — losing to Northern by 26 shots. The big difference between the schools were the Nos. 3- 4 golfers, where the Huskies beat theLions by 33 strokes. On Friday, Campbell and Joseph beat their Northern counterparts by a stroke.

“I know how hard the girls have worked,” Skatzka said. “Each year we ramp it up and up a little bit more. It just seems like each year they come back stronger.

There was a time when my wife and I started the program where we couldn’t get girls to come out for the team. Had we offered more practices for them theywould have run off. But now the girls keep coming back for more.”

Okemos finished third overall at 345, followed by Haslett (349) and Fenton and Dearborn Divine Child (363 each) in the top five. Farmington Hills Mercy had a rough start but battled back to finish eighth overall with a team score of 367.

Senior Gabby Crespi led the Marlins with an 89. Sophomore Mia Juday shot 91, while sophomore Chloe

Vig (93) and senior Leah Glover (94) rounded out the team’s scoring.

South Lyon haswon nine straight regional championships and has finished in the top 10 at states each of the last nine seasons.

The Lions have two runners-up finishes and eight top-five showings. They’ve come close so many times before.

“It just seems like when we do have a really good team, someone else would just have the tournament of their life,” Skatzka said. “But today, it just seemed like, wow, I really don’t know how to feel.”

Feels good to be a champion.