Pochet heads PAC fivesome headed for states with runnerup finish at Golden Oaks

   FLEETWOOD – Fall came crashing into the area Monday morning on a wave of chilly temperatures and gusty winds that turned Golden Oaks Golf Club, site of the PIAA East Regional Championship, into a testy challenge.

   Still, it was a test that 10 District One golfers passed in Class AAA, five of them out of the Pioneer Athletic Conference with four of the PAC players finishing among the top seven.

   Spring-Ford senior Ben Pochet, coming off a spectacular final-round 65 that gave him a second straight District One title last week, knew right away this was not the same Golden Oaks it was last year when he captured the East Regional crown with a 5-under 67.

   Still, he nearly pulled off a repeat at Golden Oaks as well as he carded a patient 1-under 71 over the 6,684-yard, par-72 layout near Reading, a round that was bettered only by Warwick’s Brock Fassnacht, who captured the title with a 2-under 70.

   “It was extremely windy and with these big greens when the pins were near the edges, you just wanted to make sure you didn’t get short-sided,” said Pochet, who will take his talents to Drexel next summer. “You just wanted to get it on the green somewhere on a lot of holes and my lag putting was pretty good today. That’s what you have to do when you’re putting it from 40, 50 feet.”

   Even in his group, Pochet watched Joe Parrini, the talented Central York senior who shot 8-under in winning the District Three Class AAA title last week at Briarwood Golf Club, nearly three-putt his way out of a trip to the PIAA Tournament. Parrini’s 79 made the cutoff on the number.

   “I just lost my feel with the putter, I must have had six three-putts,” said Parrini, who is headed for Arizona in the ultra-competitive Pac-12 Conference. “I’ve made states every year.”

   Starting in one of the marquee groupings off the first tee, Pochet had only one bogey in his round when he bunkered his tee shot at the 179-yard, par-3 15^th hole after at least a half-hour wait on a tee that annually is the scene of a two-group backup in the East Regional.

   “It was tough to stay warm and stay loose at times today,” said Pochet, winner of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Christman Cup at Stonewall’s North Course and a qualifier for the U.S. Junior Amateur at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Andover, Kan. last summer.

   He made birdies at the third and 13^th holes. Bottom line: Pochet will have a starting time when the PIAA Class AAA Championship tees off at the Heritage Hills Resort in York County next Monday.

   Fassnacht, who started on the second hole, got it to 2-under when he made birdies at 10 and 12. He dropped a shot with a bogey at the 16^th hole, but got it right back with a birdie at the 17^th. That was enough to give him a one-shot edge on Pochet.

   Two other PAC golfers, Norristown junior Caleb Ryan and Pope John Paul II senior J.T. Spina, shared third place, two shots behind Pochet at 1-over 73. Both will be making return trips to Heritage Hills. Ryan struggled there a year ago, finishing tied for 23^rd. Spina finished tied for third, the highest finish of any District One player.

   Ryan, coming off a solid third-place finish in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour event at Heritage Hills Saturday, didn’t mind seeing the wind blow Monday at Golden Oaks. Like Pochet, he stayed patient, offsetting three bogeys with two birdies.

   “I love playing in the wind, maybe not this windy, but I don’t mind it,” said Ryan, who finished fourth in the District One Championship at Turtle Creek last week. “We play so many tournaments in it, I guess I’ve just gotten used to it.”

   Spina’s dad John is the head of instruction at Philadelphia Cricket Club and Spina has proven to be a pretty good student. He was the Junior Tour’s 2016 16-to-18 division Player of the Year. And he has more than held his own in a very competitive PAC the last couple of seasons.

   “Five out of 24 (state qualifiers) from the PAC, that’s pretty good,” said Spina, will join the Saint Joseph’s program next year. “And District One did pretty good. We have a lot of good players in our league, it’s very competitive. It makes you a better player.”

   Spina made a 15-footer on the eighth hole at the Turtle on Day 1 of last week’s district tournament to make the cut on the number at 3-over 75. He came back the next day with a sizzling 5-under 67.

Starting on the fourth hole at Golden Oaks, Spina got it to 2-under when he made birdie at the par-4 16^th, but he made bogeys at 17, one and two to fall back to 1-over.

   “It was a little tricky on the greens today,” Spina said. “But I love this course, even though it was playing pretty tough today. I’m happy to be going (to Heritage Hills) again.”

   William Tennent’s Colin Walsh and Exeter’s Alex Seelig finished tied for fifth at 3-over 75. Owen J. Roberts’ Ward McHenry, a fourth PAC entry, headed a group of four players tied for seventh at 4-over 76. He was joined at that figure by Karsen Rush of Chambersburg, Brett Wagner of Pocono Mountain East and Mason Wills of Warwick.

   Included in the group of six players who finished tied for 11^th at 5-over 77 were two freshmen from District One, Norristown’s Joshua Ryan, Caleb’s younger brother and the fifth PAC player to earn a ticket to states, and Conestoga’s Morgan Lofland, who will be the Central League’s lone representative among the boys at Heritage Hills.

   Ryan, who started on No. 8, survived a bumpy stretch during which he made bogeys at 15 and 16, a double bogey at 18 and a bogey at one.

   “I was 5-over in that stretch, but only 1-over the rest of the way,” Joshua Ryan said. “I three-putted 15, 16 and 18. I hit a couple of shots to like, six feet, but couldn’t make the birdie putts.”

   Joshua Ryan also made the trip to Heritage Hills for Saturday’s Junior Tour stop and finished third in the 13-to-15 division. His 2-over 73 was actually two shots better than Caleb’s 75, giving him bragging rights on the ride home.

   Lofland, who plays out of Phoenixville Country Club, showed uncommon poise for a freshman. He didn’t make a birdie all day, but five bogeys and 13 pars was plenty good enough to enable him to reach the state tournament.

   He credited an ambitious tournament schedule this summer, estimating he’s played in 16 of them this year, for preparing him for just the kind of situation he faced Monday.

   “Playing in all those tournaments prepares you mentally,” said Lofland, who works on his game with Phoenixville head pro Matt Dever. “It gives you an idea coming in what it will take to make the cut. This was a pretty tough golf course today. I think putting was the strongest part of my game today.”

   Also in the group tied for 11^th at 77 were another District One entry, Greg DeLuca of Neshaminy, as well as Central Dauphin’s Timothy Cooper, Manheim Township’s Jacob Macinanti and Northern York’s Austin Schreffler.

   District One’s Kevin Anthony of Central Bucks South and Connor Bennink of Unionville were joined in the trio tied for 17^th at 6-over 78. And Holy Ghost Prep’s Liam Hart was in the group of five players that included Central York’s Parrini, who made the cut on the number with a 79.

   Central Bucks East junior Patrick Sheehan, so dynamic in battling Pochet to the last shot before settling  for runnerup honors in the District One Championship, struggled to an 80 to just miss the cutoff for states.

   The two other Central League entries, Radnor junior David Colleran and Strath Haven senior Ben Newlon, failed to advance with respective rounds of 82 and 90.

   District One’s two entries in the Class AA field, New Hope’s Ben Wiseman and Devon Prep’s Ryan McCabe, who captured the district last week at Turtle Creek, punched their tickets to Heritage Hills.

Wiseman finished fourth with a 77 while McCabe was another shot behind him in fifth with a 78.

   Grant Gronka of Central Columbia captured the regional crown with a 3-over 75. Chase Miller of Tulpehocken and William Mirams of Notre Dame East Stroudsburg shared second place, each posting a 76.

   Conestoga junior Samantha Yao couldn’t quite repeat as the Class AAA East Regional champion as she lost in a playoff to Kendel Abrams of Susquehannock after each carded an 80 over a Golden Oaks layout that measured 5,140 yards for the girls.

   Yao heads for Heritage Hills with her sights set on the PIAA championship that eluded her last year when she was the runnerup to Peters Township senior Mia Kness.

   Sophia Mancuso of Central Bucks East just missed joining that playoff as she finished third with an 81.

   Three other District One players, Downingtown East’s Liddie McCook, Wissahickon’s Cristea Park, and Unionville’s Charlotte Scully, also earned tickets to Heritage Hills as they finished tied for eighth at 86.

   Villa Joseph Marie’s Carolyn Mueller finished sixth in Class AA to make it to the state tournament. Morgan Sohosky of Bloomsburg carded an 84 to claim the Class AA regional title.