BATTLE CREEK—Make it two straight top-10 finishes for Otsego junior Tyler Rayman at the Division 2 boys’ golf state finals.
After placing fourth with a two-day total of 144 last season, Rayman shot a 147 this year to tie for 10th with Ludington’s Ethan Leavitt at Bedford Valley in Battle Creek on Friday, June 10, and Saturday, June 11.
But his individual success wasn’t all Rayman had to smile about.
After qualifying for state finals as a team following their first-ever regional championship, the Bulldogs shot a 632 to place 10th.
St. Johns won the state title with a 597, followed by East Lansing at 601 and DeWitt at 611.
On the individual side, Cranbrook Kingswood’s Devin Deogun and St. John’s Eric Nunn each shot a 139, with Deogun taking medalist honors after a one-hole playoff.
This marked the second time in three seasons Otsego had qualified for the finals as a team.
“We had an excellent season, winning the Wolverine Conference for the fifth straight year and also winning multiple invitationals throughout the season,” Otsego coach Matt Rayman said. “The team’s expectations where very high entering the state finals. Obviously the goal was to win it all.
“Even though that didn’t happen, finishing 10th overall was a great accomplishment.”
Tyler Rayman shot low rounds for Otsego both days, checking in at 74 on Friday and carding a 73 on Saturday.
“Tyler played very well both days,” Matt Rayman said. “Staying inside the top 10 is a tough feat, especially when he did it last year finishing fourth and having the expectations he has for himself.”
Senior Chase Drobny shot a 77 both days for a total of 154.
“Chase also played well, which was awesome,” Matt Rayman said. “He and Tyler really put the team on their backs.”
Junior Casey Syrek shot an 85 on Friday before rebounding with a 79 on Saturday for a total of 164.
“It nice to see Casey bounce back from a tough first day and shoot in the 70s in day two,” Matt Rayman said.
Senior Luke Ford shot an 85 on Friday, while junior Jared Blanchard took his place on Saturday with an 81 for a total of 167.
Senior Shawn Farrell checked in at 87-85 for a total of 172.
“Next year will return three players from this team in Tyler, Casey and Jared who should lead the way to another successful season for us,” Matt Rayman said.
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