Livingston County Boys Golfer of the Year Derek Kantola nearly didn't make Howell's team

HOWELL — Derek Kantola nearly missed the opportunity to play golf for Howell this spring.

He planned to play for Howell after seeing growth in his game while playing casually following his sophomore year last summer, but he got sick the week of tryouts.

Kantola was concerned it was a lost opportunity, but friends of his on the team talked coach Jeff Hughey into giving him a shot after he was healthy.

“He was planning to have me come out to the first few practices, just like a tryout,” Kantola said. “Then I wasn’t able to make those, too. They had simulator time. I was hitting balls there and he was watching me. After a little bit, I didn’t know if I was on the team yet; I just assumed it. It was kind of like official after a few practices.”

A player with no high school golf experience and who nearly missed his shot to play proved he belonged, winning two tournaments on his way to becoming the 2024 Livingston County Boys Golfer of the Year.

In only his second tournament, Kantola showed he would be a force for a Howell team that already had high expectations before he came on board. He shot 2-under-par 70 to win the Black/Green/Gold/Orange tournament at Kensington Metropark Golf Course. He cleared the field in a 79-player event by three strokes.

For Kantola, there was a sense of validation.

“I was super happy about it, because I felt my first few practices I wasn’t playing that amazing,” he said. “I was worried they let me on the team and I shouldn’t have been there. I won the second tournament. It was a big confidence boost for the rest of the year. I wasn’t expecting to win at all.”

Hughey already made cuts to a 12-man roster when Kantola felt well enough and the weather cooperated enough to see what he could do on the course. Hughey was intrigued, having heard glowing reports about Kantola from veteran Highlanders like Zach Spencer.

"He was pretty sick," Hughey said. "He missed the week of tryouts and then some. Him and I kept communicating with each other. He was worried about cuts and tryouts. Before tryouts, Zach and a couple guys came to me and said he was gonna come out and he was the real deal.

"When he got sick, I told him, 'We're gonna give you a shot. We're not allowing you to not try out because you got sick. I put a lot of trust in what Zach and other guys were saying."

When it came to his biggest moment of the season, Kantola nearly missed that, too.

Howell’s van was scheduled to leave for a 100-mile trip to Midland for regionals at 6:40 a.m. May 29. Kantola’s alarm didn’t go off and his father, expecting to hear his son getting ready, woke him up at 6:40. He lives 10 minutes from the high school, so he scrambled to get there.

“On the hour-and-a-half drive, I was able to cool down and relax after all that stress,” Kantola said.

With a near-disaster behind him, Kantola shot 4-under-par 68 at Currie Municipal Golf Course to win medalist and lead Howell to its first regional championship and state-qualifying berth since 2004 .

"His dad was at every event," Hughey said. "I saw him at regionals and said, 'Hey, you're the MVP today. Thanks for getting him here.'"

It was the lowest round of the season by a Livingston County golfer, eclipsing 69s by teammate Zach Spencer and Brighton’s Jackson Frelich.

“On the trip back, we had a great time,” said Kantola, who averaged 76.5 for 18 holes and 38.5 for nine. “Everyone was joking around, being happy. We made school history. We all played pretty solid and were able to get that win.”

RELATED: Meet the 2024 All-Livingston County boys golf team

Kantola was Howell’s top player in the state tournament, following a first-round 82 with a 73 in the final round to tie for 26th place. Howell was 11th as a team with five juniors on the course.

The group which initially drew Kantola into playing high school golf will be back together for a run at a possible state championship next year.

“Mostly, it was all my friends,” he said. “I always loved golf. After last summer, I felt like I improved a lot. I knew I could do something. There was just a lot of ush from everyone else in my life, saying, ‘You’re good enough to go, you should try.’ That was the main focus. I got pushed a little bit and got confidence in my game from summer golf.”

Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Livingston County Boys Golfer of the Year Derek Kantola nearly didn't make Howell's team