During their girls’ golf regional on October 7, Powers Catholic senior MaKenna Hodorovich accomplished something that many golfers spend their lifetimes chasing: she got a hole-in-one on the No. 7 hole at Pine River Country Club in Alma.
However, Hodorovich is in the one family where that rare feat isn’t so rare – her grandpa, Joe Hodorovich, has done it seven times. But for MaKenna, joining him in the family hole-in-one club helped connect her even more to the person who introduced her to the game.
“It was really exciting, mostly because I’ve never really thought that would happen to me,” she said. “My grandpa is the one who taught me how to golf, and he plays every single day. I always remember when I was little, he’d take me out on the golf course and it was just a great way to bond with him. He was shocked and really proud of me, because he knew that I’ve worked hard this year. And I got to see one of his hole-in-ones last year, so it was kind of a nice bonding moment for us.”
Powers coach Bridget Rabine had to be convinced that the hole-in-one was real, thanks to some pranksters on the team playing a joke earlier in the season.
“They like to joke around, and a few weeks ago they convinced me that Yana (Lazaris) got a hole-in-one here (at Swartz Creek Golf Course) on No. 9, so they had me going and of course it turns out it wasn’t true,” Rabine said. “So when MaKenna texted me to let me know she had one, my first response was like, ‘yeah right!’ But then another coach texted the whole group at regionals that it was true, and I couldn’t get over there fast enough. It’s so exciting, and really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and amazing accomplishment.”
More important for team purposes, that hole-in-one helped Powers get past Clio to advance to the Division 3 State Finals October 17 and 18 at Forest Akers West in East Lansing. The top three teams in each regional qualify for the state tournament. Powers finished third in their regional, shooting a 387, one stroke better than Clio.
“It’s just gonna be a really amazing experience for them to be among some of the top players in the state and have that opportunity to play with them and see what they do with their game and maybe pick up some tips,” Rabine said. “And then just taking it all in and just enjoying the moment. I think that’s super important because not every team gets to do this.”
That experience will be particularly beneficial for Powers since Holdorovich is the only senior on the team. Last year, she qualified individually but she’s excited that she’ll have her teammates playing with her this year.
“I’m hoping we just have fun honestly,” Holdorovich said. “It’s hard to get to states. All of the girls that are there, they’re really happy to be there. Last year I went by myself, so I’m really excited to spend my last states with them.”
Now, multiple players will get to experience the state tournament and return with the things they learn from it next season.
McKenna Kelly, a sophomore, shot a team-best 91 at the regional tournament. She’s excited that the state tournament will give the team another opportunity to continue growing closer.
“I’d say this season has almost been more fun because last year, we only had a varsity team and didn’t have as many girls as we have this year,” she said. “And I feel like everyone just coming together and bonding, it just makes it so much better to golf with them.”
That support system is important, because golf can be a notoriously frustrating game to master.
“I’ve almost quit a couple of times,” Kelly said. “But getting more competitive and serious about it, it makes me want to strive to be better. I’d like to break 90 again (at the state tournament). I broke 90 at a tournament a couple of weeks ago, and I want to do it again.”
Rabine is in her second season coaching the Powers varsity team, and this is the first time the team has qualified for the state finals in her tenure. The team already made it through an ultra-competitive regional, which should help their preparation for the State Finals. Rabine also has strong family lineage she can lean on – her dad, Bob Beach, has coached Powers boys’ golf team for 37 years and won multiple state titles.
“It (the regional) was very nerve wracking,” Rabine said. “I just wanted the girls to enjoy the experience and not worry about the place we were in, and I stopped looking too because I was nervous. Clio also had an amazing round, and we were going back and forth with them. My dad texted me and said, ‘Just tell them jokes, have fun with them, let’s not worry about the score.’ It came down to the very last hole with our very last player, and we pulled it off. I was just so proud of them.”
Part of what Powers can rely on in those moments is just the overall togetherness of the team – they get along well, support each other, and have developed stronger friendships throughout the season.
Laney Applegate, a sophomore who shot a personal best of 93 this season, said it’s fun to accomplish things in such a supportive environment.
“It’s just fun to play with the people you get to play with on this team,” Applegate said. “Honestly, it’s just like a little family.”
For Sloane Matheson, a freshman, that atmosphere has helped create an easy transition to high school golf for her.
“It’s definitely been an awesome experience for my first year playing at the high school level,” Matheson said. “Everyone has been so kind and welcoming. We’ve come really far as a team and individually this season.”
The individual challenges golf presents also fuel players on the team to continuously work to improve. Junior Emma Darmafall said golf makes it easy for her to push herself.
“I like how with golf I feel like I have to prove something to myself,” said Darmafall, who broke 100 for the first time in her career this season and also had her first birdie.
Emerson Granata, a junior, is just hoping everyone comes out of the state tournament proud of the season they’ve had.
“I think something we’ve done very well this year is building new connections with people,” she said. “And really just learning a lot about patience when it comes to the game. If you have a bad score, just having a positive mindset. No matter how long you play, you always have a challenge ahead of yourself because the courses are so different.”
Powers is one of 18 teams vying for a state title in their division. The school’s last state championship in girls’ golf was in 2018. Whatever happens in the finals, Rabine is pleased with the progress and work the team has put in all season.
“I’m just really proud of the girls because they worked a lot this year on coachability and learning how to play the game with what you have,” she said. “We worked really hard on short game, and they just really embraced what I had to share with them. My expectations are always that the girls go out and, number one, have fun, and number two, just do your best. They took it to heart, learned in practice, and you see them applying it at tournaments.”
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