The Eagles entered the final day at the state finals with a 1 shot lead. A slow start had us trailing by 10 shots at one point. But this group of players fought back against the challenges to take a slight lead with four holes to play. A challenging finish at The Meadows, got the best of the Eagles, and a hard charging Cranbrook team edged us out in the last two holes. There were so many amazing performances, pars saved, birdies made, and challenging situations to overcome. As their coach I could not be more proud of the effort these boys put in to having a chance to win at the end. Sometimes we do not get what we deserve in life. Certain things are out of our control. What they did control was putting everything they had into every shot, choosing the right shots, and playing for each other and their school with everything they had. That is honorable and that is success.

The team finished with a 300-306 two day total of 606 to Cranbrook's 602. Leading the Eagles was seniors Cooper Reitsma who shot a 146 (8th), Sawyer O'Grady 148 (9th), and Ty Erickson 155. Also scoring for the Eagles was Freshman Charlie Stehouwer who shot 157. 

This senior group was the most successful group of boys golfers in school history when measured by wins and top 5s. They were part of a four year program that won 71 tournaments, placed top 5 in 37 others, and only outside the top five 7 times (never outside the top 10). An incredible legacy of golf for this group. Cooper Reitsma was a four time all state selection and had 21 individual wins while Sawyer OGrady a three time all state selection and 5 individual wins. They finished State Champions as a team in 2023 & 2025, and runner-up in 2024 & 2026 (missing a four-peat by 5 total shots across the two years). 

The GR Christian community has a lot to celebrate with this group of outgoing seniors and our 2026 team in general. You can be proud of the seniors and the entire team. Go Eagles!