Ten Macomb County Golf Championships in 11 seasons don’t just happen.

De La Salle’s players work all year to achieve that excellence.

“Most people don’t see the amount of work they put in,” said Pilots coach Dennis Koch after his team posted a 307 total Monday at The Orchards Golf Club. “They love golf. They play golf morning, noon and night. They play at The Orchards. They’re in the simulator in the winter. They’re in the weight room. They do yoga. The work ethic is what gets these guys to this spot.”

Anchor Bay was runner-up with a team total of 319 and Eisenhower won a close battle for third place with a 326 score.

Sophomore Julian Sinishtaj led the way for the Pilots with a one-under-par 71, which also made him the meet medalist. Sinishtaj edged teammate Troy Nguyen, the meet medalist in 2023, by one stroke. Max Teschendorf gave De La Salle a third All-County player when he shot 78.

Jacob Fester and Anthony Brillati rounded out the De La Salle lineup.

Fester didn’t know until 6 a.m. Monday that he would be competing in the county meet. Koch received a call late Sunday that one of his players would miss the meet because of an injury so Fester got the wakeup call and he responded with a solid 86.

“It was a great team effort,” Koch said. “Our top end guys really did their part grinding through. They maybe didn’t have their best stuff because I think they can still play better. All the guys on the team played their roles, especially Jacob Fester and Anthony Brillati. Those top three guys are among the best players in the state and they’re the reason De La Salle is as good as it is this year.”

Koch, who took over this year for longtime coach Doug McKay, might have been worried coming into the meet but the players were confident.

“I think we knew we had this one,” Teschendorf said. “We didn’t feel a lot of pressure. I think we had it under control.”

Teschendorf, one of two seniors in the lineup, said it was the preparation that gave the team confidence.

“We work every day, Monday through Sunday,” he said. “The expectations are high. We want them high. Everybody on the team plays a role. One of our players got hurt yesterday and we called (Fester) this morning and it all worked out.”

Winning the county meet is always a goal for the Pilots. However, it’s not the only one.

“It means a lot,” said Teschendorf. “We don’t take it for granted but there are bigger things ahead.”

Koch said the pressure to do well at the big meets comes from within.

“It’s like their own internal pressure,” he said. “They know they have a standard to uphold and that’s not to just be the best team in the county. They want to be one of the best teams in the state year in and year out. That’s why these kids work hard.

“It’s a school-wide effort. It comes from the administration. It comes from the alumni. These guys look up to the guys before them and they want to be that good. Our administration is good to let us practice at The Orchards and The Orchards has been great to us.”

Second-place finishes are getting boring for Anchor Bay, which can claim the county public school championship.

“It’s like kissing your sister,” coach Steve Pierce said with a laugh. “We’ve been runner-up three times but never won it. Our top two played real well today, Lucas (Faubert) was plus 3 and Jack (Higgins) was plus 4.

“All in all, I’m really pleased with our play. It’s a good tuneup for the regional. Our goal is to go to states as a team. It’s tough to beat De La Salle. They have some really good golfers.”

The Tars finished 10-0 in the Macomb Area Conference Blue Division and finished first in the league for the seventh-straight season under Pierce, who is completing his 44th year as coach.

Eisenhower had hoped for a better showing.

“Today wasn’t our best day on the links but we learned a lot of good things from some of those low points,” said coach David Brzezinski. “So far it’s been a great year. It’s a really strong team but we didn’t have our best stuff today. I have a lot of disappointed kids today. I have to keep reminding them that things will get better.

“Hopefully, we bounce back and have a better day at Forest Akers West in the MAC Red tournament on Thursday.”

Adam Morrison led the Eagles with a 79.

“He had a great start to the back nine with a birdie and an eagle,” Brzezinski said.

FINAL SCORES

1, De La Salle (307): Julian Sinishtaj 71, Troy Nguyen 72, Max Teschendorf 78, Jacob Fester 86.

2, Anchor Bay (319): Lucas Faubert 75, Jack Higgins 76, Logan Faubert 84, Tayden Jones 84.

3, Eisenhower (326): Adam Morrison 79, Ryan Girand 81, Zach Morrison 82, Dylan Zahuranic 84.

4, Lutheran North (328): Noah Shea 76, Lance Milton 77, Graham Krupsky 86, Connor Cassidy 89.

5, Utica (329): Braeden Kurmas 78, Luke Rowoldt 80, Colin Workman 84, Niko Lajb 87.

6, Romeo (330): Chase Laverell 79, Evan Insana 82, Maxwell Fountain 83, Robert Martin 86.

7, L’Anse Creuse (333): Jonah Kramer 81, Tyler Conklin 82, Joe Tringali 82, Vincent Pica 88.

8, Dakota (341): Austin Bartsch 76, Dominic Vanvliet 82, Andrew Johnston 91, Owen Chojnacki 92: and

Armada (341): Nolan Roose 78, Jak Klee 83, Ross Boushelle 89, Connor Rehn 91.

10, Stevenson (342): Timothy Meister 80, Alex Girardi 83, Jake Fenwick 88, Nick Dengle 91.

11, L’Anse Creuse North (345): Max Auchter 81, Scott Higuchi 83, Caeden Amara 89, Matthew Higuchi 92.

12, Lakeview (348): Connor Maki 84, Troy Lutomski 85, Caden Gersch 86, Vaughn Zmijewski 93.

13, Chippewa Valley (349): Hunter Fleming 85, Aiden Brown 87, Cameron Clements 88, Josue Calderon 89.

14, Lake Shore (380): William Young 81, Charles Maniaci 86, Ethan Bates 103, Gage Kolley 110.

15, Ford (387): Ben McNally 89, Kaleb Pfeifer 90, Derek Drelle 98, Rickie Mayer 110.

16, Fraser (408): William Minor 94, Anthony Smiecinski 101, Antonio Lunetta 104, Graham Hewitt and Joseph Molloy 109.

17, Cousino (475): Brayden Lisiecki 99, Daniel Voss 118, Owen Banaszak 123, Kaiden Seelinger 135.