McGuffey, PT come up short in team golf tourney
BELLE VERNON – Jeff Deems held the trophy at his side inside the tournament headquarters for the WPIAL Team Tournament at Cedarbrook Golf Club Thursday.
It was very similar to the one the golf coach at McGuffey held last year. Both of them rewarded a second-place finish and neither one qualified the Highlanders for the PIAA Championships.
The Highlanders made a strong charge but came up eight strokes shy of catching Sewickley Academy in the Class AA portion of the tournament. Sewickley Academy shot 387 on the par-72, 6,102-yard Gold course. McGuffey finished at 395.
Last year, McGuffey tied Neshannock for second place but lost a playoff for the final berth in the state tournament. Only first-place teams advanced.
Deems was disappointed in not qualifying for the state event for a second straight year but preferred to look on the bright side.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” said Deems. “We shot some great scores. It just wasn’t enough. I didn’t really have a number in mind (to win it). I knew Sewickley Academy was close to 385 in a tournament played here this season.”
Peters Township’s boys team also felt the hurt of coming up short, finishing in third place in a Class AAA field of six teams while the girls team, shorthanded because of injury, finished in third place in a field of four.
Pittsburgh Central Catholic won the boys Triple-A title by one stroke over Fox Chapel, 378-379.
Greensburg Central Catholic won the girls Class AA title with a 347 over the par-71 Red Course, three strokes better than Central Valley. North Allegheny was one shot better than Shady Side Academy in girls Class AAA.
Clouds kept the sun away for most of the day and a morning rain pushed the start time back 30 minutes, but the course was in good shape.
“I don’t think it was that bad,” Deems said. “We had some low scores but it wasn’t good enough. We would like to have gone to the next step. We’ve made improvement; we just have to keep trying.”
McGuffey senior Colin Chapman shot a career-best 2-over 74, including a 32 on the front nine.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” said Chapman, who had three birdies in his round. “The conditions were easier because the greens were holding (because of the rain). You could shoot at the pin.”
Three juniors – Hunter Donahue (75), David Chapman (76) and Trent Belleville (79) – shot in the 70s.
Peters Township has one of the most successful programs in the WPIAL. The Indians have lost only 31 matches in the 18 years Dave Kuhn has been coach. Since 2004, Peters Township has had 28 golfers – male and female – receive Division I scholarships. Peters Township has been in the finals in 13 of the last 15 finals and won six championships.
“You have to give all the credit to Central Catholic and Fox Chapel,” Kuhn said. “To do what we do, you have to give credit to the players and their parents. It’s bittersweet. We’re blessed to have the opportunity but just didn’t do it.”
The Indians lost a chance to qualify with a sluggish front nine, making the turn trailing by 11 strokes. A charge over the front nine could not make that up. Senior J.W. Cunningham shot 71 and junior Hunter Bruce 73 to lead PT.
“We didn’t play well in on the front nine,” said Kuhn. “We played acceptable on the back. To do what we’ve been trying to do over the past 17 years … our goal is to be here and be competitive. We were in the mix this year after losing four Division I players over the last two years. People were writing us off. I’m proud of the kids. I know they are devastated because our culture is to win. No one wins it every year, including the Steelers and the Patriots. We’re here and we’re a competitive public school in Washington County.”
Mia Kness was medalist in Class AAA girls with a 77 but the Indians were minus Brooke Hilden, who has an injured shoulder and could not compete. Kness and Hilden qualified for the WPIAL Championships but only Kness moved on to Monday’s PIAA West Region at Tom’s Run Golf Course in Blairsville.
“It’s a bummer,” said Kness of the team not qualifying. “We came in missing our No. 2 golfer so we just had to play our game. We had a good round and we’ll be back next year.”