What's the outlook for Livingston County boys golf in 2024?

Brighton made Livingston County boys golf history last spring with a third-place finish in the state Division 1 tournament.

It was the first time a team from the county has finished in the top three back-to-back seasons, coming on the heels of a third-place finish in 2022.

As proud as they were in retrospect, that wasn’t the type of history the Bulldogs were shooting for then or now.

Brighton was looking to join the 1997 Hartland boys team as the only golf teams of either gender from the county to win a state championship,

Can the Bulldogs overcome the graduation of three outstanding seniors to make another run a history? Can Hartland or Howell challenge Brighton for local bragging rights?

Here’s a look at what to expect from the county’s boys golf teams in 2024:

Brighton

►Top returners: Jacob Daavettila (Jr.), Adam Forcier (Soph.), Jackson Frelich (Jr.), Riley Morton (Sr.), Levi Pennala (Sr.).

►Outlook: Brighton brings back Morton and Pennala from the same five-man lineup that finished third in the last two state Division 1 tournaments. After not qualifying for the state tournament since 2009, the Bulldogs have qualified the last three years. Forcier and Daavettila had big performances filling in on the varsity at times last season. Frelich also saw varsity action. Brighton’s regional will still include state champion Northville but not perennial power Detroit Catholic Central. Ann Arbor Skyline is a formidable new addition.

►Coach James Dewling: “We’re a younger team. We’re very deep this year. You could argue we’ve got a deeper lineup than previous years. We’re just looking for those that standout this spring and solidify themselves in our starting lineup. Last year, making the lineup as a coach wasn’t that difficult. It’s a fortunate place to be with our program that players are getting better because they’re competing every day at practice against better players.”

Fowlerville

►Top returners: Levi Baker (Jr.), John Miller (Jr.), Nolan Peterson (Soph.), Cole Sova (Jr.).

►Outlook: Baker, Peterson and Sova returned from Fowlerville’s five-man regional lineup. The Gladiators finished 18th in the Division 2 regional in East Lansing. Fowlerville has six players who saw varsity action last year in its eight-man lineup. First-year coach Nick Campbell had to make cuts in tryouts, with 22 hopefuls being narrowed to 16 varsity and junior varsity golfers.

►Coach Nick Campbell: “From what it sounds like, they may have won only one or two matches, so I’m hoping with the guys we have coming back they should be in a better position this year. I can’t say I’m expecting us to fight for the top two in our league. Cole has a chance to consistently shoot in the 30s. John Miller and Levi Baker have the potential to be in the low 40s. We’re just trying to find that consistency.”

Hartland

►Top returners: Brady Betteley (Sr.), Keller King (Sr.), Dallas Korponic (Soph.), Michael Maurin (Soph.).

►Outlook: Hartland returns its top two players in Betteley and King, who both broke 80 at regionals. Maurin was in the regional lineup, and Korponic saw regular varsity action. The Eagles are looking to return to the state tournament after a rare two-year dry spell. A promising freshman class that features Ethan Hawkins, Liam Kastamo, Aidan Oake and Grant Sturos could produce one or two players who make an impact this spring.

►Coach Nathan Oake: “We have to find a couple younger players we can count on to be consistent when it matters. Maybe somebody in that young group has the potential to take a leap and be a consistent under-80 guy. We don’t have a bona fide even par or consistently under-75 guy, so that makes the recipe a little different. You’ve got to make up for a lack of that in pretty much all four players’ scores.”

Howell

►Top returners: Jacob Dault (Jr.), Luke Downing (Jr.), Zach Spencer (Jr.), Rory Sturos (Jr.).

►Outlook: Howell placed fifth with a 308 in the toughest regional in the state last year, its best finish since taking fifth in 2017. The Highlanders return their top two players from that tournament in Downing and Spencer, who shot 76s. Spencer was an all-state selection. Howell was 6-1 in the KLAA West, winning a dual match against state champion Northville. Howell is switching regionals this season, joining Hartland at Currie Golf Club in Midland.

►Coach Jeff Hughey: “In our regional we shot 308 and came in fifth place. That stuck with them. We got moved to the Midland one. They know to get to states, it won’t be easy regardless of where you go. They’re already talking about playing practice rounds up there on weekends in April and May. They’re hungry. They felt they should’ve made it last year.”

Pinckney

►Top returners: Nolan Doersch (Sr.), Mike Kundrot (Sr.), Will Lawver (Sr.), Carson Plante (Jr.), Noah Stahl (Sr.)

►Outlook: The Pirates finished 13th out of 15 full teams at regionals last year. They bring back their top three players from that tournament in Plante (91), Stahl (95) and Kundrot (96). Pinckney, which last qualified for state in 2012, had 16 players come out for the team.

►Coach Everett Livingston: “We’re in a position to do really, really well this year in our division with the guys who are returning. We’ve got a lot of experience. These guys were forced into the fire last year. Just with a year under their belts and an understanding of what needs to happen on the course, we’re going to be that much better this year.”

Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Previewing Livingston County's 2024 boys golf teams