Brandon varsity boys golf coach John Ubbing hopes this is the year the Blackhawks make a move to the upper half of the Flint Metro League standings.
The Blackhawks will get an early view of how they stack up against the rest of the league at the Flint Metro preseason tournament Aug. 22 at Sugarbush Golf Course in Davison.
In the meantime, Brandon started off their season on a solid note Aug. 16, finishing fourth out of 12 teams at the Lake Fenton Invitational with a team score of 332. Lapeer West won the event with a score of 327.
Two Blackhawks that Ubbing expects to lead the team all season, sophomores Josh Williams and Ryan Bilkos, medaled at the invitational. Williams finished fifth with a round of 80, while Bilkos placed 13th with a score of 82.
Ubbing said Williams, who grew up in Ortonville, moved to Tennessee for a year before returning to town this season.
‘He’s going to be an impact player right away,? Ubbing said.
After Williams and Bilkos, Ubbing said there are a number of players that can contribute to the Blackhawks this year.
‘There are a host of kids that are playing for the three to six spots,? he said. ‘It’s my job to see who’s playing at their best and decide who to play. That’s why practice will be much more competitive this year. There are about seven or eight guys that can play varsity. I have to go with the best guys at the time.?
With the addition of Clio for this season, there are eight teams in the Flint Metro League. Ubbing said he expects the Blackhawks to be in contention for the league title along with Lapeer West, Linden, Holly, and Fenton.
‘In the last two years, we went from seventh to fifth (in the league),? he said. ‘If we don’t go higher than fifth, it will be a disappointment for us. We want to win the Metro League. We know we have to play our best golf to do that.?
From there, Ubbing said the Blackhawks hope to advance past districts (a newly added level of the state playoffs this season) to regionals, and from there to the state meet.
The Blackhawks were slated to play in the Durand Invitational Aug. 18 and the Lapeer Tune-Up meet Aug. 20 before competing in the league tournament.