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Paetz, Teschendorf shine as Frankenmuth pushes to the brink at boys' golf Regionals

  On a picture-perfect Tuesday at The Fortress, where wisps of clouds softened the spring sun and the greens ran true, 20 teams descended for the Division 3 Regional 16 Tournament, all gunning for one of three coveted tickets to the state finals. Among them, Frankenmuth wasn’t just a host—it was a contender. And for most of the day, they made things interesting.

  The Eagles clawed their way into seventh place in a field stacked with talent, and at one point were just six strokes out of third. For a moment, it looked like the unthinkable might happen.

  “We were aiming for third,” said senior captain Miles Paetz, who’s been the heart of this squad all season. “We figured Garber and Millington would be tough to beat, so we were shooting for that last qualifying spot𠅊nd we were right there.”

  They were—until the numbers didn’t quite break their way.

  Ethan McNiel, usually rock solid in the Eagles’ two-spot with an average score in the mid-80s, picked the wrong day to have an off round. A 100 on home turf stung.

   “It was a bad day to have a bad day,” McNiel said simply.

  Still, it was Paetz who kept Frankenmuth in the hunt. The senior opened with a triple bogey on the fortress-like 16th, barely missing his first two shots out of bounds on the narrow fairway. But in typical Paetz fashion, he steadied the ship. Over his next seven holes, he played even par, highlighted by a birdie tap-in on 6 and a 20-foot dagger on 14 that momentarily pulled him into state-final contention.

  Needing a birdie on 15, his final hole of the day, to punch his individual ticket to states, Paetz went conservative with an iron off the tee𠅊 calculated decision that betrayed him. A low shot clipped a tree branch, forcing a 130-yard approach from unfamiliar terrain. He couldn’t convert, and ended the round with a bogey.

  “I usually drive that hole,” Paetz said. “I tried to play it safe. My plan backfired.”

  His round of 82 left him heartbreakingly short of the individual cut, just two shots shy𠅋ut his score still beat 14 of the 15 players advancing to the finals with their teams.

  “It makes me feel good to know that I’m in the top 5% of the players out here; it’s just unfortunate that it doesn’t get me to the state finals,” remarked Paetz.

  If Paetz’s near-miss was the day’s heartbreak, Aeden Teschendorf was its revelation.

  The junior, promoted from JV for this tournament only, made his varsity debut count, carding a calm, poised 86 that landed him 16th overall in a field of 100. Not bad for a guy who started the day with no expectations and no pressure. . . . . .

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