The ROHS Girls Varsity Golf team secured a monumental victory on September 27, 2023. The team, winning their first league championship after eight years last year, have now secured two back-to-back wins. The team, consisting of Sr. Sophie Matthews, Sr. Raquel Kraniak, Jr. Kalli Roelofs, So. Stella Rogers, and Fr. Kolbie Roelofs secured a collaborative team score of 176. The team competed against teams like Berkley, West Bloomfield, Avondale, and Southfield A&T, ultimately causing them to win by a 17-stroke margin.
Captain and senior Sophie Matthews was there to witness both victorious years.

The golf team won both their pre and post-conference as well as every golfer on the team placing in the top ten, with three out of the five golfers even placing in the top five ranks.
Captain and junior Kalli Roelofs, who placed seventh at leagues, shared her own perspective for each match that she’ll bring forward to regionals.
“I just thought of one shot at a time and tried to not think about the bad shots,” said Roelofs. The golfer emphasized the concept of golf being such a mental sport, every golfer’s mentality essential to finding success in their game. Freshman Kolbie Roeloffs and sophomore Stella Rogers tied for first place with forty-two strokes.
“Our biggest goal is to carry forth the motivation and confidence onwards to our regional tournament.” Rogers said. The golfers worked hard to make sure their mentalities are being prioritized as the golf program gained their second year as league champions. While there is definite pressure surrounding the idea of regionals with the top three teams making their way to states, the team still held their heads high.
Two weeks later, on October 10, 2023, the golfers took their excitement to their regional tournament. The regionals tournament is composed of ten teams competing to secure a spot in the top three placements. If in one of those spots, the teams move on to the state tournament. Through perseverance and hard work, the Ravens secured their spot as third with 406 strokes. Golfer and sophomore Stella Rogers was once again a top ten scorer with 95 strokes, all five players using the skills they have practiced in the past weeks since leagues to pull their team through any difficulties along the way.
Along with his team succeeding in leagues and regionals, school psychologist and golf coach, Tom Harwood, achieved his own individual victory. Harwood was voted Regional Coach of the year as his team placed 3rd in the county and qualified for the state tournament.
Gaining recognition for his coaching skills along with the team’s hard work also paying off, the golfers, while winning their state qualifier spot, also won a lot of memories to carry forward as a team.
The state tournament occurred on October 20th and 21st at Forest Akers Golf Course at Michigan State. As they moved forward to the State Finals, the golfers brought every good shot they made as they had fun and worked hard. It’s been a rewarding year for the golfers, continuing to prioritize their positivity and winning mentality as their efforts pay off.