News

By Ryan Schlehuber, MCC Sportswriter

With hardware already in the trophy case after its first year of competition, the Montcalm Community College Centurions men’s golf team is looking to make that a trend. 

Last year, MCC earned a first-place tie at the National Junior College Athletics Association’s Region XII Championships, and with four returning players, along with two freshmen, Centurions Head Coach Doug Harkema and Assistant Coach Zach Gascoyne are looking forward to another successful season. 

“With my great assistant coach, we really work well together,” Harkema said. “We sort of came up with the definition we’re after as a team, what kind of skills and what kind of people we’re after, and I think we’ve done that very well.” 

What Harkema loves about his current team is that not only are they good players, but they’re good characters, too, which, for him, will help with forming a team concept, much like a basketball team, even though the sport of golf is based on individual performance.  

“Our motto is ‘to play for each other,’” Harkema said. “With golfing being an individual sport, it can be difficult at times for a player. But I want our guys to know that when you have a bad day on the course, you’re going to have a teammate play for that player that day.” 

Outside of golf, Harkema has been involved in basketball, mostly as a high school referee, and he loves the team concept the sport of basketball shows, which is why he is touting a team effort with his golf team. 

“I coached high school golf but I’m also a basketball guy, so I’m trying to bring back that team concept in an individual sport,” he said. 

This year’s Centurions team includes sophomore Ryan Clingenpeel, of East Lansing, sophomore Jerald Brownell, of Cedar Springs, players from Holt, brothers Ethan and Zach Johnson, both sophomores, along with their cousin, Mason Blair, a freshman, and freshman Kenny Mitchell, of Cedar Springs. 

Harkema said he considers all his players as leaders but the one who would stand out as a team captain would be Ethan Johnson. 

“He really cares about everyone, he’s all about what we’re trying to do,” said Harkema, pointing out that Ethan was one of his first recruits when he became head coach at MCC, which reinstated its athletics program after a 40-year hiatus last year. “Ethan has done a wonderful job of keeping guys together and focusing on their tasks.” 

Harkema also mentioned Clingenpeel, who he knew when he was coaching in high school. 

“He’s a 24-year-old player for us and he really wanted to compete so he came here,” Harkema said. “He’s a good one.” 

Zach Johnson, who was named Lansing State Journal’s Golfer of the Year in his senior year at Holt, is excited to get this season going knowing his team has a chance to repeat as regional champions. 

“Our main hitting place at school, there’s a whiteboard that has ‘win regionals’ on it,” Zach said. “That’s our main goal this season.” 

With the team finally getting off the training simulator and getting outside to start practice this past Friday, Zach said he’s eager to get the season underway. 

“I’m looking forward to this season probably because our team knows that, at every invitational we go to, we have a chance to win it,” he said. “This past fall we did pretty good, and just knowing our team, I feel pretty confident our team can go into these tournaments and play.” 

Zach said the great thing about this team, which may be key to their overall success, is a bad day for one player won’t sink the team’s chances. 

“The depth of our team is key,” he said. “We have so much talent that if someone has a bad day, another player can step in and pick up the slack.” 

Harkema promotes team chemistry but also individual freedom, setting up a system where his players can set their own goals.  

“We let them thrive at what they do instead of putting little goals in front of them that could get in the way of that,” Harkema said. “We free them up to play the game and let their talent take over.” 

MCC begins its season competing in a two-day Commemorative Invitational at Hocking College in Ohio, March 23-24. 

Zach said the team plans to go down earlier to allow for some team bonding, especially with the two new freshmen on the team – Mitchell and Blair. 

“I think we need to spend as much time as possible together to form a good bond,” Zach said. “As we keep playing, the new guys will start fitting in and get what we’re trying to do. That spring break trip will help.”