Local pair qualify for states at WPIAL Class 3A boys tournament
Peters Township’s Camden Reyes and Trinity’s Gavin Bricker are headed to the Class 3A state golf tournament.
Reyes placed sixth and Bricker finished in a tie for eighth, which was enough to qualify both for states at the WPIAL Class 3A boys golf championship Monday at Sewickley Heights Country Club in Sewickley.
The top 14 finishers qualified for states.
West Allegheny junior Nico Ward carded a two-under-par round to finish at one-under to win the tournament. Ward was the only player under par and beat Baldwin’s Michael Quallich by one shot.
Defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Carson Kittsley of Fox Chapel finished in a tie for third with Central Catholic’s Bailey Donahue.
Reyes, a senior, had a strong front nine, which helped seal his spot at states.
He birdied holes, three, five in nine to go out at two-under par 34. Four bogeys on the back nine had him come in at 40 for a round of 74.
Reyes, the reigning WPGA Junior champion, did not qualify for states last year.
Bricker, a junior, is also headed to states for the first time. He earned his spot by limiting a big number on his scorecard with steady golf.
He shot a five-over par round of 77 on Monday. He made birdies on the par 5 second hole and par 5 14th. Bricker made 10 pars, four bogeys and one double bogey on the par 4 15th.
The PIAA golf championships are October 19-21 at the Penn State Blue and White Courses in State College.
Other local golfers who made the cut for the final round, but failed to advance to states were Peters Township’s Caden Benson (T-20, +15), Canon-McMillan’s Henry Manciu (T-30, +19), Trinity’s Lucas Daniels (T-32, +21), South Fayette’s Hudson Vennum (T-32, +21) and Peters Townships Ty Ondjreko (34, +23).
Reyes and his Peters Township teammates have another shot to win WPIAL golf in the Class 3A team playoffs. The team playoffs begin Thursday with semifinals. The Indians are in a semifinal at Champion Lakes Golf Resort in Bolivar with Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional, Kiski Area, Laurel Highlands, Moon and Seneca Valley. The top three teams at each of the two semifinals advance to the WPIAL Class 3A team championship next Tuesday at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Belle Vernon.