Three teams advance to WPIAL finals in boys golf
It was a good day on the links for three local high school boys golf teams as they advanced to the WPIAL finals with their performances Tuesday in the semifinals.
Two of the three – Peters Township in Class 3A and Belle Vernon in Class 2A – produced the low team score at their respective semifinal site.
Peters Township shot 392 at the semifinal held at The Links at Spring Church in Apollo. The Indians edged Indiana (398), Butler (400), Moon (401), Central Catholic (405) and Plum (406). Only Peters Township, Indiana and Butler advance to the WPIAL Finals that will be held Thursday at Cedarbrook Golf Course’s Gold Course.
The Indians had all five players shoot 81 or lower, led by Colton Lusk’s round of even-par 72, which was topped only by Butler’s Hunter Swidzinski, who shot 71.
At the Class 3A semifinal held at Duck Hollow Golf Course outside of Uniontown, South Fayette secured the third and final qualifying spot by shooting a team score of 400. North Allegheny was first at 391 and Fox Chapel was the runner-up at 398. Trinity shot 423 and placed seventh.
South Fayette was led by Sam Bishop’s round of 75, which tied for the fourth-best of the day.
In Class 2A, Belle Vernon won the semifinal held at Pleasant Valley Golf Club in Connellsville, shooting 407 to edge runner-up South Park by three strokes. Uniontown placed third at 413. Carmichaels placed fifth at 429, McGuffey was seventh with a 446 team score and Waynesburg was eighth at 452.
The Leopards were led by Jordan Mocello’s 76 and a 78 by Jack Edwards. Carmichaels’ Mason Lapana and McGuffey’s Brody Wagner each shot 77, which tied for sixth-place at Pleasant Valley.
Belle Vernon will have the advantage of playing the WPIAL finals on its home course at Cedarbrook.
In the other Class 2A semifinal, which was held at Beaver Valley Golf Club in Patterson Heights, Fort Cherry placed ninth with a team score of 481. The Rangers’ Alan Tarolli tied for fifth place at the event, shooting a round of 79.